NEWSLETTER | January 2022 | Volume 7 | Issue 1
Driving the national workforce agenda and providing value-added member services
Upcoming Meetings & Webinars
Conference Corner
2022 WINTER POLICY FORUM: REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
The 2022 Winter Policy Forum will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on February 16th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. At our previous in-person Winter Policy Forum 2020, more than 175 attendees from 38 states, including the District of Columbia, and 19 private organizations were represented. We hope you can join us!
REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 2, 2022 AT 5:00 PM ET.

REGISTRATION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ONSITE
New Vaccine Requirement for Washington, DC indoor facilities:
Per D.C. Mayor Bowser’s Order 2021-148, the District of Columbia will adopt a city-wide vaccination entry requirement that requires COVID-19 vaccination to enter indoor facilities within the city by February 15, 2022.   
  Proof of vaccination, per the order, includes the following:
  1. A physical Center for Disease Control (CDC) Vaccination Card
  2. A digital copy/photo of a CDC Vaccination Card 
  3. A COVID-19 Verification App such as VaxYes or CLEAR

More information can be found at VaxDC.
SAVE THE DATES
Watch your inbox for upcoming registration information!
April 26-28, 2022 | St. Louis, MO

May 10-12, 2022 | Orlando, FL

June 28-30, 2022 | Washington, DC

September 20-22, 2022 | Chicago, IL
What's Happening in the States
Content from states, for states
Submit what's happening in your state to naswa@naswa.org
NASWA in Action
TOOLING UP FOR INTEGRITY: HOW THE BEHAVIORAL INSIGHTS TOOLKIT CAN HELP UI AGENCIES (WEBINAR)
Presented by the NASWA UI Integrity Center, this webinar introduces the Behavioral Insights Toolkit, a new collection of resources within the Knowledge Exchange Library that can help UI agencies address program compliance challenges and improve UI integrity.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors met December 6-7 in Austin, Texas. Leadership and members of the Board discussed workforce and UI topics and heard updates from President & CEO, Scott B. Sanders, as well as updates on the Coleridge Initiative, the Gates Foundation Grant, the National Labor Exchange (NLx) and NASWA Services. The meeting ended with a roundtable discussion and peer-to-peer exchange.

The Board will meet again February 15 in Washington, DC.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
More than 30 members representing 23 states, territories, and the District of Columbia attended the Communications Committee meeting December 9th and 10th. Special guests included NASWA President & CEO Scott B. Sanders who provided a NASWA update, a Government Social Media Conference representative who discussed the upcoming GSM Conference, and NASWA staff who administer the National Labor Exchange (NLx), Google Career Certificates, UI Integrity Center, and State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) provided program and service highlights.

Committee members discussed emerging and timely topics in the UI and workforce arena, shared promising practices, and discussed 2022 goals.

The next in-person meeting will be held in Washington DC, February 17-18, 2022.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEETING
NASWA's Equal Opportunity (EO) Committee met December 9-10 in Austin, Texas, with nearly 30 attendees representing 22 states. Following introductions, Danielle Smith (MO) presented new EO monitoring methods within her state.

The EO Committee heard from a series of guest speakers including representatives from USDOL's Civil Rights Center, USDOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy, the LEAD Center, and USDOL's Office of Unemployment Insurance. NASWA President & CEO Scott B. Sanders also joined to provide some legislative and organization-specific updates.
 
Committee members participated in Subcommittee breakout sessions and a committee roundtable discussion led by Chair Mike Harrington (VT) and Vice-Chair Anna Hui (MO).
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
Led by Chair Jamie Suber (SC) and Vice-Chair Patsy Westcott (AK), NASWA’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) Committee met on December 7th in Austin, Texas.

Approximately 39 members attended the meeting representing 28 states. Guests Jim Garner and Michelle Beebe, from USDOL’s Office of Unemployment Insurance, discussed federal staffing changes, funding opportunities and answered questions about recent guidance. Committee members also heard presentations from several NASWA staff on ICON Updates, insights from a recent Integrity Center Assessment, and Workforce ITSC's latest research and online tools.

NASWA’s Employment & Training Committee joined the UI Committee for state presentations and discussion on RESEA and serving UI claimants in One-Stops. The meeting closed with a roundtable discussion.

The next meeting will be in Washington DC on February 17th, the day after NASWA’s Winter Policy Forum. Registration and hotel information can be found on naswa.org.
VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING
Twenty-seven members of the NASWA Veterans Affairs committee, representing 19 states, met December 9-10 in Austin, Texas. It was the group’s first in-person meeting in two years. A number of USDOL VETS officials were present to provide updates on the department’s vision, goals, outcomes, apprenticeship initiatives and JVSG policy. Other presentations focused on new and existing partnerships, Veterans mental health issues, and case management.

Members also heard about plans for the ninth annual NASWA Veterans conference June 28-30, 2022. The group’s next full meeting will be virtual on March 23-24, 2022.
NASWA AFFILIATES
NASWA Affiliates enjoy exclusive benefits.
Unemployment Insurance
Interstate Connection Network (UI ICON)
NEW UI ICON LEARNING OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE!
NASWA has recently released a new online learning lesson in the UI Interstate Connection Network (ICON) curriculum. The new self-paced IB14 lesson is now available, in addition to an ICON Claims training module certificate. ICON training lessons previously published include: Interstate Benefit (IB) System Overview, UIQ/SID/IBIQ Applications, Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, the IB8606 Web Application, IB4/IB5, IB6 and WIC2. Additional lessons are in development.


Note: Member login is required to take these training lessons.
Workforce IT Support Center (Workforce ITSC)
WORKFORCE TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENTS
Initial research by Workforce ITSC has found that the duration of awarded procurements is shorter than the average for all workforce technology procurements, suggesting a significant relationship between the duration of procurements and successful awards. Industry analyses of government procurements have suggested this connection, though an analysis of workforce procurements alone has yet to be conducted. For a more thorough understanding of workforce technology procurements, including structure and verbiage of RFP, RFI, and Sole Source documents, explore the Procurement Portal which currently houses over 500 procurement documents over the last ten years. For further technical assistance related to procurements, send an email to witsc@naswa.org to discuss how we may be able to assist.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION E-LEARNING LESSON
Leading in the Digital Age goes live later this month! Its focus introduces the need for and meaning of digital transformation along with the opportunity it offers workforce system customers and stakeholders.

This self-paced 45-minute lesson provides instruction on:

  • The imperative for change in the workforce system
  • The attributes of a digitally transformed government
  • The value of digital transformation
  • Identifying opportunities for change
  • The framework for digital transformation

Stay tuned for more information and invitations to participate!
National Labor Exchange (NLx)
NASWA and the National Labor Exchange (NLx) team are excited to announce the official addition of the U.S Virgin Islands to the partnership with DirectEmployers. As a result, the NLx is now fully operational in all NASWA member agencies.
 
The NLx team worked closely with the Virgin Islands Department of Labor and DirectEmployers for many months to establish the relationship and subsequent partnership. We are thrilled to have them officially join this unique public-private partnership. 

To learn more about the NLx, visit naswa.org/nlx.
UI Integrity Center
INTEGRITY CENTER - FEATURED RESOURCES OF THE WEEK

Visit the Knowledge Exchange Library for these and other helpful materials. Member login may be required for access.
Bulletin Board
HOW STATES ARE ALLOCATING AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS
Signed into law on March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion stimulus, which aims to support COVID-19 response efforts to decrease the spread of the virus and mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic. Of these funds, $350 billion is for eligible... Read More
COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR REEMPLOYMENT AND RECOVERY AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
Members-only resources and solutions are available to assist states with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. State workforce agency personnel can access information on Reemployment and Recovery as well as Unemployment Insurance.

NOTE: Materials are for internal use only and access requires a NASWA Member login.
COVID-19 PLAYBOOK
A tool for NASWA members (state workforce agency personnel), the COVID-19 Playbook is a compilation of resources on MEUC implementation and PUA Overpayment Waiver information for state workforce agencies.

NOTE: NASWA Member login is required to access.
Workforce Jobs
Check out open positions around the country on our Workforce Jobs page!
Have a job to fill? State workforce agencies and Affiliates may contact webmaster@naswa.org to submit an open position.
Please send relevant content for the newsletter to Brooke Higdon.