WEEKLY UPDATE May 27, 2014

In This Issue

NEMW Senate Coalition Member Lead Sponsor of Compromise Workforce Bill

Water Resources Bill Passes with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support

NEMWI Bids Adieu to Amy Brooks; Welcomes JT Fletcher

NEMWI Welcomes Lindsey Krumrie

Webinar: Creating Living Shorelines to Enhance Brownfield Sites

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Northeast-Midwest Institute

Mississippi River Basin Blog

News

NEMW Senate Coalition Member Lead Sponsor of Compromise Workforce Bill

Last week, a bipartisan, bicameral group-including NEMW Coalition Member and Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Senator Tom Harkin (IA)-introduced the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), H.R. 803. According to the House Education and the Workforce Committee, the Act "modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete." Key components of the legislation include: improved access to training, education, and employment services, including for youth and those with disabilities; streamlining of the workforce development system; flexibility for states to address specific needs; and uniform measures to track program performance. The Act is a compromise between the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803), which passed the House of Representatives in March 2013 with bipartisan support, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), which passed through the HELP Committee on a bipartisan vote of 18-3 in July of 2013. The bill will now be considered by both the House and Senate. More information, including a one-page summary of the legislation, can be found here.

For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Water Resources Bill Passes with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support

The Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) passed both chambers of Congress last week with overwhelming support. The House passed the bill 412-4 on Tuesday, and the Senate followed with a 91-7 vote on Thursday. Passage of the bill culminates six months of a negotiation process between the House and Senate. The bill, the first WRRDA since 2007, now heads to the President's desk for his signature. WRRDA provides authority to the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, navigation, and restoration activities. Of particular interest to the NEMWI region, the Conference bill will facilitate expedited consideration of interim WRRDA project authorization bills to help speed up project starts. It will also reform the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to direct more of the funds to harbor maintenance projects to smaller, emerging harbors, many of which are located within the region. Important to the Great Lakes region, the bill designates the Great Lakes ports (between Duluth, MN in the west and the St. Lawrence Seaway in the east) as a single navigation system, allowing for additional funding and flexibility in maintaining navigation channels across the expansive port range. Additionally, the bill: improves forecasting of droughts and floods on the Mississippi River; requires additional studies of and protections against invasive species, including Asian carp; and mandates study of and recommendations on ways to reduce severe storm damage, like that resulting from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. A new NEMWI summary and side-by-side comparison of the final report and Chamber bills provides further details. Danielle Chesky, NEMWI's Great Lakes Washington Program Director, reported on these WRRDA developments and their impact on the region to the Great Lakes Dredging Team meeting last week in northern Ohio.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director, Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

NEMWI Bids Adieu to Amy Brooks; Welcomes JT Fletcher

As Amy Brooks sails off to retirement, JT Fletcher has joined NEMWI as its new Director of Finance and Administration. She is a financial management professional with over 15 years of experience helping scholars, administrators, and executives of nonprofit research organizations meet operational goals. JT holds a master's degree in finance from American University's Kogod School of Business and a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Wittenberg University, in Springfield, Ohio. She is a DC resident who enjoys the arts, competitive tennis and volleyball, church, family, and friends.

For more information, contact JT Fletcher, Director of Finance and Administration at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

NEMWI Welcomes Lindsey Krumrie

NEMWI welcomes Lindsey Krumrie as a Scientist/Engineering assistant working with the NEMWI's Great Ships Initiative in Superior, Wisconsin. Lindsey will provide facility support by assisting biological, chemistry and engineering staff for both land and shipboard test activities.

Lindsey hails from Minnesota and harbors an abiding love for the Great Lakes. She recently graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Earth Science and Physical Geography from Montana State University. She also has a degree in Watershed Science and previous work experience with the Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

For more information, contact Travis Mangan, Site Manager of the Great Ships Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Webinar: Creating Living Shorelines to Enhance
Brownfield Sites, May 29

The New Jersey Institute of Technology's Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program will host a webinar on May 29, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. on the benefits of, and implementation strategies for, the creation of living shorelines at brownfield sites. Representatives from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will discuss: guiding principles of living shorelines; the importance of site control, monitoring and maintenance to a living shoreline's success; and examples from NEMW states Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. There is no advance registration; to participate in the webinar, follow this link.

For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Sr. Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute:

Taking the Rust out of the Rust Belt!