Today, draft regulations to implement the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) were posted to the Federal Register website. WIOA is the first update to the nation’s core workforce training programs since the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 16 years ago. The draft regulations mark an important milestone in WIOA implementation. They come in five parts, known as Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs), that each address different aspects of the law:

• Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop System Joint Provisions (Joint DOL/ED);
• Remaining Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provisions administered by DOL;
• Title II Adult Education and Literacy administered by ED;
• Title IV Vocational Rehabilitation administered by ED; and
• Miscellaneous Program Changes administered by ED.

The regulations will be published to the Federal Register on April 16, 2015. At that point, the public can submit comments at www.regulations.gov for 60 days. The Departments plan to analyze these public comments and anticipate issuing Final Rules implementing WIOA in early 2016. We encourage stakeholders at the state and local levels committed to advancing opportunities for low-income youth and adults with barriers to economic success to submit comments.

CLASP looks forward to carefully reviewing the draft regulations and providing analysis to the field and comments to the Departments on ways to best serve low-income and lower-skilled youth and adults through WIOA.

Don’t miss CLASP’s WIOA Game Plan for Low-Income People, which includes strategies to implement the law and help low-income families and individuals climb the economic ladder.