Workforce Florida Weekly Update 1-03-07

CONTENTS
The State & Regions
The Nation
Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities
Upcoming Meetings, Conferences & Events
Odds & Ends

The State & Regions

Governor Crist issues Executive Order 07-01:
WHEREAS, the Constitutions of the United States and of Florida provide that “We, the people” establish our federal and state governments; and
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of Florida further confirms that all political power flows from the People to our government; and
WHEREAS, by accepting an elected, appointed, or other position in our state government, we have each chosen to take on the responsibility of public service dedicated to the people of Florida; and
WHEREAS, that commitment to service must prevail in the Office of the Governor and each executive agency within its purview; and
WHEREAS, an honest, open, and ethical structure within which government decisions are made is an important factor in building the people’s trust and confidence in their government and its ability to serve the people; and
WHEREAS, to further the goal of maximizing service by the public’s servants, the people of Florida must have access to their state government and their elected and appointed officials, our state government must be responsive to citizens who seek assistance from it, and our state government must communicate in a clear, easily understood manner.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHARLIE CRIST, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section (1)(a) of the Florida Constitution, and all other applicable laws, do hereby promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:
Section 1. I hereby direct the immediate adoption and implementation of a Code of Ethics by the Office of the Governor. This Code of Ethics applies to all employees within the Office of the Governor, as well as the secretaries, deputy secretaries, and chiefs of staff of all executive agencies under my purview. This Code of Ethics imposes clear, understandable standards that often go beyond the statutory Code of Ethics set forth in Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes.
Each agency secretary is further directed to review and evaluate the current policies adopted at his or her agency in light of this Code of Ethics, with a view to using this Code as the base standard for his or her agency and adjusted for those unique program requirements and variables for his or her agency. Agency secretaries are to implement any agency-specific adjustments to the Code within forty-five (45) days of the date of this Order.
I further direct the immediate adoption and implementation of a Code of Personal Responsibility by the Office of the Governor. The Code of Personal Responsibility applies to all employees within the Office of the Governor and sets forth clear standards and procedures regarding appropriate conduct in the workplace.
Each agency secretary is directed to review and evaluate the Code of Personal Responsibility, with a view to determining whether the agency’s existing personnel policies and procedures require any adjustments based on the standards set forth in that Code. The policy statements set forth in the Code of Personal Responsibility will serve as the minimum standards of conduct for all executive agencies within my purview. Each agency secretary is to complete the review of the agency’s existing personnel policies and implement any changes to them within forty-five (45) days of the date of this Order.
Each agency secretary is further directed to designate an individual at his or her agency to act as the agency’s chief ethics officer. The agency’s ethics officer will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the employees responsible for adhering to this Code become familiar with relevant ethics, public records and open meeting requirements. I hereby designate my General Counsel to act as the chief ethics officer for the Office of the Governor.
Each agency secretary is further directed to attend training on the subjects of ethics, public records, open meetings, records retention, equal opportunity and proper personnel procedures. Thereafter, each agency secretary will arrange for similar training of his/her employees on an annual basis.
I further direct the periodic review and evaluation of both the Code of Ethics and the Code of Personal Responsibility. The purpose of this periodic review shall be to develop further recommendations as necessary or appropriate to assure that we maintain and effectively enforce the highest ethical standards for state officials and employees, and promote consistency of State agency policies on ethics, public records, open meetings, and personnel matters.
Section 2. I hereby institute the Plain Language Initiative in the Office of the Governor and the executive agencies under my purview. The purpose of this initiative is to ensure that the announcements, publications, and other documents sent by my Office and these agencies contain clear and concise instructions and information. The Governor’s Office of Citizen Services will provide guidance for the development and implementation of this initiative.
Within ninety (90) days of this Executive Order, each agency, in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Citizen Services, will adopt a plan to implement Plain Language guidelines and standards. While each agency’s plan must take into account the unique programs and requirements of that agency and its customers, all Plain Language plans must provide for documents that include:

• Clear language that is commonly used by the intended audience;
• Only the information needed by the recipient, presented in a logical sequence;
• Short sentences written in the active voice that make it clear who is responsible for what; and
• Layout and design that help the reader understand the meaning on the first try (including adequate white space, bulleted lists, and helpful headings).

Section 3. I hereby create the Office of Open Government within the Office of the Governor. The Office of Open Government is charged with providing the Office of the Governor and each of the executive agencies under my purview with the guidance and tools to serve Florida with integrity and transparency.
To that end, the Office’s primary functions will be: (1) to assure full and expeditious compliance with Florida’s open government and public records laws, and (2) to provide training to all executive agencies under my purview on transparency and accountability. The Office will also have primary responsibility for ensuring that the Office of the Governor complies with public records requests in an expeditious manner.
Each agency secretary is further directed to designate a person at his or her agency who will act as the agency’s public records/open government contact person. That individual will be responsible for complying with public records/open government requests and compliance at their respective agency and will also be the primary liaison between that agency and the Office of Open Government for purposes of training and compliance.
Section 4. I hereby direct the Governor’s Office of Citizen Services to undertake a systematic evaluation of its own operations, as well as the executive agencies under my purview. This evaluation will include:

• Reviewing current operations and determining any necessary procedural improvements;
• Evaluating capabilities to provide citizen access and identifying areas requiring improvement; and
• Evaluating and recommending necessary technology upgrades or enhancements to improve citizens’ ability to access government services and monitor results.

The Office of Citizen Services will report to me within ninety (90) days on the steps taken to implement this portion of this Executive Order
Section 5. I hereby direct the Office of the Governor and each executive agency under my purview to immediately institute a top-to-bottom review of how each of its employees can better serve the people. The purpose of this review shall be to:

• Install performance-based incentives to improve service;
• Install best practices relating to customer service;
• Enhance procedures for soliciting, receiving and managing new ideas and from the people we serve; and
• Put in place a world-class training and review program to ensure that our public employees maintain their focus on service.

The head of each such agency shall report back to me within one hundred and twenty (120) days on the steps taken to implement this portion of this Executive Order.
Section 6. All state agencies under the direction of the Governor are hereby directed, and all other state agencies are hereby requested, to provide such assistance to the individuals carrying out the directions in this Executive Order as may be requested by them in furtherance of it.

Increase In Florida Minimum Wage Raise And Poster Requirement Reminder. TALLAHASSEE —Florida’s minimum wage will be $6.67 per hour effective January 1, 2007 for all hours worked in Florida. This represents an hourly increase of 27 cents over the current state minimum wage of $6.40 per hour. Florida’s minimum wage was created in a constitutional amendment approved by voters on November 2, 2004, and covers all employees in the state covered by the federal minimum wage.
The increase in the minimum wage this year represents a 4.2 percent change in the federal consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers in the South Region for the 12-month period prior to September 1, 2006. Florida’s new minimum wage will be $1.52 more than the current $5.15 federal minimum wage. Employers must pay their employees a wage not less than the amount of the hourly state minimum wage for all hours worked in Florida. The definitions of “employer,” “employee,” and “wage” for state purposes are the same as those established under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). For “tipped employees” meeting eligibility requirements for the tip credit under the FLSA, employers may count tips actually received as wages under the FLSA, but the employer must pay “tipped employees” a direct wage in an amount equal to the minimum wage of $6.67 minus $3.02 (which, as required by Florida’s Constitution, is the 2003 tip credit existing under the FLSA), or a direct hourly wage of $3.65 on January 1, 2007. Employees who are not paid the minimum wage may bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction against the employer or any person violating Florida’s minimum wage law. The state attorney general may also bring an enforcement action to enforce the minimum wage. As stated in Florida’s Constitution, the case law, administrative interpretations, and other guiding standards under the FLSA should be the guide regarding the construction of Florida’s constitutional amendment creating the minimum wage. FLSA information and compliance assistance can be found at http://www.dol.gov/dol/compliance/comp-flsa.htm. Beginning in 2007, section 448.109, Florida Statutes, requires that employers who must pay their employees the Florida minimum wage to post a minimum wage notice in a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where such employees are employed. This poster requirement is in addition to the federal requirement to post a notice of the federal minimum wage. Florida’s minimum wage poster is available for downloading in English and Spanish from the Agency for Workforce Innovation’s webpage at: http://www.floridajobs.org/resources/fl_min_wage.html. The federal poster can be downloaded from the U.S. Department of Labor website at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm.

AWI releases Florida's employment/unemployment report for November 2006. Florida’s unemployment rate in November 2006 was 3.3 percent, up slightly from the previous month and down 0.2 percentage points from 3.5 percent a year ago. The increase is largely due to new workers coming into the job market faster than employers could absorb them and weakness in residential construction. In November 2006 the size of Florida's labor force increased by 21,000. Overall job growth in November continued to be strong, as the state added 211,400 jobs over the year, growing at 2.7 percent, slightly more than twice the national rate. The national rate of growth was 1.3 percent for the same period. Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2006 of 3.3 percent was 1.2 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.5 percent. Job growth by sector was led by Professional and Business Services (+58,400) and Leisure and Hospitality (+31,000 jobs). The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach MSA led the state in employment growth (+51,200 jobs, +2.1 percent), followed by the Orlando-Kissimmee and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater MSAs with over-the-year job growth in November 2006 of +39,800 jobs and +20,800 jobs, respectively. In November 2006, Walton County had the lowest unemployment rate at 2.2 percent. Madison County was the highest at 8.0 percent. Access the complete release at: http://www.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdf.

Employers Provide Second Chance For At-Risk Youth through Suncoast Workforce Program. What do employers such as Cingular, Publix and UPS have in common? They, like many other local employers, have hired individuals from Project Return, a specialized workforce program offered at Jobs ETC. The program helps youths 16-21 who have been involved in the juvenile justice system, providing career assessments, goal setting, employability training, and job development and retention assistance. At the completion of the 3-week intensive program, the counselors assist students in obtaining jobs and continue to follow them with job coaching, counseling, and encouragement for one year. Youths without high school diplomas continue working on their GED, and others receive skills training at local technical institutes or colleges. For many of the participants, graduation form job readiness training class is their first experience with success. With employment and continued training, their lives can be completely turned around. Read testimonials given by the most recent graduates in the Bradenton-Herald link: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/16285383.htm. Project Return is made possible by a special, multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The program seeks to develop this youthful workforce and channel participants into high growth/high demand industries in our region. Project Return has served over 200 youths in Manatee and Sarasota counties over the past year, with 86%completing job readiness training, and 74% of the completers continuing high school, entering employment or post-secondary education. The current recidivism rate is a very low 5.6%. For more information contact Marie Duboulay, Field Supervisor, in Bradenton, (941) 714-7449, extension 170.

The Nation

Workforce Investment Act: Employers Found One-Stop Centers Useful in Hiring Low-Skilled Workers; Performance Information Could Help Gauge Employer Involvement. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released on December 22, 2006 the LETTER REPORT entitled: Workforce Investment Act: Employers Found One-Stop Centers Useful in Hiring Low-Skilled Workers; Performance Information Could Help Gauge Employer Involvement. Findings show that regardless of size, employers completing the survey hired a small percentage of their employees through one-stops, and two-thirds of those they hired were low-skilled. About 80 employers who could provide estimates reported hiring about 9 percent of their new employees through the one-stops, roughly 1,300 of their 14,500 hires in 2005. They also reported that about two-thirds of those hired were low-skilled workers, in part because they thought the labor available from the one-stop centers was mostly low-skilled. Employers told us they would hire more job seekers from the one-stop labor pools if they had the skills for which they were looking. Employers primarily used only one of the seven services generally available through the one-stop, but they generally viewed whatever services they did use as helpful. Most employers used the centers’ job-posting service. Fewer made use of the one-stops’ physical space or job applicant screening services. Still, when employers did take advantage of a service, they generally reported that it was useful because it produced positive results, such as reaching more job applicants than would have applied otherwise. When employers reported that they did not use a particular one-stop service, in most cases they either were not aware that the one-stop provided the service, obtained it elsewhere, or carried through on their own. At least three factors may affect one-stops’ service to employers. The first of these is the skill set of the labor pool. One-stop officials said that their job candidates generally had either low skills or lacked the specialized skills needed by employers. The second factor cited by one-stop officials is the limited number of staff available to serve employers. Staff at one-stops must serve both employers and job seekers with the staff and funding available to them. The fact that the Department of Labor collects limited information on employer engagement in the one-stop system is a third factor that may affect the level of service to employers. While Labor collects information on employer satisfaction, this measure does not provide information on how employers use the system. Labor has said its new data collection system will include such information, but this remains to be seen. Access the full report, GAO-07-167, December 22, at: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-167. For the Highlights go to: http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07167high.pdf.

USDA Announces $385 Million In Funding For Schools, Roads - Final Year of Payments Under the Secure Rural Schools Act. WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2006 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that more than $385 million in Forest Service revenue will be distributed to 41 states and Puerto Rico for improvements to public schools, roads and stewardship projects. "This is the sixth and final year of payments as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools Act and Community Self Determination Act of 2000," said Johanns. "The Forest Service has distributed more than $2 billion under this legislation since 2001 to assist counties in maintaining and improving local schools and roads." Since 1908, 25 percent of Forest Service revenues, such as those from timber sales, mineral resources and grazing fees, have been returned to states in which national forest lands are located. Because receipts from timber sales fluctuate, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 was developed to stabilize payments to counties. Florida, with 1,157,390 acres of national forest lands, will receive $2,504,497. The funds have been used for schools and roads as well as to create employment opportunities to maintain current infrastructure and enhance forest ecosystems, improving land health and water quality. Authority for the Forest Service to make the payments expired at the end of fiscal year 2006. The fiscal year 2006 payments are listed in the attached table. The payments do not reflect national grassland revenues, which are calculated on a calendar year basis and will be paid to counties in March. Oregon received the highest payment of more than $149 million; California received $66 million; and Washington received $42 million. An additional provision of the act provides for an additional $32 million this year to be used by local county Resource Advisory Committees to fund projects to improve federal lands. The Forest Service manages approximately 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. For more information, visit www.fs.fed.us. To access this press release and links to the state payment chart go to: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?
contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/12/0474.xml.

Grant and Competitive Award Opportunities and Notices

For additional information go to, visit the External Grant Opportunities page.

Featured Opportunity:

(none)

State Grants

(none)

Federal Grants

Transition From Jail to the Community (TJC)Cooperative Grant

FY 2007 Enhanced Training and Services to End Violence and Abuse of Women Later in Life Program

Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program

Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (Repeat)

Nurse Anesthetist Traineeships (Repeat)

Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG)

Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Child Abuse Enforcement Assistance Program

Gang Member Reentry Assistance Project (Repeat)

Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program Training and Technical Assistance Support (Repeat)

Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Grant Opportunity (Repeat)

Activities that Advance Methane Recovery and Use as a Clean Energy Source (Repeat)

SBDC Portable Assistance Project (Repeat)

OVC FY07 Public Awareness in Underserved Communities

Recovery Community Services Program – RCSP

FY 2007 Conservation Innovation Grants

GTL Bioenergy Research Centers

Foundation Grants

2007 Rural People, Rural Policy Cohort (Repeat)

Gannet Foundation Grants (Repeat)

2007 Grant Cycle in Visual Arts and Film/Video

7-12 Science and Math Grant

Scholarships/Awards

2007 Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award

FY 2007 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) - Boulder
Grant

Flying Eagle Woman Community Based Philanthropy Award and Louis T. Delgado Distinguished Grantmaker Award

National Ocean Sciences Competition for High School Students

Upcoming Meetings, Conferences and Events

Workforce Florida Board and Related Meetings Schedule:

For up-to-date WFI board meeting info please check the calendar at the WFI website.

January 17, 2006
Executive Committee Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
10:00am - 11:30am

January 17, 2006
Council Chairmen Teleconference
Tallahassee, FL
9:00am - 10:00am

January 29-31, 2007
Workforce Summit 2007
Gainesville, FL
Workforce Summit 2007 is coming up fast with exciting new features that you won’t want to miss. In addition to more in-depth workshop tracks, there will be:

• A variety of intense half-day, hands-on workshops where you will practice and hone key workforce skills.
• Timely detailed training on the EMPLOY FLORIDA MARKETPLACE.
• A new awards session honoring front-line staff. Each region will submit their front-line employee of the year and recipients will receive the award during the closing session.
  The new time frame has been selected to avoid hurricane season, program year end and legislative sessions. Conference registration is open and hotel rooms must be booked by January 8th to receive the discounted rate. To learn more, go to: http://www.dynamicinstitute.com/summit, email events@dynamicinstitute.com or call Dynamic Works at 321-205-1590. See you there!

February 22, 2007
Board of Directors Meeting
TBA
Contact: Peggy Dransfield, WFI pdransfield@workforceflorida.com

Other Meetings/Conferences/Events:

January 18, 2007
2:00–4:00 (Eastern Time)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
NEW! Videoconference “Addressing the Needs of Juvenile Status Offenders and Their Families.” Registration is free at http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/default.asp.

April 2nd-5th, 2007
3rd ANNUAL National Offender Workforce Development Conference
Becoming A Second Chance Society Again
Charlotte, North Carolina
For conference registration call 314-209-9400 or go to www.proworkdev.com

Odds and Ends

Videoconference to Highlight Interventions for Juvenile Status Offenders. On Thursday, January 18, 2007, 2:00–4:00 (eastern time), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will present the videoconference “Addressing the Needs of Juvenile Status Offenders and Their Families.” In 2004, 18 percent of all juvenile arrests involved status offenses—nondelinquent, noncriminal acts that are considered illegal only for juveniles (e.g., truancy, running away, underage drinking, curfew violations, being “ungovernable”). Research has clearly linked status offending behavior with later delinquency. The videoconference is designed to raise awareness about status offending and to highlight legislative reforms, policies, programs, and practices that have shown promise in effectively intervening with status offenders and their families and steering these youth toward a positive future. The target audience includes policymakers, judges, attorneys, and law enforcement; juvenile justice, child welfare, social services, and other youth-serving agencies. OJJDP’s cosponsors for the videoconference are the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Youth at Risk, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The videoconference will be available for online viewing from desktop computers and group viewing at satellite download sites. Registration is free at http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/default.asp. We would appreciate your help in spreading the word about this important event—please feel free to distribute the videoconference flier available for downloading at http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/docs/conf33/Flyer.pdf.

Quote for the Week:

“Truth is the glue that holds government together.
Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.”

Gerald R. Ford

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this web site may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.