Everyone knows that Congress is out on summer break in August. For someone who has lived in the Washington Metropolitan area for 25 years, the town tends to slow down, along with the traffic every August. You can plan on it during most years. But, this isn't like most years. Along with the health care debate, there seems to be a lot of activity around Capitol Hill.

Policy activity has not slowed down for us at ASTD. There were three very exciting happenings this past week, and we would like to share those with everyone.

First, our team had a meeting with Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) to better introduce him to ASTD, our mission and to discuss his non-profit initiatives in conjunction with the Recovery Act. Congressman Moran sits on the House Appropriations Committee, a very important committee and they approve budgets on the House side. He will be a good connecting for our future work with Congress.

Second, we have confirmed our webinar with the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration to help our members better understand and possibly partner with the public system on the Recovery Act grants which are currently "on the street" to apply for. Our hope is that our members, especially in the green and renewable energy industries, will partner and apply for these current grants. Here is information on the webinar:

Leveraging Public Partnerships and Resources to Train Your Workforce

Date: Wednesday, September 2

Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET

Speakers from the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration and ASTD

Finding and retaining a skilled workforce is challenging even in a down economy. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or the stimulus legislation, has created new grants and funding streams for industries that are in need of help. Many companies want to understand how to find a partner at the local level and work together to apply for funding. Join ASTD for this unique opportunity to hear directly from the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration about immediate grant opportunities in the energy and healthcare sectors and how your organization can partner at the local level with the publicly-funded workforce system.

Pre-register here: https://astdevents.webex.com/astdevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=598882724

The third item from last week was very exciting news! Members of the ASTD team met with the Executive Director of the Local Workforce Investment Board (WIB) in Northern Virginia to discuss the opportunities and possibilities of ASTD offering the CPLP Certification through their WIB and their One Stop Career Center System. More details to come soon, but our plan it to meet with other local WIBs in the Metro DC area to explore similar possibilities.