Corporate Voices' Summary of President Obama's FY2012 Budget 

On Monday, February 14, the White House sent President Obama's FY2012 budget to Congress.  As you may have read, the budget proposes program cuts and consolidations that would reduce the federal deficit by a projected $1 trillion over the next decade.

While the budget cuts deeply into many spending programs, it proposes increases in many programs related to Corporate Voices' policy priorities.   As top White House officials explained in numerous budget briefings last week, the painful cuts are necessary "to make room for our priorities in education, innovation and infrastructure."  In fact, education comes out a clear 'winner' in the budget:  Federal education spending would increase 11 percent, to more than $77 billion.

Here's how Obama framed the debate last week:   "The fiscal realities we face require hard choices [and difficult cuts]... But in an increasingly competitive world in which jobs and businesses are mobile, we also have a responsibility to invest in those things that are absolutely critical to preparing our people and our Nation for the economic competition of our time.  We do this by investing in and reforming education and job training so that all Americans have the skills necessary to compete in the global economy. We do this by encouraging American innovation and investing in research and development-especially in the job-creating industries of tomorrow such as clean energy. We do this by rebuilding America's infrastructure so that U.S. companies can ship their products and ideas from every corner in America to anywhere in the world..."

Corporate Voices recently crafted a detailed summary of key provisions most relevant to Corporate Voices' policy priorities in education (early learning, K-12, and college completion); workforce readiness; and a handful of work-life/flex programs.  It's important to note that this is simply a blueprint or 'wish list' of funding preferences from the Obama Administration.  Click here, to view Corporate Voices' summary of President Obama's FY2012 budget.

Meanwhile, Congress is in the throes of a debate over funding levels for federal programs in the current year.  Last weekend (February 19), the House of Representatives approved a funding measure ("continuing resolution") that includes cuts to many domestic programs.  While the Republican leadership has stated that such cuts are painful, it contends that they are needed to get our nation's fiscal house in order.

Proposed reductions include more than $1 billion in funding for Head Start, the federal early childhood education program, and some $5 billion in education funding cuts generally.  They also include nearly $3.8 billion in funding cuts for job training programs run by the U.S. Department of Labor-including elimination of all remaining 2011 funds for programs under the Workforce Investment Act.

The Senate will take up the measure next week, and the Democratic leadership is expected to oppose this level of spending cuts.  President Obama, meanwhile, has vowed to veto the measure if it reaches his desk in its current form.

Corporate Voices is tracking these and other budget proposals and is happy to provide more information to interested members.  For more on the House-passed continuing resolution, click here.  

Gaining a Competitive Edge in the Global Economy- Using Flexibility with Hourly Workers and in Healthcare

As businesses seek to stay competitive in today's global economy, cost-cutting strategies and ways to boost productivity and profitability are crucial to business success-especially in industries with large hourly workforces, which often experience high rates of absenteeism and turnover. Research shows how effective uses of workplace flexibility can help reduce these labor costs and productivity drains-and help low-wage workers better manage the dual demands of work and family.  

This was the topic of discussion at the recent Dialogues on Workplace Flexibility organized by the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor in Pasadena, CA and Seattle, WA last week. Read more about these Dialogues, how innovative employers are using workplace flexibility as strategies to engage their hourly workers, how the health care industry is leading in flexibility and how to access Corporate Voices' flexibility research and resources on Corporate Voices' blog.

Save the Date: Corporate Voices' 2011 Annual Partners Meeting 

Corporate Voices Members - You will soon receive a Save the Date postcard for the 2011 Annual Partners Meeting being held June 15-17, 2011. We hope you will be able to join us.  

If you have not already done so, please pay your 2011 membership dues now to ensure your seat at the Annual Partners Meeting. If your company is not currently a member of Corporate Voices, please contact Tiffany Westover-Kernan, twestover-kernan@corporatevoices.org or 202.467.8133, for information on membership.

2011 National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment

The Partnership for America's Economic Success is soliciting nominations of business and policy leaders to attend the 2011 National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment.  It will convene business and policy leaders to discuss business advocacy for smart investments in early childhood, innovative financing methods, and new research on economic benefits.  The event will include a dinner on July 21 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and a full day on July 22 at the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston.  

Cosponsors include Massachusetts Business Roundtable; the Manufacturing Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers; and Citizens Bank.  This event is being hosted by Partnership for America's Economic Success (a project of the Pew Center on the States) and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.  

Speakers include:

• Eric Rosengren, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
• Jack Brennan, Chairman Emeritus, The Vanguard Group
• Michael Eskew, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Annie E. Casey Foundation and retired President and CEO, UPS
• Ann Cramer, Director, Americas IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs
• Ken McNeely, President, AT&T California
• Al Stroucken, CEO, Owens-Illinois and Tanny Crane,  CEO, Crane Group, Co-chairs of the Ohio Business Roundtable Early Learning Initiative
• David Lawrence, Early Childhood Initiative Foundation and the Children's Movement, Florida
• Robert Dugger, Managing Partner, Hanover Investments
• Ron Painter, CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards
• Steve Voigt, CEO, King Arthur Flour
• Phil Peterson, Vice President, Aon Consulting
• George Overholser, New Profit, Inc.
• Donna Cupelo, Region President of Verizon New England
• Bobby Cagel, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
• Sherri Killins, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
• Pete Festersen, Director, Nebraska Early Childhood Business Roundtable; Omaha City Council

Attendance is limited to business and policy leaders. There is no registration fee but participants are responsible for their own travel costs. Please send business and policy leader nominees to info@partnershipforsuccess.org, including name, title, organization, and contact information (including business affiliation or policy office if not obvious).  Questions can be sent to the same email address.  More information, including agendas, will be posted at www.PartnershipforSuccess.org.

Presenting to School Leaders about College and Career Readiness

John-Anthony Meza, Corporate Voices for Working Families' Vice President for Workforce Readiness, presented at the American Association of School Administrator's (AASA) National Conference on Education on Friday, February 18, 2011 in Denver, Colorado.   As a national Ready by 21 partner, AASA, a membership organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders, holds an annual conference for school leaders and superintendents from across the country.   

Meza, who shared a panel with Dr. Wesley Boykin from the National Center for Educational Achievement, presented on the employers perspectives of college and career readiness and the benefits of business and education partnerships.  He specifically highlighted research and tools from Corporate Voices' recent Ready by 21 and postsecondary education work.

Completion Innovation Challenge

To inspire and enhance state efforts to significantly boost college completion and close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations, Complete College America, with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched the Completion Innovation Challenge.

Governors from all 50 states are invited to submit proposals to win one of ten $1 million, 18-month implementation grants.  Grants will be awarded to states that produce the best plans to develop and deploy innovative, statewide strategies designed to substantially increase college completion. 

Guidance on proposal development and submission can be found here. 

Report Says US Lags on Paid Parental Leave Policy, The Boston Globe, February 23, 2011.

Obama's 2012 Budget and Youth: A Breakdown, YouthToday, February 14, 2011.

Cut-Heavy House Spending Would Eliminate AmeriCorps and YouthBuild, Among Others, YouthToday, February 13, 2011.   

Building a Brighter Future: An Essential Agenda for America's Young People, National Collaboration for Youth, February, 2011.   

Improving Work-Life Fit in Hourly Jobs, The Center for WorkLife Law, January, 2011.