NEWSLETTER | February 2017 | Volume 2 | Issue 2

Driving the national workforce agenda and providing value-added member services
February 2017 - In This Issue:
Upcoming Meetings and Conferences
February 22-24    2017 Winter Policy Forum   
(Washington, D.C.)
February 28- March 1   UI Interstate Benefits Subcommittee Meeting   (Charleston, SC) 
March 2-3    Unemployment Insurance Committee Meeting   (Charleston, SC)
March 30-31    ITSC Steering Committee Meeting   (Washington, D.C.)
March 30-31  Equal Opportunity Committee Meeting  (Kansas City, Missouri)
April 6-7  NLx Steering Committee Meeting  (Santa Fe, NM)
April 18-20  SIDES Training Seminar  (Kansas City, MO)
April 19-20  Labor Market Information Committee Meeting  (Chicago, IL) 
May 8-9 Veterans Affairs Committee Meeting (Indianapolis, IN)
May 18-19  Employment & Training Committee Meeting  (Boston, MA)  ***SAVE THE DATE*** 
May 18-19  Administration & Finance Committee Meeting  (Boston, MA)  ***SAVE THE DATE***
2017 Legislative Priorities


Save these Dates
Veterans Conference 
August 16 - 18, 2017
Washington, DC
81st Annual NASWA Conference
Oct. 10-13, 2017
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

2017 National UI Directors' Conference and IT/Legal Issues Forum
November 6-9, 2017
Orlando, Florida
Sponsorship Opportunities Available Now for NASWA 2017 Conferences

Contact Jeff Becker, NASWA Meeting and Conference Manager, with any questions and to make your sponsorship reservations.
Become a NASWA Affiliate
The 2017 NASWA Affiliate program  forges alliances between NASWA and businesses that operate within the workforce system, and provides collaboration opportunities with NASWA members on key issues. 
Register now

Contact Brooke Higdon, NASWA Creative Solutions Coordinator, with questions.
2017 Winter Policy Forum is next week!
Our 1st Event in New Meeting Registration System is Live: 2017 SIDES Training Seminar!
Our first event has been launched using the new registration system!
The 2017 State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) Training Seminar will be taking place April 18-19th in Kansas City. Registration is open now for state unemployment insurance professionals and employers partnering with SIDES to ensure UI program integrity. 
Third Speaker Announced for 2017 Veterans Conference
August 16-18 at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC

COURTNEY LYNCH: Best-selling author and former Marine Captain speaking at 2017 NASWA Veterans Conference Read More

NASWA In Action...
NASWA Committees
Equal Opportunity Committee
The next Equal Opportunity Committee meeting is set for Thursday, March 30 to Friday, March 31, 2017, in Kansas City, Missouri. Chair Ray Allen (WI) and Vice-Chair Scott Jensen (RI) will lead the Committee through a packed agenda which  includes: training on data analytics; a session with Civil Rights Center Director Naomi Barry-Perez to review the new regulations; and two field visits to One-Stop Centers in Kansas and Missouri. Registration and hotel information 
Call for UI Volunteer - UI IT Support Center Steering Committee
NASWA is seeking one State UI Director  interested in serving on the UI IT Support Center (ITSC) Steering Committee.

For more information, please read this.
Labor Market Information Shops as Assets for Workforce Development: 
Lessons and Examples from Three States

The NASWA LMI Committee collaborated on this report highlighting three states' LMI departments and what they are doing to produce incredibly valuable products and services for their customers.
Veterans Affairs Committee
The Veterans Affairs Committee met January 19-20 in Charleston, SC. Chaired by Dennis Wimer, IN, the group heard from outgoing USDOL VETS Assistant Secretary Mike Michaud, the new National Veterans Training Institute contractors - Management Concepts, and representatives from DirectEmployers. Prior to the meeting, some of the group toured the USS Yorktown, pictured. The vets committee's next meeting will be May 8-9, 2017 in Indianapolis, IN.
First In-Person Meeting for the WIOA IT Support Center (WITSC) Steering Committee 
The WITSC Steering Committee held their first in-person meeting February 9-10, 2017 in Washington DC
Administration & Finance and Technology Committee Meetings
The Administration and Finance and Technology Committees met in Albuquerque, New Mexico last month. Over 30 states were in attendance. 
What's Happening in the States
The LMInformer Consortium
Find out how four states have chosen to partner to find a new and different way to provide labor market information to their customers.
New Mexico has a unique program that combines behavioral economics and predictive analytics.
GOVERNING
|FEBRUARY 2017
52 State, Territorial Agencies to Receive Reemployment Services, Eligibility Assessment grants
One of NASWA's Legislative Priorities for 2017 is to advocate for increased investment for reemployment activities. This came as good news for the states. Read more ...
UI Integrity Corner

State Integrity Spotlights Available

The Integrity Center recently released information on two states utilizing promising practices in UI integrity: 
  • Idaho launched several strategies to enhance their messaging to claimants, improve accurate reporting and prevent improper payment. 
  • New Hampshire created a new benefits collections case management system, Collecticase, which has increased collections overall. 
You can access these spotlights at https://uiexcellence.workforcegps.org/ (requires login information for the UI Community of Practice site)

UI Integrity Symposium Materials and Session Videos are Now Available. 

Y ou can access these presentations and videos online. (ITSC/UI CoP login required)

2017 WIOA National Convenings Coming This Spring

U.S. Department of Labor, in collaboration with its Education and health and Human Services partners, will host three national convenings this spring: 
  • April 18-20, 2017 - Dallas, TX
  • May 8-10, 2017 - San Diego, CA
  • May 23-25, 2017 - Washington, DC

Registration and More Information
Please send relevant content for the newsletter to the NASWA Director of Communications, Michelle Marshel at   mmarshel@naswa.org