Erie County Legislator Lynn Marinelli (D-Tonawanda, Buffalo) won unanimous approval for a resolution she sponsored a resolution calling upon the federal government to increase funds dedicated for job training and placement programs made available through the Workforce Investment Act.

"Given the current state of our economy, programs that help educate, train and place residents in good paying jobs, should be one of the last places we see cuts," said Majority Leader Marinelli. "The message, again and again, that I hear from local residents is for progress on job creation and development initiatives."

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), established in 1998, provides a one-stop delivery system as the access point for employment-related and training services.

Legislator Marinelli is a member of the Buffalo and Erie County Workforce Investment Board (WIB), charged with developing, coordinating and overseeing publicly funded workforce development and training initiatives. In the past year, 8,200 job seekers received assistance in the WIB's one-stop centers in Erie County.

The WIA is facing reauthorization this year. The proposed 2005 federal budget for WIA cuts job training and vocation education funding by 10% or $656 million from the 2002 funding levels, with 50% of that cut coming from the WIA.

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