ASTD continues to monitor the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the landmark legislation originally passed in 1998 to streamline and coordinate workforce training programs at the federal level. Although WIA reauthorization has not succeeded in recent years, there was a great deal of momentum in 2013.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, reauthorization has focused largely on reducing and consolidating the number of federal workforce development programs. On March 15, 2013, the House passed The SKILLS (Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills) Act as H.R. 803. In addition to consolidation, the bill also makes changes to other provisions, including membership of state and local workforce investment boards (WIBs).

The U.S. Senate released its WIA reauthorization bill last summer—the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356)—and it passed the Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on July 31, 2013. The Senate bill maintains the state and local WIB membership provisions that are in the original bill, with additions to other provisions.

The next step in the reauthorization process is for the full Senate to pass S. 1356. If that is successful, both chambers would then select members to go to conference to work though the differences of the two bills. ASTD will continue to monitor the progress on WIA reauthorization and provide updates in T+D and ASTD LINKS.