Home → Committees → Meetings
Women's Employment Issues Committee Meeting
April 30, 2015: 9:00 AMPerkins Room
Women?s Employment Issues Committee Agenda 4/30/15 9:30 a.m. ? Noon Frances Perkins Room, MDOL ? Introductions ? Presentation/discussion of Permanent Commission on their 2015 Status of Women and Girls in Maine Report with Commission Members Regina Rooney, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, and Amy Gallant, AARP ? Updates on State Legislation ? Updates on WIOA, SWIB, DOL ? Committee Membership and 2015 Meetings ? Approval of 11/21/14 and 2/25/15 Minutes ? Member Updates
Women?s Employment Issues Committee April 30, 2015 Present: Gilda Nardone, Joni Boissonneault, Christy Cross, Nicole Evans, Chris Hastedt, Kelly Osborn, Amertah Perman, Guest: Amy Gallant, Regina Rooney, Garret Oswald
Staff: Cheryl Moran
Gilda Nardone, Committee Chair, opened the meeting with welcomes and introductions.
First on the agenda was presentation/discussion of Permanent Commission on their 2015 Status of Women and Girls in Maine Report with Commission Members Regina Rooney, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and Amy Gallant, AARP. Girls in Maine, 4th and 8th grades, are at or above proficiency in reading and math, which is great news. However, with regard to women?s wages, Maine ranks 6th in New England and 35th nationally. Farm numbers are growing, but in terms of woman owning their own business, Maine ranks last in the Nation. Graduate degrees shows the biggest wage difference between men and women in Maine. Poverty in retirement is prevalent. Maine is the oldest aging workforce in the Nation, and older women are poorer than older men. The question is what can we do about it?
The Commission?s report here:
http://www.maine.gov/sos/womens-comm/2-2015WCReport.pdf
Amertah Perman from the Maine Development Foundation spoke about education/degree attainment, the affordability factor that financial aid needs to be redefined and to try to find a way to work around that.
Chris Hastedt ? The perception of women needs to stop being thought of as welfare recipients but as contributors.
Gilda Nardone ? Updates on State Legislation. LD 1318, Work and Save Program, coming to Public Hearing on May 1, 2015 at 1pm.
Chris Hastedt ? LD 1268 (An Act to Reform Welfare by Providing a Bridge to Sustainable Employment) hearing is to be held on May 12, 2015 at 1pm.
Garret Oswald provided WIOA, SWIB updates. WIOA ? rules just came out April 2015. A Unified Plan will be suggested to the Governor. The WIOA Vision/Mission Workshop has been scheduled on May 18 and 19. The Workshop will be facilitated. The goal for the Workshop is to walk out with a vision, mission and some prioritize strategies. The State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) needs to be compliant by July 1, 2015.
Gilda Nardone spoke about Committee Membership. She welcomes new members to the Committee and is open to other recommendations on who should participate on the Committee.
Member updates ? Joni Boissonneault mentioned that the Portland Housing Authority received a 3 year grant renewal from HUD.
Kelly Osborn mentioned about the Little Black Dress event which is a fundraiser for Veterans.
Gilda Nardone spoke about her concern with Career Pathways that will lead to rewarding careers, that we should be thinking about it sooner rather than later.
Minutes were approved for 11/21/14 and 02/25/15.
The next meetings are scheduled for:
09/21/15 and 12/7/15, 9:30 ? 12:00, Frances Perkins Room
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Cheryl Moran
Attachments