Womens' Employment Committee

March 18, 2019: 9:30 AM
45 Commerce Dr, Augusta Frances Perkins Room

Womens Employment Committee AGENDA 3/18/19 9:30 " Noon Frances Perkins Room, MDOL 9:30 Introductions 9:45 Member Updates 10 10:30 Continued conversation around policy goals and priorities of the Womens Employment Committee, other womens advocates, intersections with other SWB Committees If you did not participate in the last meeting, please come prepared to contribution your organizations top 3 5 priorities to the conversation. Break 10:45 11:15 Approval of 12/03/18 and 1/7/19 minutes WIOA/DOL/SWB Updates 11:15 Noon Policy Updates from advocacy colleagues 2019 Meetings (9:30 Noon in Frances Perkins Room at MDOL, unless otherwise determined) Monday, May 20 Monday, July 15 Monday, September 16 Monday, November 18

WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

03/18/2019

Present: Gilda Nardone, (Chair), Angie Bellefleur, Valerie Carter, Peaches Bass, Auta Main, Joni Boissonneault, Karen Keim, Laurie Glidden, Darylen Cote, Andrea Mancuso, Kim Foskett, (Phone), Erin Benson, (Phone), Kathy Kilrain del Rio, (Phone)

Staff: Joshua Howe, Cheryl Moran

Introductions Gilda Nardone opened the regular meeting at 9:34am and asked members to introduce themselves and their affiliations.

Member Updates Karen Keim, Director Maine Educational Opportunity Center & Maine Educational Talent Search Program, UMO - Goal: break cycle of poverty through education. The Presidents budget is to merge TRIO with GearUp which will cut funding significantly. They have been talking about getting rid of some grants for low income people and how this will adversely affect folks. She also stated she will be going to Washington, D.C. to speak with Congress. Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP) teaching career is not on the list very concerned. Supplemental Grant is available for people that meet a financial need. This grant is the lowest based on income is on the chopping block. Valerie Carter, Ph.D, Research Associate Bureau of Labor Education, UMO occupational research on wages based on gender. Laurie Glidden, Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator Maine State Housing Authority currently building Family Future Pilot Program which is a homelessness prevention program. Sunrise Economic Council is working with Family Futures Downeast in Machias. Peaches Bass, Program Manager Bureau of Employment Services MDOL no update to report. Auta Main, Veterans Program Manager Bureau of Employment Services MDOL Maine-Hire-A-Vet ended in December. Goal: 100 days, 100 hired. Placed 276 veterans, average wage: $23.05 per hour. They continue to receive level funding and has bi-partisan support. The unemployment rate for veterans in Maine is 1.7% which is the lowest in the country. Trans-gender folks are not allowed to change gender while in the military. SWB VEC priorities: 1. Continue to do more outreach to employers and veterans. 2. Education continue to educate employers on hiring/recruiting veterans. 3. Veteran Friendly Employer Award do not know exactly how to roll this out. Military 101, 102 under employment is an issue. WIOA enrollment is only 3 or 4%. 15 veteran reps work with veterans that have barriers.
Vietnam Veteran era has been added because they represent 40% of all veterans in Maine and are the lowest educated. Only 30% of all graduates are eligible for the military. Spouses of veterans also have been added. They are serving fewer vets. 30% of veterans in Maine have a disability which is slightly higher than the national average. 90% of the 15 veteran reps have a disability. There are 120,000 veterans in Maine. 60,000 are in the workforce. Andrea Mancuso, Attorney Domestic Violence Coalition the Domestic Violence Coalition is expanding.
Kim Foskett, Team Leader, Job Connection Goodwill Industries of Northern New England Job Connection Program helps people with mental illness, addiction, and homelessness to get back into the workforce. She also does therapy for refugees in Portland. On April 25th, they will have the annual fund raiser for veterans. Erin Benson, Aroostook County Community Action besides the WANTO Grant, she stated she is trying to put together an academy for construction. Kim Smith and Jane Gilbert visited to talk about the WANTO Grant. 70 30 split in WIOA dollars does not make sense. Jane Gilbert stated they were going to take care of that. Darylen Cote, Director TRIO, Upward Bound, University of Maine at Presque Isle received Supplemental STEM Grants from the Feds in the amount of $80,000. Maker Space is a new program for students interested in STEM. Goal: involve not just their students but make is available to their community. Robotics and a Computer Game course is available this summer. Joni Boissonneault, Program Manager Portland Housing Authority Empowerme Program working with Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) and Public Housing residents. They have a new team of 5 people. They hired a new coordinator and administrative assistant. The Portland Housing Authority is moving towards a new development in the Bayside area which will provide more services. They will be doing more of these projects. Rental Assistance demonstration will be getting rid of Public Housing as we know it with apartment buildings. The biggest challange is collecting data that they are now required to collect. They will have more housing but will not all be subsidized. To stay in public housing, they will be allowed up to 2 years when residents become over-income. Kathy Kilrain del Rio, Policy Analyst Maine Equal Justice Partners reported there are 2 LIFT Bills which help support families as they are moving out of poverty. They are measuring benchmarks that show how people are moving out of poverty to present to the Legislature. Paid Sick Days businesses with 5 employees or less would be exempt. Signature have been collected for referendum. Doing well and still being negotiated. This would create 12 weeks of paid leave. There would be a small charge on employees income. Self-employed can contribute on their own. Gilda Nardone, Executive Director New Ventures Maine announced there will be 5 Totally Trades Conferences this Spring around gender equity targeting 8th grade and high school girls. A flyer was provided. Legislation they are focused on is earned income tax increase to 15%. And another bill not printed yet to 30%. The Maine Community Foundation is packaging scholarships for adults. The Maine Womens Fund Luncheon is April 2nd.

Approval of 12/03/18 and 01/07/19 minutes Gilda Nardone called motion for approval of the 12/03/18 and 01/07/19 meeting minutes. Karen Keim motioned and Joni Boissonneault seconded for both minutes. 12/03/18 and 01/07/19 minutes were approved unanimously as written. Peaches Bass asked for future minutes to have page numbers.

WIOA/DOL/SWB Updates Joshua Howe, Workforce Development Program Coordinator Maine State Workforce Board There has not been a permanent Director since last May. Hopefully this week we will know. He stated he would to bring the committees together and how do we integrate better with the Board? A lot has been on hold since we have not had a Director. The 70 30 is being looked at. People with significant barriers need more support services. The Board meeting will be moved from March 29th to April due to a conflict with the Commissioner. We are rebuilding our relationships. There is 1 vacancy on the Board, 2 people have been left to expire but they are active until a decision is made. More seats will expire in August. Gilda stated committee connection to full Board is a piece that is missing. She asked members to think about having a representation on the Board from this committee.

Policy Updates from advocacy colleagues Andrea Mancuso, Attorney, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence Impact of economic abuse on survivors: 135 survivors participated in the study. Level of study around economic abuse has increased. Andrea stated she will send out the full report. The Casco area tried to put together a bill that did not go through but opened a study, protection from domestic economic abuse. Financial Abuse Bill: 1. Defines economic abuse. 2. If not married, no protection from financial abuse order. 3. Third party debt collection. 4. Credit repair. Legislature seems very interested. L.D.748 is in front of the Judiciary Committee and the hearing will be on April 2nd. Gilda In collaboration with MCEDV, NVME is providing financial literacy and matched savings (Independence Savings Program) for survivors in the counties of Aroostook, Hancock/Washington, and Androscoggin. The ISP matched savings is a more flexible program for survivors. Earned Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family Medical Leave, Andrea stated she advocated for survivors. Peaches Bass April 2nd is Maine Equal Pay Day. Maines current pay gap is around 82 cents on the mans dollar. The stat just measures the gap not the progress in womens wages. Susan Corbett in the Machias area has now started the Digital Inclusion Initiative which involves older people, women, and people in rural areas access to internet services and to improve their skills.

Other Gilda Nardone called motion to cancel the July 15th meeting. Karen Keim motioned. Joni Boissonneault seconded. Meeting cancelled. May 20th is the EASC Apprenticeship Conference in Portland.

Next Meeting Agenda Follow through with Susan Corbett to attend a meeting (confirmed for 9/16). Think about the State Plan 2020 2024 and provide input. How can we bring concerns and issues to the State Workforce Board?

Meeting adjourned at 11:44am

Next Meeting May 20, 2019 from 9:30 noon Central Maine Commerce Center 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta Frances Perkins Room

Respectfully submitted by Cheryl Moran

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