Mayor Ron Nirenburg: A Model Job-Training Program

This week, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited San Antonio, where he praised NewDEALer Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s Ready to Work program. The $200 million program has a goal to train 28,000 low-income residents for better paying jobs by the end of 2025. The program formally launched in May, and so far nearly 6,000 people have applied. During his visit, Secretary Walsh said “We need to be more intentional about investing in workforce development, and we need to be doing it with cities…Programs like Ready to Work should be replicated around the country.” Read more about the program here, and also check out the Labor Department’s Good Jobs Initiative, which is seeking to improve job quality nationwide.

Councilmember Raul Campillo: Expanded Paid Leave in San Diego

This week, New DEAL Leader San Diego Councilmember Raul Campillo is leading the charge to expand paid parental leave for city workers, authoring a proposal to triple the amount available to them. If approved, paid leave will increase from four weeks to twelve weeks, allotting fourteen weeks if a C-Section is required. “It’s simply not enough time to only have four weeks,” Campillo said. “The last thing a city employee should have to worry about is rushing back to work right after having a child.” Campillo has emphasized that the cost of $5-6 million per year will be recovered through a decrease in staff turnover and overtime hours, while also addressing the crippling workforce vacancies — almost 1,700 — created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more about the historic proposal.

Minority Leader Anthony Daniels: Historic Tax Reform Benefiting Alabama’s Workforce

NewDEAL Leader Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels has spearheaded key changes in Alabama’s tax structure. His groundbreaking legislation, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, garnering 103 affirmative votes in the Republican supermajority state. House Bill 217 eliminates the state’s 5% income tax on overtime pay for Alabama’s hourly workers to not only incentivize overtime work but also provide an invaluable retention tool for businesses grappling with the tight labor market. Daniels praised the passage of the law, noting it as a crucial element of his ‘Plan for Prosperity’ — a strategic legislative agenda designed to uplift Alabamians amid economic uncertainty and inflation.

Mayor Luke Bronin: New Funding for Hartford Youth Program

On Tuesday, NewDEAL Leader Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin announced hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional funding for the city’s Summer Youth Employment and Learning program. The program, which works to connect the city’s youth with paid summer jobs, reaches about 800 young people each year. The funding boost will allow the city to expand the program in response to rising workforce needs. “The Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program gives young people a really important opportunity to earn a paycheck, build skills and work experience, and get connected to mentors and a network of support,” Bronin said. Bronin has long been a champion of youth engagement, spearheading the creation of Hartford’s award-winning Youth Service Corps early in his first term as mayor. He discussed the Youth Service Corps at NewDEAL’s 2023 Ideas Summit in Detroit. See the highlights here.

New Funding for Hartford Youth Program

On Tuesday, NewDEAL Leader Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin announced hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional funding for the city’s Summer Youth Employment and Learning program. The program, which works to connect the city’s youth with paid summer jobs, reaches about 800 young people each year. The funding boost will allow the city to expand the program in response to rising workforce needs. “The Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program gives young people a really important opportunity to earn a paycheck, build skills and work experience, and get connected to mentors and a network of support,” Bronin said. Bronin has long been a champion of youth engagement, spearheading the creation of Hartford’s award-winning Youth Service Corps early in his first term as mayor. He discussed the Youth Service Corps at NewDEAL’s 2023 Ideas Summit in Detroit. See the highlights here.

Minority Leader Anthony Daniels Drives a Historic Tax Reform Benefiting Alabama’s Workforce

NewDEAL Leader Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels has spearheaded key changes in Alabama’s tax structure. His groundbreaking legislation, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, garnering 103 affirmative votes in the Republican supermajority state. House Bill 217 eliminates the state’s 5% income tax on overtime pay for Alabama’s hourly workers to not only incentivize overtime work but also provide an invaluable retention tool for businesses grappling with the tight labor market. Daniels praised the passage of the law, noting it as a crucial element of his ‘Plan for Prosperity’ — a strategic legislative agenda designed to uplift Alabamians amid economic uncertainty and inflation.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Michigan: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist – $10 million microloan program

ENTREPRENEURSHIP – Michigan: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist announced the launch of a $10 million microloan program for women, veterans, and entrepreneurs of color to start businesses throughout the state. The Michigan Economic Opportunity Fund, which is made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act’s expansion of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), aims to build the state’s economy by diversifying small businesses and supporting nontraditional entrepreneurs who may struggle to access traditional loans.

ARPA: New Bedford Supporting the Arts and Culture Sector

With the goal of helping artists and arts and culture organizations emerge stronger from the pandemic than they were before, the Mayor Jon Mitchell and the city of New Bedford allocated over $1.1 million of its ARPA funds three separate initiatives: Wicked Cool Places, Art is Everywhere, and ARTnet.

Wicked Cool Places and Art is Everywhere are pre-existing programs designed to build the arts and culture sector in New Bedford through direct grants to artists and organizations, prioritizes creative placemaking and place-keeping projects and arts-based economic development projects that advance diversity. Unique to the ARPA-supported funding rounds, these programs will also prioritize projects that provide creative arts-based solutions to pandemic-related challenges, such as projects that enhance the use of outdoor spaces.

ARTnet—a new initiative by NBCreative—is an artist recovery and training network, providing economic and professional support for artists to create a sustainable business in a post-COVID economy. The goal of ARTnet is to help artists recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic by providing financial support, business planning support, training workshops, and access to a network of creative entrepreneur peers. NBCreative plans to support 100 artists over the life of the grant.

ARPA: La Mesa CA, Invests in Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

La Mesa City Councilmember Colin Parent and the City Council allocated over $800,000 in American Rescue Plan dollars to support existing small business’ recovery and help entrepreneurs and new startups open storefronts in the city. Participants in the La Mesa Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program (LEAP) are eligible to receive up to $20,000 in grants as well as personalized start-up training programs. With storefronts emptied after the pandemic, the LEAP program will support local entrepreneurs and help improve economic prosperity within the community. 

La Mesa is also using ARPA funds for the recently released Façade and Property Improvement Grant Program. The two-year pilot program will support La Mesa businesses in completing exterior improvements to business-use properties. Participants are eligible for up to $25,000 in grants to use for existing property improvements such as adding a permanent awning, outdoor patio, or mural.

ARPA: Stamford CT, Supports Small Businesses Impacted by the Pandemic

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons earned unanimous support from the Board of Finance to use $1.5 million of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act money to create a grant program for small businesses that have taken a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is expected to help around 200 small businesses with grants of up to $7,500 to help with payroll, commercial lease or mortgage payments, and other critical expenses. Simmons hopes to announce grant recipients in May of 2023.

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