Welcome to the National Institute for Literacy's Policy and Legislation information page. This section is designed to provide useful and timely information on major issues in the literacy field. We plan to add new issues and topics periodically.

Policy Issues:

• Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003
  The House and Senate have passed different versions of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) bill, which reauthorizes the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and the National Institute for Literacy. The bill moves into a joint House-Senate Conference Committee.
  
  A version of the House bill, passed May 8, 2003, can be found at H1261, or go to thomas.loc.gov and enter H1261 in the Bill Number box. For the Senate Version S1627, passed November 14, 2003, or go to thomas.loc.gov and enter S1627 in the Bill Number box. Choose the first version and go to section 215.



• News from OVAE:
  On January 29, 2004, Susan Sclafani was confirmed as assistant secretary for vocational and adult education. Sclafani recommends and implements the administration’s policies and priorities to ensure that all Americans have the knowledge and technical skills necessary to succeed in post secondary education and in the work force. She has already demonstrated her commitment to "Leaving No Child Behind" in her role as Counselor to Secretary Paige. She looks forward to bringing that same dedication to her new role as Acting Assistant Secretary of OVAE, to guarantee that every student - regardless of age, background, or aspiration - has access to a quality education.



• Learning Disabilities. There are a number of federal laws that apply to educational entities that serve adults with learning disabilities. These include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Assistive Technology Act of 1998. These laws, among other things, aim to assist adults with learning disabilities to reach their educational goals.



• National Reading Legislation.The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) has been reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110). Title I, Part B of this Act includes the Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives, which aim to ensure that all children can read by the end of the third grade.

• Welfare Reform/Welfare-to-Work. In 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). This new law changed the nature and provision of welfare benefits by providing funding to the states in the form of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grants. In 1997, the Welfare-to-Work grant program was authorized to help states and localities to create additional job opportunities for the hardest-to-employ TANF recipients, including those with low basic skills. Congress is currently working to reauthorize the 1996 law and may change requirements related to education and training for TANF clients.

• Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Enacted in 1998, the intent of this law is to ensure that the US remains competitive in the global economy by providing workers with the reading, writing, computing, problem solving, and communications skills they need to succeed in the workforce, and to provide businesses with highly skilled workers. Congress is currently working to reauthorize this law as the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003.

For policy information relating to other issues -- such as English as a Second Language and learning disabilities -- please browse by subject.