Millions of dollars are available for job programs

What would you say if we told you that over the last year, the State of New York, in the face of soaring unemployment rates and a crippling deficit, left tens of millions dollars of federal funding for jobs programs on the table?

Sadly, this is not a hypothetical situation; it is a reality that has potentially hurt our economy and added to the struggle of thousands of out-of-work New Yorkers and their families.As the chairs of the State Senate Committee on Social Services and Committee on Children and Families, we have urged the State to fully access all dollars that could help put people to work.

There’s still time to get the money and create the jobs — if we understand and correct this mistake today.

In the 2009 budget, agreed to by the Governor and the Assembly, the Senate fought for and won significant new investments in four programs that provide meaningful employment training for public assistance recipients: the Transitional Jobs program, the Green Jobs program, the Health Care Outreach program, and the Wage Subsidy program...

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