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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-7317
President Clinton and U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman announced
today that the U.S. Department of Labor has approved a grant of up to $3
million to the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security for an
emergency project to assist approximately 1,500 workers who have lost their
jobs due to this week's tornados and other severe storms.
The grant will help create jobs to assist in clean-up, repair and
restoration efforts in the aftermath of the devastating storms that swept
through central Florida this week. An initial amount of $1 million is being
awarded for immediate use.
"Our Administration is committed to doing everything that we can to help
families whose lives and livelihoods have been ravaged by these storms," said
President Clinton. "It is my hope that this assistance to the people of Florida
will help them rebuild their lives and their communities."
Participants will work for up to six months, or may earn up to $12,000,
whichever occurs first. The award is authorized under the emergency provisions
of Title III of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to fund special
temporary jobs to benefit the public and help dislocated workers resume regular
employment.
"I want to express my concern for the people of central Florida during
this difficult time," Secretary Herman said. "This assistance will allow the
workers to return to their normal employment as soon as possible, and help
affected communities achieve a speedier recovery."
The program will assist workers in 25 counties that have been declared
eligible for Public Assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The
counties approved for funding include: Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Citrus,
Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands,
Hillsborough, Lake, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Seminole,
Sumter, Suwannee, Union and Volusia. If additional counties are added by FEMA,
they can be included in the grant project.
The U.S. Department of Labor is working with the Florida Department of
Labor and Employment Security and FEMA to have disaster-relief staff stationed
on-site to assist Florida's workers in filing their unemployment insurance (UI)
and disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) claims.
The dislocated worker program is a comprehensive retraining approach to
assist workers who have been, or are about to be, laid off because of natural
disasters, technological change, foreign competition or government actions.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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