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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8211
Vice President Gore and Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman announced today
that the U.S. Department of Labor has approved up to $6 million in emergency
funding for the State of Tennessee to create temporary jobs for clean-up and
restoration in the aftermath of recent tornadoes in the Nashville area. An
initial amount of $2 million is being awarded for immediate use. Workers who
have temporarily lost their jobs because of this disaster, the long-term
unemployed and other eligible dislocated workers can participate in the
program.
"I want to express my concern for the people of my home state of
Tennessee during this difficult time," Gore said, as he visited devastated
areas of Nashville. "I hope that this assistance will allow workers to return
to their jobs as soon as possible, and help this city and other Tennessee
communities affected by the tornado achieve a speedy recovery."
"We must let those whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by
this tornado know that they are not forgotten," Herman added. "I sincerely hope
that this emergency grant can help survivors begin to rebuild their lives."
The grant award is authorized under 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 their regular employment.
The program will assist workers in counties declared eligible for Public
Assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If FEMA names
additional counties, they can also be included in the project. Participants
will work for up to six months with public or private non-profit agencies to
help with clean-up, repair and restoration efforts.
The dislocated worker program is a comprehensive retraining approach to
assist workers who have been, or are about to be, laid off for reasons such as
technological change, foreign competition or government actions. Generally such
workers are eligible if they are unlikely to return to their previous industry
or occupation.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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