To provide policy guidance to states on the use of National Emergency Grant (NEG) funds to provide disaster-related assistance to individuals impacted by Hurricane Katrina, including the additional flexibility authorized by the passage of the Flexibility for Displaced Workers Act (P.L. 109-72). This guidance provides policy for host states for Hurricane Katrina evacuees as well as states with a Hurricane Katrina disaster declaration as a result of direct impact.

This memorandum outlines interim procedures for the management of mail related to applications in the permanent labor certification program and reflects the decision by the Division of Foreign Labor Certification (DFLC or Division) to postpone certain regulatory and procedural deadlines pertaining to applications affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. DFLC issued guidance for Hurricane Katrina on October 13, 2005. Stakeholders raised certain questions in response to that guidance. Therefore, this guidance replaces and supersedes all prior DFLC hurricane guidance. This guidance will be posted on DFLC’s website and published in the Federal Register.

To provide the Department's interpretation, under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations at 20 CFR 617, of the conditions under which distance learning may be a type of training approvable as classroom training under the TAA program.

To provide states with the Program Year (PY) 2005 ACSI Table of Weights

To provide projected funding figures for the management of the FY 2006 Foreign Labor Certification (FLC) program.

To inform the state workforce agencies (SWAs) of the new temporary WOTC target group and the retention tax credit included in the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 and clarify the SWAs’ role.

To clarify the Department's existing policy on serving participants, including those with limited English proficiency, under the TAA and NAFTA-TAA programs.

To provide program guidance to state workforce agencies (SWAs) on processing of requests for certification under the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit (WtWTC) due to their expiration on December 31, 2005. This guidance covers the period January 1, 2006, through September 30, 2006. If the WOTC and WtWTC program has not been reauthorized by September 30, 2006, additional guidance will be issued.

To issue the revised federal poverty guidelines for the Senior Community Service Employment Program

The purpose of this Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) is to highlight and review those areas of current law which offer flexibility in tailoring workforce strategies in the variety of situations experienced in areas impacted by the hurricanes of 2005 and locations where evacuees have moved.