FYI: The Senate committee with oversight over the Workforce Investment Act is circulating its latest draft of a reauthorization bill for federal job training funds. The House passed its version, largely along party lines, in May. That bill consolidated the three existing streams of job training funds, meant to target specific populations, into one block grant for states. According to a Workforce Alliance analysis of the latest Senate draft, the Senate favors maintaining the separate funding streams. The Senate draft however mirrors the House bill in maintaining WIA’s controversial “sequencing” requirements, which force participants to go through assessment and job search stages before getting actual training. The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will take up the draft when Congress returns from summer recess after Labor Day. [8/21/03]