Conference on Tribal Employment Services and Welfare Reform:

Washington, DC -- November 1-2, 2000

On November 1-2, 2000, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the Indian and Native American Employment and Training Coalition are sponsoring a conference on tribal employment services for welfare recipients. The purpose of the meeting is to review what tribal programs have accomplished and to discuss the future of these programs.

The conference will be held in Washington, DC from 1:30 to 5:00 PM on Wednesday, November 1^st and from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Thursday, November 2^nd. Details on hotel arrangements and registration are provided later in this Memo.

The issues to be addressed at this meeting include:

What successes have tribes achieved through their employment and training services for welfare recipients?

What are the most common problems that tribes have faced in helping their members meet the requirements imposed by welfare reform?

What types of program services will still be needed for tribal communities in reservations, Oklahoma, and Alaska Native Villages when the authorization for the tribal NEW program expires in 2002 and as the remaining funds in the tribal WtW program are exhausted?

The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss strategy and hear perspectives from tribal officials, Congressional staff and other persons involved in welfare reform. NCAI will also report on its effort to bring tribal voices into the welfare reform reauthorization debate that will culminate in 2002.

Tribal leaders concerned about welfare reform and tribal employment program staff working with welfare recipients are invited to attend this special conference.

Tribal employment program staff are encouraged to bring to the conference a brief written statement of the accomplishments of the tribe's services, (for example, how many welfare recipients served by the tribe's program have obtained unsubsidized employment and left the welfare rolls) and what major barriers remain in helping tribal members to become self-sufficient.

The conference on Tribal Employment Services for Welfare Recipients will be held at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave., NW in Washington, DC. The local number for the hotel is (202) 628-2100.

A block of rooms has been reserved under the name "Indian Employment and Training." The toll-free room reservation number for the hotel is (800) 321-3010. The room rate for the meeting is $121 for a single room (standard king bed) and $141 for a double. These rates do not include the rather substantial DC tax.

Room reservations must be made no later than September 29^th. Please make your reservations as early as possible.

There will be a registration fee for the conference. The fee is necessary to cover hotel meeting room and related costs. The fee will be $60 per person, payable to the "Center for Community Change," for those attending only the welfare reform meeting.

The fee for persons attending both the welfare reform meeting and a meeting of the P.L. 102-477 Tribal Work Group that takes place immediately before the conference will be $75 per person.

The registration fee can be paid at the conference or in advance. Advance payments should be mailed to:

Norm DeWeaver
Indian & Native American Employment & Training Coalition
1000 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20007

Additionally, please note that the Tribal TANF Administrators will convene before the conference, simultaneous with the P.L. 102-477 Tribal Work Group meeting. Tribal TANF Administrators will meet at NCAI on Tuesday, October 31^st from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and on Wednesday, November 1^st from 9:00 AM to 12 noon. Call Sarah Hicks at NCAI at (202) 466-7767 for more information.

If you have any questions or suggestions concerning the arrangements for the meeting, please e-mail them to "norm_deweaver@rocketmail.com" or contact Norm DeWeaver at either the Coalition's Anchorage office (907/265-5975) or the Coalition's Washington, DC office (202/339-9314).