POLICY UPDATE 11-6-26
News at NYEC
- Registration Is Open: Dare to Dream! NYEC’s Annual Forum will take place in Cleveland, OH on April 12-14, 2027. Early Bird registration is available now. If you would like to present, submit a proposal by November 17, 2026.
- NYEC is launching our second Youth Development Practitioner Apprenticeship (YDPA) cohort: We are looking for organizations that are interested in recruiting, training, and upskilling new OR existing employees in direct service roles. Fill out the interest form for more information.
- NYEC Virtual Workshop – Building the Relationship with Your Member of Congress While at Home: Strategies, Tactics and Next Steps.
Legislative Branch
- Democrats Flip Both Chambers of Congress: Democrats will enter the new Congress with at least 54 Senate seats and 251 House seats. Ballots are still being counted in some races. There were several key members who lost their reelection bid, changing the landscape for committee leadership and opportunity youth-leadership and providing the opportunity to build new champions and relationships. These members include Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) – co-chair of the Bipartisan Opportunity Youth Caucus; Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) – Appropriations Committee Chair; Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair (lost primary race); Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) – HELP Committee and LHHS Appropriations Committee member. As we continue to track the election outcomes, NYEC will report out on other opportunities for NYEC members to build new relationships ahead of the new Congress.
Executive Branch
- US Department of Labor Launches Registered Apprenticeship Incentive Payments for High-Growth Industries: The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that Registered Apprenticeship sponsors can begin applying for direct payments of up to $6,000 per apprentice through the Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funds have been obligated. To date, the department has invested nearly $200 million in pay-for-performance incentive funds.
From the States
- NCSL State Legislatures Election Outcomes: As of Thursday morning, 10 chambers have flipped from Republicans to Democrats, with two more leaning toward the Democrats.
- Gubernatorial Election Outcomes: Thirty-six states held gubernatorial elections in 2026. Democrats flipped six governor’s offices as a result of the 2026 elections (Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas). Republicans have flipped none so far. One race has not yet been called: Kansas (D narrowly ahead). Going into this election, there were 24 Democratic governors and 26 Republican governors. In 2027, there will be 29 Democratic governors and 20 Republican governors (Kansas’ gubernatorial party is still uncertain, but the state had a Democratic incumbent governor).
Resources
- New America Blog: Braden Goetz provides a history of the WIOA youth program and its out-of-school designations, and comments on its future as WIOA reauthorization talks take place.
- Jobs for the Future Brief: Two young leaders, Jonathan Blankenship and Ingrid Vargas, recently traveled to Washington, DC for NYEC’s DC Summit to discuss their career navigation journeys, why young people should have a stronger voice on Capitol Hill, and what changes they would like to see in federal education and workforce policy to strengthen career navigation opportunities for young people.
- Data Quality Campaign and America Forward Brief: The joint policy brief explores WIOA’s performance accountability system since its creation in 2014 and provides recommendations to improve it in a future reauthorization effort.
- Upcoming Webinars about the Election: We list below several webinars that will examine the election results and its impact on education and workforce policymaking:
- Brookings – What comes next: The consequences of the 2026 midterm elections – 11/9, 2pm ET – register here.
- National Skills Coalition – Election 2026: A New Political Landscape, a New Promise of Work – 11/10, 3pm ET – register here.
- JFF – What the Midterms Mean for Education and Workforce Policymaking – 11/13, 1pm ET – register here.
- CRE Alliance – Post-election Just and Fair Business Briefing – 11/18, 3pm ET – register here.
- Children’s Funding Project – 2026 Election Reflections: Examining What This Year’s Results Mean for the Children’s Funding Movement, 12/8, 2pm ET – register here.
Federal Funding Opportunities
- BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Program: This funding opportunity will support community-based organizations and tribal governments to provide mentoring and transitional services for people returning to communities from adult correctional facilities and who are assessed as moderate to high risk for recidivism. Applications close October 30, 2026.
- (Forecasted) Residential Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children: This opportunity is intended to support organizations that can provide high-quality, child-centered care that promotes children’s safety and well-being. Funded providers must offer services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have the capacity to accept children at any time, when it is safe to do so and consistent with state licensing requirements. Estimated application due date is January 12, 2027.
