WIOA reauthorization bill clears markup, reviving old concerns over local flexibility

Key Takeaways

On April 21, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce held a markup of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA) of 2026, ultimately passing the bill along party lines (19-14). The Committee Chair, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), sponsored the bill (H.R. 8210) as the House looks to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and make changes to the program. Unlike the ASWA bill considered last Congress, this version does not have bipartisan support. 

Counties and local workforce systems rely on WIOA formula funding to connect job seekers and businesses with critical workforce services. Reauthorization presents an opportunity to modernize program features and provide long-term funding certainty – more than ten years after WIOA’s initial introduction. However, several provisions mirror concerns counties raised about the 2024 version of this bill, which may limit local flexibility and shift funding away from community workforce systems.  

What the bill does

The bill would reauthorize WIOA and make several changes to how the program is structured and administered:  

• One-size-fits all mandates: Federal mandates related to training and overly prescriptive work-experience requirements for youth, which would further constrain local flexibility under the program that is needed to reflect the unique needs of our communities and local labor market.
• Increased state set-aside: Under current law, local workforce development boards receive 85 percent of WIOA Title 1 formula funding, with state workforce agencies receiving the remaining 15 percent. The bill would allow governors to set aside an additional 10 percent for state use, effectively reducing the local allocation and forcing local workforce systems to stretch funding even further.
• Redesignation of Local Workforce Development Areas: The proposed redesignation of Local Workforce Development Areas, including allowing for single-area designations in more than half of all states, which  could diminish local accountability, reduce community responsiveness and restrain innovation that makes workforce systems effective
• Transfer of adult education programs: The bill would also transfer oversight of adult education and literacy programs from the U.S. Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Labor – reflecting broader Administration efforts to restructure  federal education policy.  

What’s next

As it stands, the bill has no Senate companion, and would likely face greater scrutiny in the upper chamber without Democratic support. NACo is actively engaging and will continue to amplify concerns with the current bill alongside local government partners and in coordination with local workforce boards to ensure county priorities are protected in the reauthorization process.