US Labor Department announces availability of $35 million in grants to implement or improve Self-Employment Assistance programs

News provided by

May 24, 2012, 01:22 ET

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $35 million in funds to develop, enhance and promote Self-Employment Assistance programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, guidance released today clarifies that states may enroll participants who are currently receiving or eligible for federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits.

This announcement is the latest in a series of innovative reforms to the Unemployment Insurance program made possible through the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, which was signed by President Obama in February.

"Self-Employment Assistance has proven to be a valuable tool in helping many unemployed Americans realize the dream of business ownership," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "These grants will help states improve and expand the program while strengthening the economy and creating new jobs as more startups launch and grow."

Participants in these voluntary programs are provided with financial assistance equal to their Unemployment Insurance benefits while they receive important entrepreneurial training and resources to help launch their own businesses. In order to allow participants to devote full-time attention to creating new businesses that have the potential to create additional jobs, state work search requirements are waived.

Grant money can be used by states to implement a new Self-Employment Assistance program or improve the administration of current programs, as well as to promote programs and enroll eligible participants. In order to receive federal funding, states' UI laws must meet the Labor Department's requirements. Five states (Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Oregon) have active Self-Employment Assistance programs and are eligible now to apply for these grant funds. The other states have until June 30, 2013, to submit complete applications to the department.

The Labor Department will work with interested states to assist them in developing legislation as needed, and to implement Self-Employment Assistance programs. The department also will work with states on outreach strategies to identify potential entrepreneurs who are good candidates to start their own businesses. Additionally, the department is partnering with the Small Business Administration to provide technical assistance to states and to ensure that SBA resources are leveraged as states design Self-Employment Assistance programs.

For more information about Self-Employment Assistance, read the Unemployment Insurance program letter at http://s.dol.gov/S5.

Editor's note: A breakdown of the grant funds available follows this news release.

Available Self-Employment Assistance Grants			Purpose
State	Agency	Total Available	Establishment or Improved Administration	Promotion and Enrollment
Alabama	Alabama Department of Industrial Relations	$479,840	$411,291	$68,549
Alaska	Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development	$69,071	$59,204	$9,867
Arizona	Arizona Department of Economic Security	$711,300	$609,686	$101,614
Arkansas	Arkansas Department of Workforce Services	$276,319	$236,845	$39,474
California	California Employment Development Department	$5,388,572	$4,618,776	$769,796
Colorado	Colorado Department of Labor and Employment	$562,343	$482,008	$80,335
Connecticut	Connecticut Department of Labor	$415,008	$355,721	$59,287
Delaware	Delaware Department of Labor	$80,608	$69,093	$11,515
District of Columbia	District of Columbia, Department of Employment Services	$89,317	$76,557	$12,760
Florida	Florida Department of Economic Opportunity	$2,400,953	$2,057,960	$342,993
Georgia	Georgia Department of Labor	$1,156,906	$991,634	$165,272
Hawaii	Hawaii State Unemployment Insurance	$111,120	$95,246	$15,874
Idaho	Idaho Department of Labor	$167,546	$143,611	$23,935
Illinois	Illinois Department of Employment Security	$1,615,519	$1,384,731	$230,788
Indiana	Indiana Department of Workforce Development	$720,577	$617,637	$102,940
Iowa	Iowa Workforce Development	$242,970	$208,260	$34,710
Kansas	Kansas Department of Labor	$249,408	$213,778	$35,630
Kentucky	Kentucky Office of Employment & Training	$488,417	$418,643	$69,774
Louisiana	Louisiana Workforce Commission	$376,976	$323,122	$53,854
Maine	Maine Department of Labor	$132,233	$113,343	$18,890
Maryland	Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation	$541,360	$464,023	$77,337
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development	$632,631	$542,255	$90,376
Michigan	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs	$1,178,691	$1,010,307	$168,384
Minnesota	Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development	$471,045	$403,753	$67,292
Mississippi	Mississippi Department of Employment Security	$356,732	$305,770	$50,962
Missouri	Missouri Department of Labor & Industrial Relations	$638,248	$547,070	$91,178
Montana	Montana Department of Labor & Industry	$85,942	$73,665	$12,277
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Labor	$111,006	$95,148	$15,858
Nevada	Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation	$465,817	$399,272	$66,545
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Employment Security	$100,300	$85,971	$14,329
New Jersey	New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development	$1,070,511	$917,581	$152,930
New Mexico	New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions	$173,222	$148,476	$24,746
New York	New York State Department of Labor	$1,978,999	$1,696,285	$282,714
North Carolina	North Carolina Department of Commerce	$1,228,623	$1,053,105	$175,518
North Dakota	Job Service North Dakota	$33,347	$28,583	$4,764
Ohio	Ohio Department of Job and Family Services	$1,238,931	$1,061,941	$176,990
Oklahoma	Oklahoma Employment Security Commission	$274,350	$235,157	$39,193
Oregon	Oregon Employment Department	$468,830	$401,854	$66,976
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry	$1,273,656	$1,091,705	$181,951
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Labor Department Administration	$504,523	$432,448	$72,075
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training	$159,734	$136,915	$22,819
South Carolina	South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce	$548,432	$470,085	$78,347
South Dakota	South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation	$51,445	$44,096	$7,349
Tennessee	Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development	$709,202	$607,887	$101,315
Texas	Texas Workforce Commission	$2,457,874	$2,106,749	$351,125
Utah	Utah Department of Workforce Services	$218,841	$187,578	$31,263
Vermont	Vermont Department of Labor	$49,329	$42,282	$7,047
Virginia	Virginia Employment Commission	$671,010	$575,151	$95,859
Virgin Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Labor	$9,718	$8,330	$1,388
Washington	Washington Employment Security Department	$791,014	$678,012	$113,002
West Virginia	WorkForce West Virginia	$157,955	$135,390	$22,565
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development	$568,929	$487,653	$81,276
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Workforce Services	$44,750	$38,357	$6,393
Totals		$35,000,000	$30,000,000	$5,000,000

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

Connect with DOL at
http://social.dol.gov
http://twitter.com/usdol
http://www.facebook.com/departmentoflabor
http://www.youtube.com/usdepartmentoflabor
http://social.dol.gov/blog/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52862363@N07/

SOURCE U.S. Department of Labor