[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6481639,"mediaKeyId","5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2","parentId",5663804,"title","State Workforce Board adopts bylaws revisions to align with Executive Order 109; oversight committee to inventory statewide workforce funding","audioSeconds",117,"startMs",5198000,"endMs",5315000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2&start=5198&end=5315","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2/thumbnail_5198000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6481639/Tennessee/State-Workforce-Board-adopts-bylaws-revisions-to-align-with-Executive-Order-109-oversight-committee-to-inventory-statewide-workforce-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481639-c2826051eabb91d55b224639f18fe11b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770395303&Signature=J3s-Aqw~4ftnxyBX4i3Urw~020APNH7lcDWumkw~bsUf-8RtI48soeCCDPXX73xfxTVKGFkY2StWIobOb3-2lxK6RojPCNkGnCkXGbyPEVQu5Gdggk2Pe~YyjuFCx3Q-R977t0lBTqgjlt~8C2eqzPW58-Om-BAjb-MNS2ouLiYOEDN40PZiBaKjQkuFqOHvAqSgJAuE60eEU4zOI1HzF2uaosiVjG0gxX1VOFf5vRqONSO9t4~eFxjjDy4e7yolYTuUEJWedPVJm8H-PIjKU6IXa-HUKy4fiQ77CKSg5RcIQ6h3PPVo5fuZQ3GjsPpqNPU8DwywtkFkDE4Ru3237A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Labor and Workforce Development","date","2025-08-22T00:00:00Z","article","The State Workforce Board adopted revisions to its bylaws by roll‑call vote, formalizing broader responsibilities and procedural changes that align the board with Executive Order 109, the board chairman said.

Martha Axford, reporting for the Oversight Committee, summarized the bylaw changes and asked the board to vote. The chair called for a roll call; the meeting record shows 29 members voted in favor, with no opposition or abstentions.

Key bylaw changes summarized to the board included expanded duties and clarified responsibilities to align with the governor’s vision under Executive Order 109, greater flexibility to support the Tennessee Works initiative, revisions to outdated language, and authority to form committees that may include non‑board members for specific projects. Axford said the changes are intended to prepare the board for an expanded policy and oversight role.

In committee reports, the board also received updates on regional and state plan modification schedules, performance measures, apprenticeship expansion, and operational dashboards. Operations and innovation committee chairs reviewed presentations on apprenticeship programs (including a new Lipscomb University early childhood apprenticeship pathway), SNAP Employment and Training program enrollment and funding reductions, and the Rural Health Care grant, which has supported training in allied health and clinical occupation areas across many counties.

The Oversight Committee further asked staff to provide a cross‑agency inventory of workforce funding across state agencies so the board can see the full portfolio under its expanded oversight. Staff committed to provide that inventory to the board by the November meeting.

The board also noted the resignation of long‑serving member Michelle Falcone for personal reasons and said the governor’s office would work on a replacement.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Workforce Development Board Meeting 2025-08-22","oneSentenceSummary","The State Workforce Board adopted revised bylaws by roll call (29–0) to align duties with Executive Order 109, authorized committees to include non‑board members, and asked staff to compile a cross‑agency inventory of workforce funding for the November meeting.","taxTitle","Labor and Workforce Development, Deparments in Office of the Governor, Organizations, Executive, Tennessee","taxId",17393,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6481644,"State workforce board backs staff plan to pilot benefits‑cliff tools after Atlanta Fed briefing; Martha O’Brien pilot shows income gains",4219,1290000,5509000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2&start=1290&end=5509","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2/thumbnail_1290000.jpg","/articles/6481644/Tennessee/State-workforce-board-backs-staff-plan-to-pilot-benefitscliff-tools-after-Atlanta-Fed-briefing-Martha-OBrien-pilot-shows-income-gains","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481644-48bfae9cd57d694e66ce0d95c3a9956e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770395303&Signature=KF0kkbFF1iYRFmo0bcNmJliwHQLSBOl3DQG8KSzfHN4yvCSeZpdUDMTBZ3aPXedslNQE5MOo3jRuHIjcxoWpKiN3s0B8fzYDD1kfvw3Ftt2z6uDXpJM~biOi0mF22dHsiosEFIH-gR1fqddSAUYoST0Vkg20-8wkYtSCIXECC-38rjMVHsM~YpR33l4Mz9ziY81UAbb9Boz6lbpR3oJcGPTDv3S8EhKlfsEEOsJ1YqwC3vW~f69fsA7BnMDtGFwhYFMssBAFzvKk64LJKLti8ly2heyQoI1f6s294u9oEgtJLqjz~Vby~FUURE9Zy~U2skP3L8SwaZNsj0e0JGRbyA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The State Workforce Board voted to ask staff to develop a pilot to deploy benefits‑cliff modeling tools and coaching within the board’s existing delivery network after a briefing from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and presentations about a local demonstration pilot.

Britney Birkin, director and principal adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity, told the board that benefits cliffs occur when modest wage increases cause a household to lose eligibility for public assistance, leaving families financially worse off.

Birkin described the Atlanta Fed’s tools for mapping “net financial resources” (income after taxes plus public assistance minus basic household expenses and taxes), and demonstrated a county‑level dashboard that models how income increases interact with program eligibility. She said the tools are designed to be used alongside coaching at American Job Centers and by workforce intermediaries to help clients and employers see when and where cliffs occur.

Kimberly (Timberly) Russell and Keith Barnes of the Martha O’Brien Center described Our Chance Tennessee, a demonstration pilot funded under Tennessee’s 2021 TANF Opportunity grants. Russell said the pilot has served more than 1,200 participants and reported an average income increase of about $19,500 for roughly 64% of participants. “If we can help people address the benefits cliff and find their way into career pathways, it supports employers tapping into untapped talent,” she said.

Board discussion focused on scaling the pilot, employer engagement strategies, and the need for rigorous evaluation. Suzanne (last name not specified), representing the Tennessee Department of Human Services, said a third‑party evaluator, MEF Associates, is performing a randomized controlled trial across seven state pilots and that results are expected in December 2026.

Policy director Michael Hendricks, speaking for the governor’s office, said Tennessee has moved to use state dollars to expand child‑care eligibility to help blunt the cliff — a step he attributed to the work highlighted by the Atlanta Fed. “We are indeed doing that…we are gonna use state dollars to add on to the federal benefits that we receive for child care to help ease that benefits cliff,” he said.

After discussion, Board member Marshall Graves moved that department staff develop a plan for a pilot to use the tools presented and to report back to the board; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote with no opposition. In the discussion preceding the vote members asked that the staff report include estimates of the population affected by cliffs and demographic details.

Members also discussed employer engagement approaches; presenters said Martha O’Brien has focused employer outreach in hospitality, health care, construction and IT, with hospitality a chief target in the Nashville area because of high incidence of cliff exposure in that industry.

The meeting record shows the board asked staff to return a proposed pilot to the board in a future meeting and to include data on how many Tennesseans face benefits cliffs and their demographic characteristics.","After a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta briefing on benefits cliffs and a presentation from Martha O’Brien Center, the State Workforce Board asked staff to develop a pilot that uses benefits‑cliff modeling and coaching tools; the board discussed scaling Martha O’Brien’s Our Chance Tennessee pilot and requested further data.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6481646,"Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development adds business engagement division, reports clean audit",379,420000,799000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2&start=420&end=799","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5663804-fe3b2577fb4c5f7b9fd66fdceb2362f2/thumbnail_420000.jpg","/articles/6481646/Tennessee/Tennessee-Department-of-Labor-and-Workforce-Development-adds-business-engagement-division-reports-clean-audit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6481646-92d7d10bfbff0ae29c3f04d6bfc2e810/orig.mp4?Expires=1770395303&Signature=cAgmEvKgcJMB0kLgUouMlB9jULZLpNFyKjv-AYtAtWu7JOkIzQehRjGoaPw8fyQC2dWW2K2i6h8opTCiZGdCyW5Been1wtjHsq0YzlHxpgNJB-JZzDy7o6pSd6NFEhvPaJjeLMpyXYhVhKo-ZZ0AquvfpzvdqrQ7CzkfAJf8tepmYUr2nM~xc~L-inyddxhWBKTe5l4FuMrjxk6V0zqtCcpqQbk82gjyPvqKyDd~~m5MSLPfR77zzJOt2sfQXJc5WAk6zp55FWxDkYmZQm2Qm4fMrus6ClQoNJ5DTbvqyxwli5eJXaahD2CLXcecreExMz2j8hB20cp6INmf8xSW7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development reorganized several internal units to create a new Business Engagement Division and named two assistant commissioners to lead that work, Commissioner Denise Thomas told the State Workforce Board at its meeting. The department also reported a clean financial audit with no findings or observations.

Thomas told board members the new division is intended to make employer engagement the department’s central function: “Business and industry does (the employing). And so that will be our main artery now, is our business engagement division,” she said. The division will house apprenticeship and consultation functions and labor market intelligence, and will oversee programs such as rapid response and incumbent worker training.

The department introduced two senior leaders who will anchor the division. Ken Neely will lead apprenticeship and consultation after serving as assistant administrator for workplace regulation and compliance. Tyler Asher moves from his role as business development director for the Upper Cumberland region to oversee regional business development programming and programs that touch business, Thomas said.

Thomas framed the reorganization as preparation for an expanded role for the State Workforce Board under Executive Order 109. “With this expanded charge from Executive Order 109, the sky is really the limit,” she said, adding that the department is positioning itself to act whether or not federal workforce funding and rules change.

On auditing, Thomas said the department completed a recent audit with zero findings and no observations. “For the first time I can think of, we had our audit. We had 0 audit findings and no observations. We had a clean audit, completely clean,” she said, and publicly thanked her staff and the General Assembly for oversight that she said supports “integrity and the trust of the public.”

Thomas also reported engagement with the National Governors Association. She said Tennessee’s approach — including governance changes and broader duties for the state workforce board — drew attention from other states. “I’ll be serving a second term as NGA workforce liaison chair,” she told members, a role she said gives Tennessee a voice in shaping national strategy.

The reorganization and the clean audit were presented as part of a broader set of initiatives described to the board, including planning for expected federal WIOA changes, work on state plan modifications, and coordination with education and economic agencies. Thomas said the department anticipates at least a 10% reduction in federal workforce funding but is emphasizing flexibility to stretch available dollars.

Board members did not take formal action on the reorganization during the meeting; Thomas said staff would continue to brief the board on implementation and next steps.","Commissioner Denise Thomas told the State Workforce Board the department reorganized to create a Business Engagement Division, named two assistant commissioners to lead employer-facing work, and reported a clean audit with no findings or observations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State Workforce Board adopts bylaws revisions to align with Executive Order 109; oversight committee to inventory statewide workforce funding

State workforce board backs staff plan to pilot benefits‑cliff tools after Atlanta Fed briefing; Martha O’Brien pilot shows income gains

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development adds business engagement division, reports clean audit