U.S. Labor secretary visits border region

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_13430978

By Adriana Gómez Licón For the Sun-News
Posted: 09/27/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO - Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis visited El Paso on Saturday to share her insight into job-creation opportunities and health care issues in the region and to hear from business organizations and community leaders.

Local business groups, union leaders, representatives of chambers of commerce and city leaders gave Solis an outlook on the labor problems people face in the El Paso and Las Cruces region at a closed-door, round-table meeting at the Workforce Solutions Center.

"One of the most important criteria for all of us to understand is that we are in a hard time right now," Solis said.

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, invited Solis to El Paso and share efforts the Department of Labor is undertaking to invest in programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The law provides Texas with $270.7 million for different programs that train youth, older workers and veterans. It also funds the hiring of more staff to process unemployment compensations and provides assistance to job seekers who needed income.

"I know that there's a lot of struggles here in the community," Solis said.

The economic recession impacted many El Pasoans.

FULL story at link.