Mississippi explores “One Door” policy to integrate social programs, workforce development

• A new task force is to recommend ways the state can increase its labor force participation rate while raising Mississippians’ earning capacity.

Lawmakers have agreed to form a task force to study workforce and social service reform in Mississippi as the state looks to implement a “One Door” policy. The goal is to improve the state’s labor force participation rate and raise the earning capacity of working Mississippians. 

“This summer, we had a labor force participation rate committee that met,” State Senate Daniel Sparks (R) told the Senate when presenting the measure. “One of the things that we’re trying to do is help get people into the workforce.”

Sparks explained that Mississippi currently has a unique situation where the state has historically low unemployment while also having one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the country.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi’s labor force participation rate sits at 56 percent.

Senator Sparks said there are federal dollars available, particularly through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), that can be used for training and helping people enter the workforce

“The expectation is that the federal government is to reauthorize the WIOA policy and they’re going to allow for a ‘One Door’ style policy that has been utilized in Utah,” Sparks said. “We, along with states such as Louisiana, would qualify for an exemption that we could work with a ‘One Door’ style policy to help us utilize the resources we have for people to get into the workforce.”

What is a “One Door” Policy?

The nation’s welfare system has been referred to as “a fragmented hodgepodge of programs.” Buzz Brockway wrote in an op-ed, which appeared in Magnolia Tribune, that, “The complicated nature of welfare is more than a nuisance. For recipients, it’s a detrimental barrier to advancing to a better life… Ultimately, every hour someone spends navigating the safety-net system is an hour they aren’t spending looking for ways to escape it.”

To rein this in and provide a better holistic approach, Utah established a “One Door” policy in the mid-to-late 1990s.

As outlined by the Alliance for Opportunity, the Utah Department of Workforce Services integrated its social programs so that recipients access services through “one door,” in other words a single point-of-access, with one caseworker.

“Utah implements a true work-first approach: human services are treated as services supporting the attainment of work. They start with every case by assessing their total needs, both immediate (i.e. housing, cash assistance, food assistance, health care assistance, etc.) and long-term (i.e. workforce training, substance abuse treatment, etc.),” wrote senior fellow Leslie Ford. “The caseworker and recipient develop a plan of action together that can use more than 50 federal sources braided together in one package to meet the recipient’s unique situation.”

Ford notes that Utah can provide this streamlined and customized service because of two significant exceptions to WIOA: Utah has a single-state local area designation that allows them to create one-stop centers in every community and the state has a federally approved cost-allocation plan to strategically utilize all federal resources.

The ultimate goal is to integrate social safety nets and workforce development in a manner that moves people off of welfare and into a sustainable job through a one-stop-shop holistic approach.

Legislation in the U.S. House introduced by Education and Workforce Committee Vice Chair Burgess Owens (R) of Utah would establish the “One Door to Work Act.” The legislation aims to give states and local workforce boards the flexibility to implement innovative reforms aimed at improving outcomes for job seekers, employers, and taxpayers, Owens said.

“For too long, the federal government has stood in the way as states work to modernize their workforce and address the worker shortage slowing economic growth,” said Congressman Owens. “With millions of jobs unfilled and too many Americans sidelined, it’s clear our workforce systems are outdated. The One Door to Work Act empowers states to integrate workforce and welfare systems, streamlining access to jobs, training, and education. Utah has proven this model works—it’s time to give every state the tools to help their people get back to work.”

Mississippi’s New “One Door” Task Force

In Mississippi, SB 2290, as signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves (R), establishes the “Task Force to Study Work Force and Social Service Reform and Implementation of a One Door Policy.”

The stated goal of the task force is to develop a recommendation to the Legislature relative to increasing the labor force participation rate in the State of Mississippi, as well as raising the earning capacity of working Mississippians through training and education for high wage, high demand, priority sector jobs in the state.

Members of the “One Door” task force as outlined in the legislation are to be:

• Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Development (Accelerate MS)
• Chairman of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee of the Mississippi State Senate
• Chairman of the Workforce Development Committee of the Mississippi House
• Two appointments from the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House with consideration given to individuals who represent underserved or disadvantaged communities
• State Superintendent of Education
• Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board
• Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security
• Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services

After reviewing labor data, educational opportunities, workforce needs, and social programs, among other relevant information, the task force is to report its findings and recommendations for proposed legislation to the Legislature on or before December 1, 2025.