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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 21st | ||||||
5 | Century Workforce Development Fund Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. The 21st Century Workforce Development Fund. The | ||||||
7 | 21st Century Workforce Development Fund is created as a special | ||||||
8 | fund in the State Treasury. The Fund shall be administered by | ||||||
9 | the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity ("the | ||||||
10 | Department"), in consultation with other appropriate State | ||||||
11 | agencies, and overseen by the 21st Century Workforce | ||||||
12 | Development Fund Advisory Committee ("the Advisory | ||||||
13 | Committee"). There shall be credited to the Fund any moneys | ||||||
14 | specifically designated for deposit into the Fund, including | ||||||
15 | State appropriations, set asides from public expenditures on | ||||||
16 | capital projects, federal funds, gifts, grants, and private | ||||||
17 | contributions.
Earnings attributable to moneys in the fund | ||||||
18 | shall be deposited into the fund. | ||||||
19 | Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of the 21st Century | ||||||
20 | Workforce Development Fund is to promote the State's interest | ||||||
21 | in the creation and maintenance of a diverse and skilled | ||||||
22 | workforce for the economic development of the State. The Fund |
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1 | is intended to support integrated, innovative, and emergency | ||||||
2 | workforce development strategies that promote local economic | ||||||
3 | development and a continuum of workforce and education | ||||||
4 | strategies, including workforce development activities to | ||||||
5 | prepare individuals for occupations in the energy efficiency | ||||||
6 | and renewable energy industries, as well as other occupations | ||||||
7 | that are created or transformed by the implementation of policy | ||||||
8 | to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent and remediate | ||||||
9 | pollution, and to promote energy-efficient, healthy, and | ||||||
10 | lead-safe homes in Illinois. | ||||||
11 | Section 15. Use of Fund. | ||||||
12 | (a) Role of Fund. Resources from the Fund are intended to | ||||||
13 | be used flexibly to support innovative and locally-driven | ||||||
14 | strategies, to leverage other funding sources, and to fill gaps | ||||||
15 | in existing workforce development resources in Illinois. They | ||||||
16 | are not intended to supplant existing workforce development | ||||||
17 | resources. | ||||||
18 | (b) Distribution of funds. Funds shall be distributed | ||||||
19 | through competitive grantmaking processes administered by the | ||||||
20 | Department and overseen by the Advisory Committee. No more than | ||||||
21 | 6% of funds used for grants may be retained by the Department | ||||||
22 | for administrative costs or for program evaluation or technical | ||||||
23 | assistance activities. | ||||||
24 | (c) Grantmaking. The Department must administer funds | ||||||
25 | through competitive grantmaking in accordance with the |
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1 | priorities described in this Act. Grantmaking must be used to | ||||||
2 | support workforce development strategies consistent with the | ||||||
3 | priorities outlined in this Act. Strategies may include, but | ||||||
4 | are not limited to the following: | ||||||
5 | (i) Expanded grantmaking for existing State workforce | ||||||
6 | development strategies, including the Job Training and | ||||||
7 | Economic Development Program and programs designed to | ||||||
8 | increase the number of persons traditionally | ||||||
9 | underrepresented in the building trades, specifically | ||||||
10 | minorities and women. | ||||||
11 | (ii) Workforce development initiatives that help the | ||||||
12 | least skilled adults access employment and education | ||||||
13 | opportunities, including transitional jobs programs and | ||||||
14 | educational bridge programming that integrate basic | ||||||
15 | education and occupational skills training. | ||||||
16 | (iii) Sectoral strategies that develop | ||||||
17 | industry-specific workforce education and training | ||||||
18 | services that lead to existing or expected jobs with | ||||||
19 | identified employers and that include services to ensure | ||||||
20 | that low-income, low-skilled adults can be served. | ||||||
21 | (iv) Support for the development and implementation of | ||||||
22 | workforce education and training programs in the energy | ||||||
23 | efficiency, renewable energy, and pollution control | ||||||
24 | cleanup and prevention industries. | ||||||
25 | (v) Support for planning activities that: ensure that | ||||||
26 | workforce development and education needs of low-skilled |
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1 | adults are integrated into industry-specific career | ||||||
2 | pathways; analyze labor market data to track workforce | ||||||
3 | trends in the State's energy-related initiatives; or | ||||||
4 | increase the capacity of communities to provide workforce | ||||||
5 | services to low-income, low-skilled adults.
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6 | (d) Allowable expenditures. Grant funds are limited to | ||||||
7 | expenditures for the following: | ||||||
8 | (i) Basic skills training, adult education, | ||||||
9 | occupational training, job readiness training, and | ||||||
10 | soft-skills training for which financial aid is otherwise | ||||||
11 | not available.
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12 | (ii) Workforce development-related services including | ||||||
13 | mentoring, job development, support services, | ||||||
14 | transportation assistance, and wage subsidies, that are | ||||||
15 | tied to participation in training and employment.
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16 | (iii) Capacity building, program development, and | ||||||
17 | technical assistance activities necessary for the | ||||||
18 | development and implementation of new workforce education | ||||||
19 | and training strategies.
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20 | No more than 5% of any grant may be used for administrative | ||||||
21 | costs.
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22 | (e) Eligible applicants. For grants under this Section, | ||||||
23 | eligible applicants include the following:
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24 | (i) Any private, public, and non-profit entities that | ||||||
25 | provide education, training, and workforce development | ||||||
26 | services to low-income individuals. |
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1 | (ii) Educational institutions. | ||||||
2 | (iii) Labor and business associations. | ||||||
3 | Section 20. Priorities. The Department shall implement | ||||||
4 | grantmaking using the following priorities, and the Advisory | ||||||
5 | Committee shall monitor the application of these priorities to | ||||||
6 | grantmaking: | ||||||
7 | (a) Priority populations. Priority shall be given to | ||||||
8 | workforce education and training strategies that target | ||||||
9 | individuals with barriers to employment including, but not | ||||||
10 | limited to, criminal backgrounds, low incomes, residents of | ||||||
11 | public or subsidized housing, and individuals with limited | ||||||
12 | literacy, math skills, or English proficiency. Priority may | ||||||
13 | also be given to workers with jobs that are affected by the | ||||||
14 | implementation of State energy and environmental policy. | ||||||
15 | (b) Priority industries. Priority shall be given to | ||||||
16 | workforce education and training strategies for the following:
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17 | (i) Industries that will reduce carbon emissions, | ||||||
18 | promote recycling/reuse, prevent and remediate pollution, | ||||||
19 | and support local food production, including but not | ||||||
20 | limited to the following: | ||||||
21 | (A) Energy efficient building construction, | ||||||
22 | retrofit, and assessment industries. | ||||||
23 | (B) Renewable electric power generation and | ||||||
24 | transmission industries. | ||||||
25 | (C) Deconstruction and materials use industries. |
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1 | (D) Manufacturers that produce sustainable | ||||||
2 | products using environmentally sustainable processes | ||||||
3 | and materials. | ||||||
4 | (E) Local food systems. | ||||||
5 | (ii) Industries identified by the Department to be | ||||||
6 | facing a critical shortage of skilled workers. | ||||||
7 | (c) Other priority factors. The Department must implement | ||||||
8 | grantmaking by giving priority to grant applications that | ||||||
9 | demonstrate collaboration amongst local workforce, education, | ||||||
10 | and economic development stakeholders in their community; | ||||||
11 | demonstrate collaboration with outreach programs designed to | ||||||
12 | connect community residents with training opportunities; | ||||||
13 | integrate lead-safe work practices into their training; or | ||||||
14 | serve communities with high rates of unemployment, | ||||||
15 | underemployment, and poverty. | ||||||
16 | Section 25. 21st Century Workforce Development Fund | ||||||
17 | Advisory Committee. The 21st Century Workforce Development | ||||||
18 | Fund Advisory Committee shall review, advise, and recommend for | ||||||
19 | approval or denial all grant requests from the Fund. The | ||||||
20 | Department is responsible for the administration and staffing | ||||||
21 | of the Advisory Committee. | ||||||
22 | (a) Membership. The Committee shall consist of 21 persons. | ||||||
23 | Co-chairs shall be appointed by the Governor with the | ||||||
24 | requirement that one come from the public and one from the | ||||||
25 | private sector. |
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1 | (b) Eleven members shall be appointed by the Governor, and | ||||||
2 | any of the 11 members appointed by the Governor may fill more | ||||||
3 | than one of the following required categories: | ||||||
4 | (i) Four must be from communities outside of the City | ||||||
5 | of Chicago. | ||||||
6 | (ii) At least one must be a member of a local workforce | ||||||
7 | investment board (LWIB) in his or her community. | ||||||
8 | (iii) At least one must represent organized labor. | ||||||
9 | (iv) At least one must represent business or industry. | ||||||
10 | (v) At least one must represent a non-profit | ||||||
11 | organization that provides workforce development or job | ||||||
12 | training services. | ||||||
13 | (vi) At least one must represent a non-profit | ||||||
14 | organization involved in workforce development policy, | ||||||
15 | analysis, or research. | ||||||
16 | (vii) At least one must represent a non-profit | ||||||
17 | organization involved in environmental policy, advocacy, | ||||||
18 | or research. | ||||||
19 | (viii) At least one must represent a group that | ||||||
20 | advocates for individuals with barriers to employment, | ||||||
21 | including at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated | ||||||
22 | individuals, and individuals living in poverty. | ||||||
23 | (c) The other 10 members shall be the following: | ||||||
24 | (i) The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, | ||||||
25 | or his or her designee who oversees workforce development | ||||||
26 | services. |
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1 | (ii) The Secretary of Human Services, or his or her | ||||||
2 | designee who oversees human capital services. | ||||||
3 | (iii) The Director of Corrections, or his or her | ||||||
4 | designee who oversees prisoner re-entry services. | ||||||
5 | (iv) The Director of the Environmental Protection | ||||||
6 | Agency, or his or her designee who oversees contractor | ||||||
7 | compliance. | ||||||
8 | (v) The Chairman of the Illinois Community College | ||||||
9 | Board, or his or her designee who oversees technical and | ||||||
10 | career education. | ||||||
11 | (vi) A representative of the Illinois Community | ||||||
12 | College Board involved in energy education and sustainable | ||||||
13 | practices, designated by the Board. | ||||||
14 | (vii) Four State legislators, one designated by the | ||||||
15 | President of the Senate, one designated by the Speaker of | ||||||
16 | the House, one designated by the Senate Minority Leader, | ||||||
17 | and one designated by the House Minority Leader. | ||||||
18 | (d) Appointees under subsection (b) shall serve a 2-year | ||||||
19 | term and are eligible to be re-appointed one time. Members | ||||||
20 | under subsection (c) shall serve ex officio or at the pleasure | ||||||
21 | of the designating official, as applicable. | ||||||
22 | Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
23 | Section 5.719 as follows: | ||||||
24 | (30 ILCS 105/5.719 new) |
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1 | Sec. 5.719. The 21st Century Workforce Development Fund.
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2 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
3 | 2009.
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