HB4186eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4186 Engrossed LRB096 10926 JDS 21178 b

AN ACT concerning job training.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green Jobs Training Fund Act.

Section 5. Green Jobs Training Fund.

(a) The Green Jobs Training Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury. Subject to appropriation, the Fund shall be administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency. There shall be credited to the Fund any monies specifically designated for deposit into the Fund, including gifts, grants, and private contributions. Earnings attributable to moneys in the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund.

The Fund shall be used by the Department for the following purposes:

(1) supporting, in conjunction with other private, public, and philanthropic resources, the development and implementation of worker skills training and education programs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries;

(2) collecting and analyzing labor market data to track workforce trends resulting from energy related initiatives; and

(3) providing grants as well as partnership planning and programs to eligible entities in order to provide an integrated continuum of workforce education and training.

Section 10. Eligible entities.

(a) Eligible entities shall include:

(1) community-based, nonprofit organizations;

(2) educational institutions with expertise in serving low-income adults or youth;

(3) public or private employers in eligible industries; and

(4) labor organizations representing workers in eligible industries.

(b) Eligible entities shall:

(1) demonstrate experience in implementing and operating worker skills training and education programs;

(2) coordinate activities, where appropriate, with the workforce investment system;

(3) demonstrate the ability to recruit individuals for training; and

(4) support recruited individuals' successful completion of training programs funded under this Act.

Section 15. Eligible participants. Eligible participants shall include:

(1) workers affected by State energy and environmental policy;

(2) unemployed workers;

(3) individuals, including at-risk youth, seeking employment pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency; and

(4) formerly incarcerated, adjudicated nonviolent offenders.

Section 20. Eligible industries. Energy efficiency and renewable energy industries eligible to participate in a program under this Act include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) the energy efficient building construction and retrofit industries;

(2) the renewable electric power generation and transmission industry;

(3) the energy efficient and advanced vehicle drive train industry;

(4) the biofuels industry;

(5) the deconstruction and materials use industries;

(6) the energy efficiency assessment industry; and

(7) the manufacturers that produce sustainable products using environmentally sustainable processes and materials.

Any green industry not listed in this Section may petition the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for inclusion on the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's list of eligible industries.

Section 25. Green Jobs Training Program Advisory Committee. The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall appoint an advisory committee to represent significant constituencies.

Section 30. Audit. The Auditor General or his or her designee shall audit the programs each year, using generally accepted accounting principles.

Section 35. Research program. Subject to appropriation, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall collect and analyze labor market data to track workforce trends resulting from energy-related initiatives carried out under this Act. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall report its findings to the General Assembly and Governor by July 1 each year. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's report shall:

(1) track and document participants' academic and occupational competencies as well as whether their skill sets match the needs of eligible industries;

(2) track and document occupational information and workforce training data that is relevant to the grant programs administered under this Act;

(3) describe the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's efforts to collaborate with outside agencies, workforce investment boards, industry, organized labor, and community and nonprofit organizations to disseminate information on successful innovations for labor market services and worker training in eligible industries;

(4) describe the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's efforts to link research and development in renewable energy and energy efficiency technology with the development of standards and curricula for current and future jobs in eligible industries;

(5) assess new employment and workforce development practices, including career ladder and upgrade training as well as high performance work systems, in eligible industries; and

(6) describe the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's efforts to provide technical assistance and capacity building to national and State energy partnerships.

Section 40. Energy Training Partnership Grants. Subject to appropriation, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall, on a competitive basis, award Energy Training Partnership Grants from the Green Jobs Training Fund to eligible entities (i) to enable those entities to carry out training that leads to economic self-sufficiency for eligible participants and (ii) to develop a skilled workforce for eligible industries. Grants shall be awarded under this Section to ensure some measure of geographic equality. Priority shall be given to eligible entities that leverage additional public and private resources to fund training programs, including cash or in-kind matches from participating employers in eligible industries.

Section 45. Pathways out of Poverty Grants. Subject to appropriation, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall award competitive grants from the Green Jobs Training Fund to eligible entities to enable those entities to carry out training that leads to economic self-sufficiency for eligible participants. The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall give priority to eligible entities that (i) serve individuals in families with a gross income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau; (ii) leverage additional public and private resources to fund training programs, including cash or in-kind matches from participating employers; (iii) involve employers and labor organizations in the determination of relevant skills and competencies and ensure that the certificates or credentials that result from the training are employer-recognized; (iv) deliver courses at alternative times and locations most convenient and accessible to participants; and (v) link adult remedial education with occupational skills training. Grants shall be awarded under this Section so as to ensure some degree of geographic equity in their distribution.

Section 50. Grant limitations. Grant moneys awarded under this Act must be expended by the grant recipient within 2 years after being received by the grant recipient. The Director may not award an eligible entity more than $500,000 in grant funding under this Act.

Section 55. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.719 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.719 new)

Sec. 5.719. The Green Jobs Training Fund.