94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
SB0851

 

Introduced 2/18/2005, by Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Opportunity in State Public Construction Act. Provides that funding shall be made available for certain programs to prepare individual women and minorities for entry into apprenticeships in the skilled construction trades based on labor market information and projections. Provides the eligible recipients of the funds and the eligible participants in the programs established under the Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall annually collect certain information from each program funded under the Act. Creates the Commission on Opportunity in State Public Construction. Establishes the duties of the Commission. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall award, through a competitive grant process, 3 year initial grants to eligible entities for services to be provided under the Act. Provides that from each State funded construction project with a budget over $1 million, one-half of 1% of the project budget shall be reserved to sustain skilled training, outreach, data collection, worksite monitoring, and the provision of technical assistance to help meet goals for inclusion of women and minorities.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Opportunity in State Public Construction Act.
 
6     Section 5. Legislative purpose. The purposes of this Act
7 are to:
8         (1) Prepare Illinois women and minorities to fully
9     participate in the construction industry where women and
10     minorities are underrepresented.
11         (2) Respond to the Illinois construction workforce
12     shortage which increasingly requires high skilled workers.
13         (3) Provide the Illinois construction industry with a
14     well prepared and diverse workforce to replace retiring
15     workers.
16         (4) Enhance the viability and competitiveness of local
17     communities through an economic development strategy that
18     will employ qualified residents for jobs that offer self
19     sufficient wages.
20         (5) Increase economic opportunities in low-income
21     communities in Illinois resulting in jobs for members of
22     those communities.
23         (6) Provide support to stakeholders including,
24     community job training programs, labor, employers,
25     community colleges, public agencies and others to increase
26     opportunities for women and minorities to be fully
27     represented in the skilled workforce in Illinois.
28         (7) Develop and sustain local community partnerships
29     among stakeholders resulting in increased capacity to
30     prepare women and minorities in low-income communities
31     across Illinois to enter and succeed in the construction
32     industry workforce.

 

 

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1         (8) Develop and widely disseminate best practices to
2     stakeholders.
3         (9) Assess progress and trends in construction
4     industry training and employment of the target
5     populations.
 
6     Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
7     "Community-based organizations and institutions" includes
8 community based training providers and faith based
9 organizations.
10     "Support services" includes application fees, childcare,
11 union dues, and transportation.
 
12     Section 15. Programs to prepare women and minorities for
13 increased participation in the construction trades in
14 Illinois. Funding shall be made available to prepare individual
15 women and minorities for entry into apprenticeships in the
16 skilled construction trades based on labor market information
17 and projections. Funding shall be made available for:
18         (1) Direct services to clients and participants which
19     shall include, but not be limited to, outreach, recruitment
20     and public education; career exploration and assessment;
21     skill development, which shall include, but not be limited
22     to, math remediation, physical fitness, hands-on skills,
23     tool identification, spatial and mechanical aptitude,
24     apprenticeship interviewing and test taking, blueprint
25     reading, career exploration, job readiness, and employment
26     counseling; case management; job referrals; provision of
27     tools and other materials to training programs and their
28     clients, and support services to assist clients during
29     pre-vocational preparation, job training, and through the
30     first 12 months of employment.
31         (2) Capacity building for funded programs to
32     organizations that are experienced with the industry and
33     have demonstrated success in increasing access,
34     participation, success and retention of women and

 

 

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1     minorities in high-wage, high-skill jobs in the
2     construction trades to increase the capacity of programs to
3     provide training services. Allowable activities shall
4     include materials and resource development, including
5     handbooks, directories, resource guides and other
6     instructional aids, data collection, and organizational
7     development including staff training, curriculum
8     development, and technology upgrades.
9         (3) Technical assistance for workforce development and
10     vocational education systems to organizations that are
11     experienced with the industry and have demonstrated
12     success in increasing access, participation, success and
13     retention of women and minorities in high-wage, high-skill
14     jobs in the construction trades for technical assistance
15     services to increase the capacity of programs and
16     institutional stakeholders. Allowable activities shall
17     include training staff, including staff of one-stop career
18     centers, high school counselors, superintendents, and
19     gender equity coordinators; development of public
20     education and marketing materials; strategic planning and
21     goal setting; development of institutional and
22     cross-agency protocols and policies including memoranda of
23     understanding; participation in task force or advisory
24     meetings; and monitoring the utilization and impact of
25     policies and activities.
26         (4) Technical assistance to organizations that are
27     experienced with the industry and have demonstrated
28     success in increasing access, participation, success and
29     retention of women and minorities in high-wage, high-skill
30     jobs in the construction trades for technical assistance
31     services to train industry partners in supporting,
32     retaining, and advancing women and minorities in the
33     construction trades industry. Allowable activities shall
34     include, training staff, including union stewards,
35     business agents, training coordinators, development of
36     outreach and marketing materials for targeted population,

 

 

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1     strategic planning and goal setting, and monitoring the
2     utilization and impact of policies and activities.
 
3     Section 20. Eligible recipients of funds; eligible
4 participants.
5     (a) Eligible recipients of funds under this Act shall
6 include:
7         (1) Community-based organizations and institutions
8     with demonstrated expertise in serving the target
9     populations, knowledge of the construction industry, and
10     demonstrated success in placing clients in employment.
11         (2) Organizations offering employment services for
12     targeted populations with expertise in preparing skilled
13     workers for the construction field.
14         (3) Labor organizations including subunits devoted to
15     the concerns of the target populations.
16         (4) Individual employers and employer associations.
17         (5) Joint labor and management sponsored
18     apprenticeship programs.
19         (6) Educational institutions.
20     (b) Eligible participants in programs funded under this Act
21 shall include women, minorities, and residents of low-income
22 communities that lack resources and have critical skills
23 shortages in the construction industry.
 
24     Section 25. Data collection and reporting.
25     (a) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
26 shall collect annually from each program funded under this Act
27 the following information: the number of individuals that
28 participate in training programs funded by this Act over a 12
29 month period including, participants that enrolled for program
30 services, participants that completed program services,
31 participants that are accepted into apprenticeship programs,
32 participants that entered apprenticeships or other employment
33 training programs, participants that entered employment in a
34 chosen field upon completion of apprenticeship selection

 

 

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1 process and preliminary training, measuring participant
2 employment skills through pre and post program assessment, and
3 participants that entered an industry other than construction.
4     (b) The Department of Labor shall collect data on the labor
5 force in the construction sector to track the participation of
6 women and minorities in the sector, and shall examine the
7 status of women and minorities in relation to the remaining
8 workforce. Data collected shall include gender, race, age,
9 cross-tabulation of gender, race, and age, occupation by trade,
10 geography, advancement, income, pay equity, and assignment
11 disparity measured through income and hours worked.
12     The Department of Labor shall collect this information on
13 an annual basis and submit it to the Governor, the Department
14 of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Department of
15 Employment Security, the State Board of Education, the
16 Department of Transportation, the Commission on Opportunity in
17 State Public Construction, the Illinois General Assembly, the
18 Illinois Statewide Nontraditional Leadership Team, and the
19 public by posting this information on the Department of Labor's
20 web site and through an annual publication entitled, "Progress
21 of Women and Minorities in the Illinois Workforce".
 
22     Section 30. Commission on Opportunity in State Public
23 Construction.
24     (a) There is created the Commission on Opportunity in State
25 Public Construction, which shall consist of 17 members as
26 follows: (i) 10 members appointed by the Governor, 2 of whom
27 are representatives of a labor organization engaged in the
28 building trades, 2 of whom are representatives of organizations
29 that represent the interests of construction companies, one of
30 whom is a representative of an organization that represents the
31 interests of minority-owned business enterprises, one of whom
32 is a representative of an organization that represents
33 female-owned business enterprises, one of whom is a
34 representative of an organization that advocates for the civil
35 rights of women, one of whom is a representative of an

 

 

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1 organization that advocates for the civil rights of African
2 Americans, one of whom is a representative of an organization
3 that advocates for the civil rights of Hispanic Americans, and
4 one of whom is a representative of an organization that
5 advocates for the civil rights of Asian Pacific and South Asian
6 Americans; (ii) one member appointed by the President of the
7 Senate; (iii) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of
8 the Senate; (iv) one member appointed by the Speaker of the
9 House of Representatives; (v) one member appointed by the
10 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; (vi) the
11 Attorney General or his or her designee; (vii) the Director of
12 the Capital Development Board or his or her designee; and
13 (viii) the Secretary of Transportation or his or her designee,
14 all of whom shall serve without compensation but shall be
15 reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from
16 appropriations available for that purpose. The members shall
17 elect one member to serve as chairperson of the Commission.
18     (b) The Commission shall:
19         (1) Assess the representation of women and minorities
20     in the construction industry workforce.
21         (2) Calculate the cost benefit of the programs
22     established under this Act, including:
23             (A) the increase of self-sufficiency among program
24         participants;
25             (B) the diminishing use of public benefits by
26         program participants; and
27             (C) increased income tax revenues realized by the
28         State.
29         (3) Review reports and assess trends.
30         (4) Develop a 5 year plan to encourage the full
31     participation of women and minorities in the trades and
32     technical occupations. The plan shall include roles and
33     responsibilities of both the public and private sector.
34         (5) Hold hearings on the statewide and regional levels.
35         (6) Recommend policies and programs.
36         (7) Advise State agencies in the operation of programs

 

 

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1     and services funded pursuant to this Act.
2         (8) File an annual report with the Illinois General
3     Assembly, the State agencies described under subsection
4     (b) of Section 25 of this Act, and the public.
 
5     Section 35. Allocation of funds.
6     (a) The State may reserve up to 5% of the funds provided
7 under Sections 15 and 25 of this Act for administration.
8     (b) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
9 shall award, through a competitive grant process, 3 year
10 initial grants to eligible entities for services to be provided
11 under Section 15 of this Act. Each organization receiving
12 multi-year funding will annually report on their programs and
13 outcomes. The Commission shall review and approve all grant
14 applications and awards. Subsequent grant cycles shall be for 2
15 years.
16     (c) In each grant cycle, the Department of Commerce and
17 Economic Opportunity shall award at least one grant per
18 economic development region, provided that a qualifying
19 proposal is received from the region in question.
20     (d) In awarding grants, the Department of Commerce and
21 Economic Opportunity shall consider the size of the
22 construction projects in the geographic area covered by the
23 proposal, relative to the size of the construction labor force
24 statewide. In addition, the Department shall consider the areas
25 that have the largest disparity of workforce representation in
26 the construction industry.
27     (e) In awarding grants, preference shall be given to
28 community-based training programs. Overall, at least 50% of the
29 funds awarded under Section 15 of this Act shall be awarded to
30 community-based organizations or collaboratives that include a
31 community-based organization as a primary partner.
32     (f) A representative of a prospective grantee shall not be
33 involved in the review of his or her organization's proposal.
 
34     Section 40. Accountability, evaluation, and oversight.

 

 

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1     (a) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
2 shall establish performance measures related to the data
3 collection requirements enumerated in Section 25.
4     (b) Evaluation of program impact shall be based upon an
5 increase in the percentage of the targeted population in
6 industry jobs; the increase in the rate of acceptance,
7 completion and retention among targeted populations; raising
8 the skill levels of individual participants contributing to
9 their overall employability; and the increase in rate of
10 employment, including hours, and annual income as measured
11 against pre-program participant income.
12     (c) The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may
13 contract with eligible providers to deliver the technical
14 assistance services under this Section.
 
15     Section 45. Funding authorization.
16     (a) From each State funded construction project with a
17 budget over $1 million, one-half of 1 % of the project budget
18 shall be reserved to sustain skilled training, outreach, data
19 collection, worksite monitoring and the provision of technical
20 assistance to help meet goals for inclusion of women and
21 minorities.
22     (b) The funds are to be allocated to and administered by
23 the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which
24 shall, through a competitive process, solicit proposals from
25 qualified service providers.
26     (c) Each recipient of funds under this Act shall be
27 required to provide a 25% match through any combination of
28 funds and in kind contributions.