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1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
20     No more than 5% of any grant may be used for administrative
21 costs.
22     (e) Eligible applicants. For grants under this Section,
23 eligible applicants include the following:
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:
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.
 
2     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
3 2009.