Sen. Mattie Hunter

Filed: 5/29/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 852

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 852 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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

 

 

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1 contributions. Earnings attributable to moneys in the fund
2 shall be deposited into the fund.
 
3     Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of the 21st Century
4 Workforce Development Fund is to promote the State's interest
5 in the creation and maintenance of a diverse and skilled
6 workforce for the economic development of the State. The Fund
7 is intended to support integrated, innovative, and emergency
8 workforce development strategies that promote local economic
9 development and a continuum of workforce and education
10 strategies, including workforce development activities to
11 prepare individuals for occupations in the energy efficiency
12 and renewable energy industries, as well as other occupations
13 that are created or transformed by the implementation of policy
14 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to prevent and remediate
15 pollution, and to promote energy-efficient, healthy, and
16 lead-safe homes in Illinois.
 
17     Section 15. Use of Fund.
18     (a) Role of Fund. Resources from the Fund are intended to
19 be used flexibly to support innovative and locally-driven
20 strategies, to leverage other funding sources, and to fill gaps
21 in existing workforce development resources in Illinois. They
22 are not intended to supplant existing workforce development
23 resources.
24     (b) Distribution of funds. Funds shall be distributed

 

 

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1 through competitive grantmaking processes administered by the
2 Department and overseen by the Advisory Committee. No more than
3 6% of funds used for grants may be retained by the Department
4 for administrative costs or for program evaluation or technical
5 assistance activities.
6     (c) Grantmaking. The Department must administer funds
7 through competitive grantmaking in accordance with the
8 priorities described in this Act. Grantmaking must be used to
9 support workforce development strategies consistent with the
10 priorities outlined in this Act. Strategies may include, but
11 are not limited to the following:
12         (i) Expanded grantmaking for existing State workforce
13     development strategies, including the Job Training and
14     Economic Development Program and programs designed to
15     increase the number of persons traditionally
16     underrepresented in the building trades, specifically
17     minorities and women.
18         (ii) Workforce development initiatives that help the
19     least skilled adults access employment and education
20     opportunities, including transitional jobs programs and
21     educational bridge programming that integrate basic
22     education and occupational skills training.
23         (iii) Sectoral strategies that develop
24     industry-specific workforce education and training
25     services that lead to existing or expected jobs with
26     identified employers and that include services to ensure

 

 

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1     that low-income, low-skilled adults can be served.
2         (iv) Support for the development and implementation of
3     workforce education and training programs in the energy
4     efficiency, renewable energy, and pollution control
5     cleanup and prevention industries.
6         (v) Support for planning activities that: ensure that
7     workforce development and education needs of low-skilled
8     adults are integrated into industry-specific career
9     pathways; analyze labor market data to track workforce
10     trends in the State's energy-related initiatives; or
11     increase the capacity of communities to provide workforce
12     services to low-income, low-skilled adults.
13     (d) Allowable expenditures. Grant funds are limited to
14 expenditures for the following:
15         (i) Basic skills training, adult education,
16     occupational training, job readiness training, and
17     soft-skills training for which financial aid is otherwise
18     not available.
19         (ii) Workforce development-related services including
20     mentoring, job development, support services,
21     transportation assistance, and wage subsidies, that are
22     tied to participation in training and employment.
23         (iii) Capacity building, program development, and
24     technical assistance activities necessary for the
25     development and implementation of new workforce education
26     and training strategies.

 

 

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1     No more than 5% of any grant may be used for administrative
2 costs.
3     (e) Eligible applicants. For grants under this Section,
4 eligible applicants include the following:
5         (i) Any private, public, and non-profit entities that
6     provide education, training, and workforce development
7     services to low-income individuals.
8         (ii) Educational institutions.
9         (iii) Labor and business associations.
 
10     Section 20. Priorities. The Department shall implement
11 grantmaking using the following priorities, and the Advisory
12 Committee shall monitor the application of these priorities to
13 grantmaking:
14     (a) Priority populations. Priority shall be given to
15 workforce education and training strategies that target
16 individuals with barriers to employment including, but not
17 limited to, criminal backgrounds, low incomes, residents of
18 public or subsidized housing, and individuals with limited
19 literacy, math skills, or English proficiency. Priority may
20 also be given to workers with jobs that are affected by the
21 implementation of State energy and environmental policy.
22     (b) Priority industries. Priority shall be given to
23 workforce education and training strategies for the following:
24         (i) Industries that will reduce carbon emissions,
25     promote recycling/reuse, prevent and remediate pollution,

 

 

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1     and support local food production, including but not
2     limited to the following:
3             (A) Energy efficient building construction,
4         retrofit, and assessment industries.
5             (B) Renewable electric power generation and
6         transmission industries.
7             (C) Deconstruction and materials use industries.
8             (D) Manufacturers that produce sustainable
9         products using environmentally sustainable processes
10         and materials.
11             (E) Local food systems.
12         (ii) Industries identified by the Department to be
13     facing a critical shortage of skilled workers.
14     (c) Other priority factors. The Department must implement
15 grantmaking by giving priority to grant applications that
16 demonstrate collaboration amongst local workforce, education,
17 and economic development stakeholders in their community;
18 demonstrate collaboration with outreach programs designed to
19 connect community residents with training opportunities;
20 integrate lead-safe work practices into their training; or
21 serve communities with high rates of unemployment,
22 underemployment, and poverty.
 
23     Section 25. 21st Century Workforce Development Fund
24 Advisory Committee. The 21st Century Workforce Development
25 Fund Advisory Committee shall review, advise, and recommend for

 

 

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1 approval or denial all grant requests from the Fund. The
2 Department is responsible for the administration and staffing
3 of the Advisory Committee.
4     (a) Membership. The Committee shall consist of 21 persons.
5 Co-chairs shall be appointed by the Governor with the
6 requirement that one come from the public and one from the
7 private sector.
8     (b) Eleven members shall be appointed by the Governor, and
9 any of the 11 members appointed by the Governor may fill more
10 than one of the following required categories:
11         (i) Four must be from communities outside of the City
12     of Chicago.
13         (ii) At least one must be a member of a local workforce
14     investment board (LWIB) in his or her community.
15         (iii) At least one must represent organized labor.
16         (iv) At least one must represent business or industry.
17         (v) At least one must represent a non-profit
18     organization that provides workforce development or job
19     training services.
20         (vi) At least one must represent a non-profit
21     organization involved in workforce development policy,
22     analysis, or research.
23         (vii) At least one must represent a non-profit
24     organization involved in environmental policy, advocacy,
25     or research.
26         (viii) At least one must represent a group that

 

 

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1     advocates for individuals with barriers to employment,
2     including at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated
3     individuals, and individuals living in poverty.
4     (c) The other 10 members shall be the following:
5         (i) The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity,
6     or his or her designee who oversees workforce development
7     services.
8         (ii) The Secretary of Human Services, or his or her
9     designee who oversees human capital services.
10         (iii) The Director of Corrections, or his or her
11     designee who oversees prisoner re-entry services.
12         (iv) The Director of the Environmental Protection
13     Agency, or his or her designee who oversees contractor
14     compliance.
15         (v) The Chairman of the Illinois Community College
16     Board, or his or her designee who oversees technical and
17     career education.
18         (vi) A representative of the Illinois Community
19     College Board involved in energy education and sustainable
20     practices, designated by the Board.
21         (vii) Four State legislators, one designated by the
22     President of the Senate, one designated by the Speaker of
23     the House, one designated by the Senate Minority Leader,
24     and one designated by the House Minority Leader.
25     (d) Appointees under subsection (b) shall serve a 2-year
26 term and are eligible to be re-appointed one time. Members

 

 

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1 under subsection (c) shall serve ex officio or at the pleasure
2 of the designating official, as applicable.
 
3     Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
4 Section 5.719 as follows:
 
5     (30 ILCS 105/5.719 new)
6     Sec. 5.719. The 21st Century Workforce Development Fund.
 
7     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
8 2009.".