Public Act 096-0771
 
HB0852 Enrolled LRB096 03161 RCE 13178 b

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