1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to economic security; providing for the 
  1.3             administration of certain employment and training 
  1.4             services; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.5             Statutes, chapter 268. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [268.666] [WORKFORCE SERVICE AREAS.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [DESIGNATION OF WORKFORCE SERVICE 
  1.9   AREAS.] For the purpose of administering federal, state, and 
  1.10  local employment and training services, the commissioner shall 
  1.11  designate the geographic boundaries for workforce service areas 
  1.12  in Minnesota. 
  1.13     The commissioner shall approve a request to be a workforce 
  1.14  service area from: 
  1.15     (1) a home rule charter or statutory city with a population 
  1.16  of 200,000 or more or a county with a population of 200,000 or 
  1.17  more; or 
  1.18     (2) a consortium of contiguous home rule charter or 
  1.19  statutory cities or counties with an aggregate population of 
  1.20  200,000 or more that serves a substantial part of one or more 
  1.21  labor markets. 
  1.22     The commissioner may approve a request to be a workforce 
  1.23  service area from a home rule charter or statutory city or a 
  1.24  county or a consortium of contiguous home rule charter or 
  1.25  statutory cities or counties, without regard to population, that 
  2.1   serves a substantial portion of a labor market area. 
  2.2      The commissioner shall make a final designation of 
  2.3   workforce service areas within the state after consulting with 
  2.4   local elected officials and the governor's workforce development 
  2.5   council.  Existing service delivery areas designated under the 
  2.6   federal Job Training Partnership Act shall be initially 
  2.7   designated as workforce service areas providing that no other 
  2.8   petitions are submitted by local elected officials. 
  2.9      The commissioner may redesignate workforce service areas no 
  2.10  more frequently than every two years.  These redesignations must 
  2.11  be made not later than four months before the beginning of a 
  2.12  program year. 
  2.13     Subd. 2.  [CREATION OF LOCAL WORKFORCE COUNCILS.] A local 
  2.14  workforce council must be established in each workforce service 
  2.15  area, designated according to subdivision 1. 
  2.16     Subd. 3.  [MEMBERSHIP ON LOCAL WORKFORCE COUNCILS.] In 
  2.17  workforce service areas representing only one home rule charter 
  2.18  or statutory city or a county, the chief elected official must 
  2.19  appoint members to the council.  In workforce service areas 
  2.20  representing two or more home rule charter or statutory cities 
  2.21  or counties, the chief elected officials of the home rule 
  2.22  charter or statutory cities or counties must appoint members to 
  2.23  the council, in accordance with an agreement entered into by 
  2.24  such units of general local government. 
  2.25     A council shall include as members: 
  2.26     (1) representatives of the private sector, who must 
  2.27  constitute a majority of the membership of the council and who 
  2.28  are owners of business concerns, chief executives or chief 
  2.29  operating officers of nongovernmental employers, or other 
  2.30  private sector executives who have substantial management or 
  2.31  policy responsibility; 
  2.32     (2) at least two representatives of organized labor; 
  2.33     (3) representatives of the area workforce and 
  2.34  community-based organizations, who shall constitute not less 
  2.35  than 15 percent of the membership of the council; and 
  2.36     (4) representatives of each of the following: 
  3.1      (i) educational agencies that are representative of all 
  3.2   educational agencies within the workforce service area; 
  3.3      (ii) vocational rehabilitation agencies; 
  3.4      (iii) public assistance agencies; 
  3.5      (iv) economic development agencies; and 
  3.6      (v) public employment service agencies. 
  3.7      The chair of each local workforce council shall be selected 
  3.8   from among the members of the council who are representatives of 
  3.9   the private sector.  
  3.10     Private sector representatives on the local workforce 
  3.11  council shall be selected from among individuals nominated by 
  3.12  general purpose business organizations, such as local chambers 
  3.13  of commerce, in the workforce service area. 
  3.14     Education representatives on the local workforce council 
  3.15  shall be selected from among individuals nominated by secondary 
  3.16  and post-secondary educational institutions within the workforce 
  3.17  service area. 
  3.18     Organized labor representatives on the local workforce 
  3.19  council shall be selected from individuals recommended by 
  3.20  recognized state and local labor federations, organizations, or 
  3.21  councils.  If the state or local labor federations, 
  3.22  organizations, or councils fail to nominate a sufficient number 
  3.23  of individuals to meet the labor representation requirements, 
  3.24  individual workers may be included on the local workforce 
  3.25  council to complete the labor representation. 
  3.26     The commissioner must certify a local workforce council if 
  3.27  the commissioner determines that its composition and 
  3.28  appointments are consistent with this subdivision. 
  3.29     Subd. 4.  [PURPOSE; DUTIES OF LOCAL WORKFORCE COUNCIL.] The 
  3.30  local workforce council is responsible for providing policy 
  3.31  guidance for, and exercising oversight with respect to, 
  3.32  activities conducted by local workforce centers in partnership 
  3.33  with the local unit or units of general local government within 
  3.34  the workforce service area.  
  3.35     A local workforce center is a location where federal, 
  3.36  state, and local employment and training services are provided 
  4.1   to job seekers and employers. 
  4.2      A local workforce council, in accordance with an agreement 
  4.3   or agreements with the appropriate chief elected official or 
  4.4   officials, shall: 
  4.5      (1) determine procedures for the development of the local 
  4.6   workforce center plan.  The procedures may provide for the 
  4.7   preparation of all or any part of the plan: 
  4.8      (i) by the council; 
  4.9      (ii) by any unit of general local or state government in 
  4.10  the workforce service area, or by an agency of that unit; or 
  4.11     (iii) by any other methods or institutions as may be 
  4.12  provided in the agreement; 
  4.13     (2) select a grant recipient and an administrator of the 
  4.14  local plan.  These may be the same entity or separate entities 
  4.15  and must be chosen from among the following: 
  4.16     (i) the council; 
  4.17     (ii) a unit of general local or state government in its 
  4.18  workforce service area, or an agency of that unit; 
  4.19     (iii) a nonprofit organization or corporation; or 
  4.20     (iv) any other agreed upon entity; 
  4.21     (3) jointly plan for local collaborative activities 
  4.22  including the transition of public assistance recipients to 
  4.23  employment in the public or private sectors; 
  4.24     (4) provide on-site review and oversight of program 
  4.25  performance; 
  4.26     (5) establish local priorities for service and target 
  4.27  populations; 
  4.28     (6) ensure nonduplication of services and a unified service 
  4.29  delivery system within the workforce service area; and 
  4.30     (7) nominate individuals to the governor to consider for 
  4.31  membership on the governor's workforce development council. 
  4.32     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  4.33     Section 1 is effective July 1, 1997.