1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to employment; expanding the official measure of unemployment; 
1.3 	requiring a report;amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 116J.401, 
1.4 	subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116J.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 116J.401, subdivision 2, is amended to 
1.7 	read:
1.8 		Subd. 2.Duties. The commissioner of employment and economic development 
1.9 	shall:
1.10 	(1) provide regional development commissions, the Metropolitan Council, and 
1.11 	units of local government with information, technical assistance, training, and advice on 
1.12 	using federal and state programs;
1.13 	(2) receive and administer the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant 
1.14 	Program authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of 
1.15 	1974, as amended;
1.16 	(3) receive and administer the section 107 technical assistance program grants 
1.17 	authorized by Congress under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as 
1.18 	amended;
1.19 	(4) receive, administer, and supervise other state and federal grants and grant 
1.20 	programs for planning, community affairs, community development purposes, 
1.21 	employment and training services, and other state and federal programs assigned to the 
1.22 	department by law or by the governor in accordance with section 4.07;  
1.23 	(5) receive applications for state and federal grants and grant programs for planning, 
1.24 	community affairs, and community development purposes, and other state and federal 
2.1 	programs assigned to the department by law or by the governor in accordance with section 
2.2 	4.07;  
2.3 	(6) act as the agent of, and cooperate with, the federal government in matters of 
2.4 	mutual concern, including the administration of any federal funds granted to the state to 
2.5 	aid in the performance of functions of the commissioner;
2.6 	(7) provide consistent, integrated employment and training services across the state;
2.7 	(8) administer the Wagner-Peyser Act, the Workforce Investment Act, and other 
2.8 	federal employment and training programs;
2.9 	(9) establish the standards for all employment and training services administered 
2.10 	under this chapter and chapters 116L, 248, 268, and 268A;
2.11 	(10) administer the aspects of the Minnesota family investment program, general 
2.12 	assistance, and food stamps that relate to employment and training services, subject to the 
2.13 	contract under section 116L.86, subdivision 1;  
2.14 	(11) obtain reports from local service units and service providers for the purpose of 
2.15 	evaluating the performance of employment and training services;
2.16 	(12) as requested, certify employment and training services, and decertify services 
2.17 	that fail to comply with performance criteria according to standards established by the 
2.18 	commissioner;
2.19 	(13) develop standards for the contents and structure of the local service unit plans 
2.20 	and plans for Indian tribe employment and training services, review and comment on those 
2.21 	plans, and approve or disapprove the plans;
2.22 	(14) supervise the county boards of commissioners, local service units, and any other 
2.23 	units of government designated in federal or state law as responsible for employment and 
2.24 	training programs;
2.25 	(15) establish administrative standards and payment conditions for providers of 
2.26 	employment and training services;
2.27 	(16) enter into agreements with Indian tribes as necessary to provide employment 
2.28 	and training services as appropriate funds become available;
2.29 	(17) cooperate with the federal government and its employment and training 
2.30 	agencies in any reasonable manner as necessary to qualify for federal aid for employment 
2.31 	and training services and money;
2.32 	(18) administer and supervise all forms of unemployment insurance provided for 
2.33 	under federal and state laws;
2.34 	(19) provide current state and substate labor market information and official
2.35 	forecasts, in cooperation with other agencies. The commissioner must also collect, 
2.36 	analyze, and produce labor market information as provided for in section 116J.4011;
3.1 	(20) require all general employment and training programs that receive state funds 
3.2 	to make available information about opportunities for women in nontraditional careers 
3.3 	in the trades and technical occupations;
3.4 	(21) consult with the Rehabilitation Council for the Blind on matters pertaining to 
3.5 	programs and services for the blind and visually impaired;
3.6 	(22) enter into agreements with other departments of the state and local units of 
3.7 	government as necessary; and
3.8 	(23) establish and maintain administrative units necessary to perform administrative 
3.9 	functions common to all divisions of the department.

3.10 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

3.11 	Sec. 2. [116J.4011] EXPANSION OF MEASUREMENT OF UNEMPLOYED 
3.12 	AND UNDEREMPLOYED MINNESOTANS.
3.13 	 (a) By July 1, 2010, the commissioner of employment and economic development 
3.14 	shall design and implement a comprehensive measure of unemployment and 
3.15 	underemployment in the state to be used by the Labor Market Information Office within 
3.16 	the Department of Employment and Economic Development to analyze and produce 
3.17 	estimates of total unemployment. The measurement required under this section is in 
3.18 	addition to methods currently utilized by the commissioner to produce official forecasts 
3.19 	and must include, but is not limited to, data on workers who are employed on a part-time 
3.20 	basis but would prefer and accept full-time employment if it was available, and those who 
3.21 	are currently unemployed and not actively seeking employment due to impediments 
3.22 	to work including the lack of child care or transportation. The new measurement must 
3.23 	also include information on state and substate unemployment and underemployment and 
3.24 	the incidence of unemployment and underemployment across demographic categories 
3.25 	including but not limited to race, age, and gender. The commissioner must report 
3.26 	monthly to the chairs of the committees of the senate and house of representatives having 
3.27 	jurisdiction over workforce issues.
3.28 	(b) The comprehensive measure required in paragraph (a) may utilize information 
3.29 	from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey and the 
3.30 	United States Census Bureau American Community Survey as the base for identifying, 
3.31 	evaluating, and utilizing correlations with other relevant data to be used in econometric 
3.32 	modeling of measures of unemployment and underemployment.

3.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.