Legislative Session number- 82

Bill Name: SF1760

E Relating to employment ARTICLE 1 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION
Providing for the administration of workforce development programs; designating
the job skills partnership board as the lead agency for workforce policy and
program development and coordination; increasing and modifying the membership of
the board; requiring the chair of the board to be the chair of the governor's
workforce development council; authorizing the board to hire an executive
director and staff to carry out duties; requiring exclusive offices and
authorizing contracting with the department of trade and economic development
(DTED) for administrative services; requiring the executive director to
administer and coordinate state workforce development activities; requiring the
board by a certain date to develop performance standards for workforce
development and job training programs receiving state funding, authorizing a
contract with a consultant to develop the standards and specifying certain
minimum standards requirements; requiring the board to annually submit
recommendations to the legislature relating to modifications to or elimination
of existing workforce development programs and the potential implementation of
new programs; providing for allocation of workforce development funds to the job
skills partnership board; requiring the commissioner of economic security to
notify certain unemployment insurance applicants of the opportunity for
employment and training services through workforce centers; creating an
executive committee of the workforce development council, specifying membership
requirements; requiring the committee to develop performance standards for the
state workforce centers, to annually report to the legislature on the
performance and outcomes of the centers and to develop a strategic plan for the
appropriate placement and number of workforce centers within the state,
specifying certain plan requirements; requiring local workforce centers to
establish an advanced reemployment program to monitor and contact underemployed
individuals for notice of advanced placement and training opportunities;
requiring the job skills partnership board to pilot the use of funds to pay for
training in partnership training programs on behalf of eligible low income
individuals, requiring grants to eligible employment services; appropriating
money to the job skills partnership and to the workforce development council to
develop workforce centers performance standards and a strategic plan ARTICLE 2
STATE AGENCY RESTRUCTURINGAbolishing the departments of labor and industry and
economic security; renaming the department of trade and economic development
(DTED) the department of economic and workforce development and creating a new
department of employment services; transferring the responsibilities of the
workforce services unit of the department of economic security to the department
of economic and workforce development, the responsibilities of the workforce
rehabilitation services unit to the department of employment services, the
responsibility of the workforce assistance unit relating to unemployment
insurance collection to the department of revenue and the responsibility for
energy programs to the department of commerce; transferring the responsibility
of the department of labor and industry for apprenticeship programs to the
department of economic and workforce development, the responsibilities of the
workers compensation division to the department of employment services and the
responsibilities of the workplace services division to the department of
commerce; providing for the organization of the department of economic and
workforce development, creating a division of economic development consisting of
business and community development, the Minnesota trade office, the tourism and
information and analysis divisions and administrative support; requiring housing
of the job skills partnership program with a policy, research and evaluation
unit in the department and providing for a workforce transition services unit;
creating a reorganization transition team to make certain recommendations to the
governor and the legislature by a certain date relating to implementation,
specifying certain team membership requirements ARTICLE 3 RESULTS ORIENTED
TRAINING GRANTSProviding for job training program grants to employers for
placement and retention fees, specifying certain limits; providing for issuance
by the commissioner of trade and economic development (DTED) of credit
certificates for certain qualified job training programs operated by certain
nonprofit corporations, specifying certain program requirements and an asset
limit; specifying certain employer grant application requirements and
appropriating money to the commissioner for the grants (mk, ja)