HF 2892

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to economic development; modifying programs of Minnesota Job Skills
Partnership; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections
116L.02; 116L.04, subdivision 1; 116L.05, subdivisions 3, 5; 116L.16; 116L.20,
subdivision 2; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.06.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.02, is amended to read:

116L.02 JOB SKILLS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

(a) The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership program is created to act as a catalyst to
bring together employers with specific training needs with educational or other nonprofit
institutions which can design programs to fill those needs. The partnership shall work
closely with employers to prepare, train and place prospective or incumbent workers in
identifiable positions as well as assisting educational or other nonprofit institutions in
developing training programs that coincide with current and future employer requirements.
The partnership shall provide grants to educational or other nonprofit institutions for
the purpose of training workers. A participating business must match the grant-in-aid
made by the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership. new text begin The match for a business with 25 or fewer
employees must be at least a one-to-two ratio of private to state money. The match for
all other businesses must be at least a one-to-one ratio. new text end The match may be in the form of
funding, equipment, or faculty.

(b) The partnership program shall administer the health care and human services
worker training and retention program under sections 116L.10 to 116L.15.

(c) The partnership program is authorized to use funds to pay for training for
individuals who have incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
The board may grant funds to eligible recipients to pay for board-certified training.
Eligible recipients of grants may include public, private, or nonprofit entities that provide
employment services to low-income individuals.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.04, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Partnership program.

(a) The partnership program may provide
grants-in-aid to educational or other nonprofit educational institutions using the following
guidelines:

(1) the educational or other nonprofit educational institution is a provider of training
within the state in either the public or private sector;

(2) the program involves skills training that is an area of employment need; and

(3) preference will be given to educational or other nonprofit training institutions
which serve economically disadvantaged people, minorities, or those who are victims of
economic dislocation and to businesses located in rural areas.

(b) A single grant to any one institution shall not exceed $400,000. A portion of a
grant may be used for preemployment training.

new text begin (c) Each institution must provide for the dissemination of the results of a
grant-funded project including, but not limited to, curriculum and all supporting materials
developed in conjunction with the grant. The dissemination of results must be on a
statewide basis.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.05, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Use of funds.

The Job Skills Partnership Board may use up to six percent
of any funds it receives, regardless of the source, for activities authorized under section
116L.04, subdivision 2. new text begin The board may also use a portion of these funds to collect and
disseminate information on the activities under section 116L.04, subdivision 2. The board
must plan for the statewide dissemination of the results, curriculum, and supporting
materials of these grant-funded projects.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.05, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Use of workforce development funds.

After March 1 of any fiscal year,
the board may use workforce development funds for the purposes outlined in sections
116L.04 deleted text begin , 116L.06, deleted text end and 116L.10 to 116L.14, or to provide incumbent worker training
services under section 116L.18 if the following conditions have been met:

(1) the board examines relevant economic indicators, including the projected
number of layoffs for the remainder of the fiscal year and the next fiscal year, evidence of
declining and expanding industries, the number of initial applications for and the number
of exhaustions of unemployment benefits, job vacancy data, and any additional relevant
information brought to the board's attention;

(2) the board accounts for all allocations made in section 116L.17, subdivision 2;

(3) based on the past expenditures and projected revenue, the board estimates future
funding needs for services under section 116L.17 for the remainder of the current fiscal
year and the next fiscal year;

(4) the board determines there will be unspent funds after meeting the needs of
dislocated workers in the current fiscal year and there will be sufficient revenue to meet
the needs of dislocated workers in the next fiscal year; and

(5) the board reports its findings in clauses (1) to (4) to the chairs of legislative
committees with jurisdiction over the workforce development fund, to the commissioners
of revenue and finance, and to the public.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.16, is amended to read:

116L.16 DISTANCE-WORK GRANTS.

The Job Skills Partnership Board may make grants-in-aid for distance-work
projects. The purpose of the grants is to promote distance-work projects involving
technology in rural areas and may include a consortium of organizations partnering
in the development of rural technology industry. Grants may be used to identify and
train rural workers in technology, act as a catalyst to bring together employers and rural
employees to perform distance work, and provide rural workers with physical connections
to telecommunications infrastructure, where necessary, in order to be self-employed or
employed from their homes or satellite offices. Grants must be made according to sections
116L.02 and 116L.04, except that:

(1) the business match may include, but is not limited to, office space;
additional management or technology staff costs; start-up equipment costs such as
telecommunications infrastructure, additional software, or computer upgrades; consulting
fees for implementation of distance-work policies or identification and skill assessment
of potential employees; and the joint financial contribution of two or more businesses
acting as a consortium;

(2) cash or in-kind contributions by partnering organizations may be used as a match;

(3) eligible grantees may be educational or nonprofit educational training
organizations; new text begin and
new text end

(4) deleted text begin grants-in-aid may be packaged with loans under section 116L.06, subdivision
6; and deleted text end

deleted text begin (5) deleted text end with respect to grants serving as a catalyst to bring together employers and rural
employees to perform distance work, the match must be at least one-to-two.

The board shall, to the extent there are sufficient applications, make grant awards
to as many parts of the state as possible. Subject to the requirement for geographic
distribution of grants, preference shall be given to grant applications that provide the most
cost-effective training proposals, that provide the best prospects for high-paying jobs
with high retention rates, or that are from more economically distressed rural areas or
communities.

Grantees must meet reporting and evaluation requirements established by the board.

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.20, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Disbursement of special assessment funds.

(a) The money collected
under this section shall be deposited in the state treasury and credited to the workforce
development fund to provide for employment and training programs. The workforce
development fund is created as a special account in the state treasury.

(b) All money in the fund not otherwise appropriated or transferred is appropriated
to the Job Skills Partnership Board for the purposes of section 116L.17 and as provided for
in paragraph (d). The board must act as the fiscal agent for the money and must disburse
that money for the purposes of section 116L.17, not allowing the money to be used for
any other obligation of the state. All money in the workforce development fund shall be
deposited, administered, and disbursed in the same manner and under the same conditions
and requirements as are provided by law for the other special accounts in the state treasury,
except that all interest or net income resulting from the investment or deposit of money in
the fund shall accrue to the fund for the purposes of the fund.

(c) Reimbursement for costs related to collection of the special assessment shall be
in an amount negotiated between the commissioner and the United States Department
of Labor.

(d) If the board determines that the conditions of section 116L.05, subdivision 5,
have been met, the board may use funds for the purposes outlined in sections 116L.04 deleted text begin ,
116L.06, deleted text end and 116L.10 to 116L.14, or to provide incumbent worker training services under
section 116L.18.

Sec. 7. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS; MINNESOTA JOB SKILLS PARTNERSHIP.
new text end

new text begin $3,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
employment and economic development for fiscal year 2009 to the Minnesota Job Skills
Partnership under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 116L. The Minnesota Job Skills Partnership
Board must develop and implement a plan to improve the marketing of the job skills
partnership program. $3,000,000 each year is added to the department's base for the
Minnesota Job Skills Partnership beginning in fiscal year 2010. Appropriations in this
section are in addition to appropriations for the same purpose in Laws 2007, chapter 135.
new text end

Sec. 8. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 116L.06, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end