SF 1363

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 02/24/2017 09:08am

A bill for an act
relating to workforce development; modifying the dislocated worker program;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 116L.17, subdivision 1.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 116L.17, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given them in this subdivision.

(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of employment and economic development.

(c) "Dislocated worker" means an individual who is a resident of Minnesota at the time
employment ceased or was working in the state at the time employment ceased and:

(1) has been permanently separated or has received a notice of permanent separation
from public or private sector employment and is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement
to unemployment benefits, and is unlikely to return to the previous industry or occupation;

(2) has been long-term unemployed and has limited opportunities for employment or
reemployment in the same or a similar occupation in the area in which the individual resides,
including older individuals who may have substantial barriers to employment by reason of
age;

(3) has been terminated or has received a notice of termination of employment as a result
of a plant closing or a substantial layoff at a plant, facility, or enterprise;

(4) has been self-employed, including farmers and ranchers, and is unemployed as a
result of general economic conditions in the community in which the individual resides or
because of natural disasters;

deleted text begin (5) MS 2011 Supp [Expired, 2011 c 84 art 3 s 1]
deleted text end

deleted text begin (6) deleted text end new text begin (5) new text end is a veteran as defined by section 197.447, has been discharged or released from
active duty under honorable conditions within the last 36 months, and (i) is unemployed or
(ii) is employed in a job verified to be below the skill level and earning capacity of the
veteran;

deleted text begin (7) deleted text end new text begin (6) new text end is an individual determined by the United States Department of Labor to be
covered by trade adjustment assistance under United States Code, title 19, sections 2271 to
2331, as amended; or

deleted text begin (8) deleted text end new text begin (7) new text end is a displaced homemaker. A "displaced homemaker" is an individual who has
spent a substantial number of years in the home providing homemaking service and (i) has
been dependent upon the financial support of another; and now due to divorce, separation,
death, or disability of that person, must find employment to self support; or (ii) derived the
substantial share of support from public assistance on account of dependents in the home
and no longer receives such support. To be eligible under this clause, the support must have
ceased while the worker resided in Minnesota.

new text begin For the purposes of this section, "dislocated worker" does not include an individual who
was an employee, at the time employment ceased, of a political committee, political fund,
principle campaign committee, or party unit, as those terms are used in chapter 10A, or an
organization required to file with the federal elections commission.
new text end

(d) "Eligible organization" means a state or local government unit, nonprofit organization,
community action agency, business organization or association, or labor organization.

(e) "Plant closing" means the announced or actual permanent shutdown of a single site
of employment, or one or more facilities or operating units within a single site of
employment.

(f) "Substantial layoff" means a permanent reduction in the workforce, which is not a
result of a plant closing, and which results in an employment loss at a single site of
employment during any 30-day period for at least 50 employees excluding those employees
that work less than 20 hours per week.