1998 Minnesota Statutes

     268.9781 Worker adjustment services plans. 

    Subdivision 1.    Worker adjustment services plans.  The 
 commissioner shall establish and fund worker adjustment services 
 plans that are designed to assist dislocated workers in their 
 transition to new employment.  Authorized grantees shall submit 
 a worker adjustment services plan biennially, with an annual 
 update, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner.  
 The worker adjustment services plan shall include information 
 required in substate plans established under the federal Job 
 Training Partnership Act, United States Code, title 29, section 
 1501, et seq. and a detailed description of expeditious response 
 activities to be implemented under the plan.  

    Subd. 2.    Grantees.  Entities authorized to submit a 
 worker adjustment services plan include substate grantees and up 
 to six additional eligible organizations.  Criteria for 
 selecting the six authorized nonsubstate grantee eligible 
 organizations shall be established by the commissioner, in 
 consultation with the workforce development council.  The 
 criteria include, but are not limited to: 

    (1) the capacity to deliver worker adjustment services; 

    (2) an identifiable constituency from which eligible 
 dislocated workers may be drawn; 

    (3) a demonstration of a good faith effort to establish 
 coordination agreements with substate grantees in whose 
 geographic area the organization would be operating; 

    (4) the capability to coordinate delivery of worker 
 adjustment services with other appropriate programs and 
 agencies, including educational institutions, employment 
 service, human service agencies, and economic development 
 agencies; and 

    (5) sufficient administrative controls to ensure fiscal 
 accountability. 

    Subd. 3.    Coverage.  (a) Persons eligible to receive 
 worker adjustment services under this section include dislocated 
 workers as defined in section 268.975, subdivision 3. 

    (b) Worker adjustment services available under this section 
 shall also be available to additional dislocated workers as 
 defined in section 268.975, subdivision 3a, when they can be 
 provided without adversely affecting delivery of services to all 
 dislocated workers. 

    Subd. 4.    Substate grantee funding.  (a) Funds 
 allocated to substate grantees under section 268.022 for 
 expeditious response activities and worker adjustment services 
 under this section shall be allocated as follows: 

    (1) one-half of available funds shall be allocated to 
 substate grantees based on an allocation formula prescribed by 
 the commissioner, in consultation with the workforce development 
 council; and 

    (2) one-half of available funds shall be allocated based on 
 need as demonstrated to the commissioner in consultation with 
 the workforce development council. 

    (b) The formula for allocating substate grantee funds must 
 utilize the most appropriate information available to the 
 commissioner to distribute funds in order to address the state's 
 worker adjustment assistance needs.  Information for the formula 
 allocation may include, but is not limited to:  

    (1) insured unemployment data; 

    (2) dislocated worker special assessment receipts data; 

    (3) small plant closing data; 

    (4) declining industries data; 

    (5) farmer-rancher economic hardship data; and 

    (6) long-term unemployment data. 

    (c) The commissioner shall establish a uniform procedure 
 for reallocating substate grantee funds.  The criteria for 
 reallocating funds from substate grantees not expending their 
 allocations consistent with their worker adjustment services 
 plans to other substate grantees shall be developed by the 
 commissioner in consultation with the workforce development 
 council. 

    HIST: 1993 c 369 s 105; 1995 c 131 s 2; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 4 s 30