AB947: Bill Text

March 11, 2008 - Introduced by Representatives Mason, Toles, A. Williams, Grigsby, Turner and Berceau, cosponsored by Senators Plale and Lehman. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.

AB947,1,4 An Act to amend 38.28 (1m) (a) 1.; and to create 20.292 (1) (cr) and 38.31 of the statutes; relating to: grants to technical college districts to reduce unemployment, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill directs the Technical College System (WTCS) Board to award grants to technical college districts for programs that assist in reducing unemployment. To be eligible for a grant, a technical college district must include a labor surplus area, as designated by the federal Department of Labor. Under the bill, grants are available for three specified purposes:

1. To recruit, enroll, instruct, provide support services to, and pay the tuition and fees of dislocated workers who reside in a labor surplus area and enroll in the district. A dislocated worker is a person who has been laid off or terminated from employment and meets certain additional criteria; a person who was self-employed but is unemployed as a result of economic conditions or natural disasters; or a displaced homemaker.

2. To recruit, enroll, instruct, and provide services to adults who reside in a labor surplus area and enroll in the district in a program leading to a certificate of general educational development (GED) or a high school equivalency diploma.

3. To expand existing capacity or create capacity in district programs for which there are student waiting lists or that address projected workforce needs in the district.

The bill directs the WTCS Board to give preference in awarding grants to programs that serve persons who reside in areas with the highest unemployment rates. The board must also submit annual reports to the governor and the legislature regarding the programs that have been awarded grants.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB947, s. 1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB947, s. 2 Section 2. 20.292 (1) (cr) of the statutes is created to read:

AB947,2,5 20.292 (1) (cr) Grants to reduce unemployment. The amounts in the schedule for grants to technical college districts to reduce unemployment under s. 38.31.

AB947, s. 3 Section 3. 38.28 (1m) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB947,3,2 38.28 (1m) (a) 1. "District aidable cost" means the annual cost of operating a technical college district, including debt service charges for district bonds and promissory notes for building programs or capital equipment, but excluding all expenditures relating to auxiliary enterprises and community service programs, all expenditures funded by or reimbursed with federal revenues, all receipts under sub. (6) and ss. 38.12 (9), 38.14 (3) and (9), 118.15 (2) (a), and 118.55 (7r), all receipts from grants awarded under ss. 38.04 (8), (20), (28), and (31), 38.14 (11), 38.26, 38.27, 38.31, 38.33, and 38.38, all fees collected under s. 38.24, and driver education and chauffeur training aids.

AB947, s. 4 Section 4. 38.31 of the statutes is created to read:

AB947,3,4 38.31 Grants to reduce unemployment. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB947,3,5 (a) "Dislocated worker" has the meaning given in 29 USC 2801 (9).

AB947,3,8 (b) "Labor surplus area" means a geographical area identified by the federal department of labor as an area of concentrated unemployment or underemployment or an area of labor surplus.

AB947,3,10 (2) Grants. The board shall award grants to district boards of districts that include a labor surplus area for the following programs:

AB947,3,14 (a) To recruit, enroll, instruct, provide support services to, and pay the tuition and fees of dislocated workers who reside in a labor surplus area and enroll in the district in an associate degree program, collegiate transfer program, vocational diploma program, or vocational-adult program.

AB947,3,17 (b) To recruit, enroll, instruct, and provide support services to adults who reside in a labor surplus area and enroll in the district in a program leading to a certificate of general educational development or a high school equivalency diploma.

AB947,3,20 (c) To expand existing capacity or create capacity in district board programs for which there are student waiting lists or that address projected workforce needs in the district.

AB947,3,23 (3) Preference. The board shall give preference in awarding grants under this section to programs serving persons residing in areas with the highest unemployment rates.

AB947,4,3 (4) Report. (a) By January 15, 2011, and annually thereafter, the board shall submit a report to the governor and to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2). The report shall include all of the following:

AB947,4,5 1. The district boards awarded grants under this section and how they used the funds.

AB947,4,6 2. The rates of unemployment in the areas in which the grants were disbursed.

AB947,4,11 3. The number of people who were assisted with each grant awarded, the technical college programs in which they enrolled, the number of people who completed such programs, the number of people who found employment in the district and elsewhere upon completing such programs and their annual salaries, and the tax revenue generated as a result.

AB947,4,13 (b) Beginning with the report in 2012, the board shall include longitudinal data.

AB947,4,15 (5) Rules. The board shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this section.

AB947,4,16 (End)