JR4 SB2: Bill Text

LRB-4068/1

GMM:cjs&kjf:kf

January 2014 Special Session

2013 - 2014 LEGISLATURE

Senate BILL 2

January 30, 2014 - Introduced by Committee on Senate Organization, by request of Governor Scott Walker. Referred to Joint Committee on Finance.

SB2,1,6 An Act to amend 20.445 (1) (b), 106.27 (2g) (a) 1., 106.27 (2g) (a) 2., 106.27 (2g) (a) 3. and 106.27 (3); and to create 106.27 (1g) of the statutes; relating to: workforce training grants to technical colleges, workforce training grants for collaborative projects among school districts, technical colleges, and businesses, workforce training grants and services to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law requires the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to establish a statewide workforce investment system to meet the employment, training, and educational needs of persons in this state; to plan, coordinate, administer, and implement a youth apprenticeship program and such other employment and education programs as the governor may assign to DWD; to make grants to persons providing employment and training activities to dislocated workers; and to award grants to public and private organizations for the development and implementation of workforce training programs for the training of both new and incumbent employees of businesses in this state.

This bill decreases the general purpose revenue supplemental appropriation to the Joint Committee on Finance by $35,400,000 in the 2013-15 state fiscal biennium and increases the workforce training program grants appropriation to DWD by that amount in that biennium and requires DWD to allocate that amount for all of the following:

1. Grants to technical colleges for the reduction of waiting lists for enrollment in programs and courses in high-demand fields, as determined by DWD.

2. Grants for collaborative projects among school districts, technical colleges, and businesses to provide high school pupils with industry-recognized certifications in high-demand fields, as determined by DWD.

3. Grants to public and private organizations or services provided by DWD to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

4. Administration of the grants under the bill to technical colleges, grants under the bill for collaborative projects, and grants or services under the bill to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and, if DWD determines that the full amount of the appropriation increase under the bill will not be needed for those grants and services and for that administration, grants for workforce training programs for the training of new and incumbent employees under current law.

The bill requires DWD, in submitting information to the Department of Administration for purposes of the 2015-17 biennial budget act, to submit information for the workforce training program grants appropriation as though the increase in the dollar amount in that appropriation under the bill had not been made. As a result, the amount of that increase is not included in the base amount for the 2015-17 biennial budget.

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:

SB2,1 Section 1. 20.445 (1) (b) of the statutes, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 9, is amended to read:

SB2,2,5 20.445 (1) (b) Workforce training program; grants and services. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for workforce training grants and services under s. 106.27 (1) and (1g).

SB2,2 Section 2. 106.27 (1g) of the statutes is created to read:

SB2,2,9 106.27 (1g) Workforce training program; expanded purposes. Of the amounts appropriated under s. 20.445 (1) (b) in the 2013-15 fiscal biennium, the department shall allocate $35,400,000 for all of the following:

SB2,3,2 (a) Grants to technical colleges for the reduction of waiting lists for enrollment in programs and courses in high-demand fields, as determined by the department.

SB2,3,5 (b) Grants for collaborative projects among school districts, technical colleges, and businesses to provide high school pupils with industry-recognized certifications in high-demand fields, as determined by the department.

SB2,3,7 (c) Grants to public and private organizations or services provided by the department to enhance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

SB2,3,11 (d) Administration of the grants and services under par. (a) to (c) and, if the department determines that the full amount of the allocation under this subsection will not be needed for grants and services under pars. (a) to (c) and for administration of those grants and services under this paragraph, grants under sub. (1).

SB2,3 Section 3. 106.27 (2g) (a) 1. of the statutes, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 9, is amended to read:

SB2,3,16 106.27 (2g) (a) 1. Promulgate rules prescribing procedures and criteria for awarding grants under sub. (1) and the information with respect to those grants that must be contained in the reports required under subd. 3.

SB2,4 Section 4. 106.27 (2g) (a) 2. of the statutes, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 9, is amended to read:

SB2,3,21 106.27 (2g) (a) 2. Receive and review applications for grants under sub. subs. (1) and (1g) and prescribe the form, nature, and extent of the information that must be contained in an application for a grant under sub. (1) or (1g).

SB2,5 Section 5. 106.27 (2g) (a) 3. of the statutes, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 9, is amended to read:

SB2,4,3 106.27 (2g) (a) 3. Require reports from grant recipients describing how the grant moneys received by a grant recipient were expended and the outcomes achieved as a result of the training program, waiting-list reduction activities, certification program, or employment enhancement activities implemented by the grant recipient.

SB2,6 Section 6. 106.27 (3) of the statutes, as created by 2013 Wisconsin Act 9, is amended to read:

SB2,4,21 106.27 (3) Annual report. Annually, by December 31, the department shall submit a report to the governor and the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance providing an account of the department's activities and expenditures under this section during the preceding fiscal year. The report shall include information on the number of unemployed and underemployed workers and incumbent employees who participate in training programs under this section sub. (1); the number of unemployed workers who obtain gainful employment, underemployed workers who obtain new employment, and incumbent employees who receive increased compensation after participating in such a training program; and the wages earned by those workers and employees both before and after participating in such a training program. The report shall also include information on the extent to which waiting lists for enrollment in courses and programs provided by technical colleges in high-demand fields are reduced as a result of grants under sub. (1g) (a), on the number of high school pupils who participate in certification programs under sub. (1g) (b), and on the number of persons with disabilities who participate in employment enhancement activities under sub. (1g) (c).

SB2,9151 Section 9151. Nonstatutory provisions; Workforce Development.

SB2,5,4 (1) Workforce training grants and services. Notwithstanding section 16.42 (1) (e) of the statutes, the department of workforce development, in submitting information under section 16.42 of the statutes for purposes of the 2015-17 biennial budget bill, shall submit information concerning the appropriation under section 20.445 (1) (b) of the statutes, as affected by this act, as though the increase in the dollar amount of that appropriation under Section 9251 (1) of this act had not been made.

SB2,9224 Section 9224. Fiscal changes; Joint Committee on Finance.

SB2,5,12 (1) Workforce training grants and services. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the joint committee on finance under section 20.865 (4) (a) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2013, the dollar amount is decreased by $32,900,000 for the first fiscal year of the fiscal biennium in which this subsection takes effect and by $2,500,000 for the second fiscal year of the fiscal biennium in which this subsection takes effect to decrease funding for the purposes for which the appropriation is made.

SB2,9251 Section 9251. Fiscal changes; Workforce Development.

SB2,5,21 (1) Workforce training grants and services. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (1) (b) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2013, the dollar amount is increased by $32,900,000 for the first fiscal year of the fiscal biennium in which this subsection takes effect and by $2,500,000 for the second fiscal year of the fiscal biennium in which this subsection takes effect for the purpose of providing funding for grants and services under section 106.27 (1g) of the statutes, as created by this act.

SB2,5,22 (End)