BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to assistance for aerospace workers; amending RCW 43.63A.600; adding a new section to chapter 50.12 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.20A RCW; and making appropriations.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 50.12 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Any office of the employment security department located in a county that has at least one thousand aerospace workers shall be staffed at a level consistent with providing the services necessary for prompt processing of claims for unemployment compensation, job counseling, and related services. The level of staffing shall be in accordance with predetermined job counselor to claimant norms.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "aerospace worker" means any employee of a company in which a minimum of twenty-five percent of the business involves aerospace, defense industry, or aviation-related products.

Sec. 2. RCW 43.63A.600 and 1991 c 315 s 23 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department of community development, as a member of the agency timber task force and in consultation with the economic recovery coordination board for the timber impact area portion of the program, shall establish and administer the emergency mortgage and rental assistance program. The department shall identify the communities most adversely affected by (a) reductions in timber harvest levels and (b) unemployment in the aerospace industry and shall prioritize assistance under this program to these communities. The department shall work with the department of social and health services to develop the program and additionally with the timber recovery coordinator to develop the program in timber impact areas. Organizations eligible to receive funds for distribution under the program are those organizations that are eligible to receive assistance through the Washington housing trust fund.

(2) The goals of the program are to:

(a) Provide temporary emergency mortgage or rental assistance loans on behalf of dislocated (i) forest products workers in timber impact areas and (ii) aerospace workers in aerospace impact areas who are unable to make current mortgage or rental payments on their permanent residences and are subject to immediate eviction for nonpayment of mortgage installments or nonpayment of rent;

(b) Prevent the dislocation of individuals and families from their permanent residences and their communities; and

(3) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Aerospace impact area" means a city or unincorporated area that is affected by significant aerospace worker job losses.

(b) "Aerospace worker" means any employee of a business in which a minimum of twenty-five percent of the business involves aerospace, defense industry, or aviation-related products.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.20A RCW to read as follows:

(1) The department of social and health services shall help families and workers in aerospace impact areas make the transition through economic difficulties and shall provide services to assist workers to gain marketable skills. The department, under an interagency agreement with the department of community development, if appropriate, shall provide grants through the office of the secretary for local family support centers in aerospace impact areas to provide services to unemployed aerospace workers, including providing direct or referral services, establishing and operating service delivery programs, and coordinating delivery programs and delivery of services.

(2) Services provided through local family support centers are intended to support dislocated aerospace workers and their families and may include, but need not be limited to:

(a) General services such as credit counseling; social services including marital counseling; psychotherapy or psychological counseling; mortgage foreclosure and utilities problem counseling; drug and alcohol abuse services; medical services; and residential heating and food acquisition; and

(b) Family services such as parenting education; child development assessments; health and nutrition education; counseling; and information and referral services.

(3)(a) Grants to establish and operate local family support centers shall be awarded to community social services teams consisting of nonprofit organizations, state agencies, or both. Before the department of social and health services makes a grant to establish a local family support center, the grantee must obtain an agreement with the community where the center is to be located that the community will provide twenty-five percent of the costs of operating the center.

(b) The department shall consult with the council on child abuse or neglect regarding grants for family support centers.

(4) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Aerospace impact area" means a city or town that is affected by significant aerospace worker job losses.

(b) "Aerospace worker" means any employee of a business in which a minimum of twenty-five percent of the business involves aerospace, defense industry, or aviation-related products.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The sum of five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1995, from the general fund to the department of community development for the purposes of the emergency mortgage and rental assistance program for aerospace workers under section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The sum of five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1995, from the general fund to the department of social and health services for the purposes of grants for services to aerospace workers under section 3 of this act.