2ESB 5723 -
By Committee on Commerce & Labor
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that agricultural
workers are challenged not only in finding full-time, year-round work,
but also face difficulties in upgrading their agricultural skills. The
legislature also finds that the agricultural industry's demand for
skilled workers far outnumbers the current supply. In addition, the
legislature finds that despite recent advances in the safety of
agricultural production, additional training of agricultural workers
should assist the agricultural sector in ongoing efforts to reduce
occupational injuries.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 15.04 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The community agricultural worker safety grant program is
created within the department.
(2) Subject to amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the
department shall conduct a competitive grant process and award a grant
to a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under Title
26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code to develop and
provide practical, hands-on training for the state's agricultural
workers.
(3) The grant recipient may receive up to two hundred fifty
thousand dollars per year.
(4)(a) In developing practical, hands-on training for the state's
agricultural workers, the grant recipient shall work with specific
stakeholders as follows:
(i) Farmers, farm workers, and related organizations to develop
training related to tractor and farm machinery skills and safety and
pesticides; and
(ii) Community and technical colleges to develop training related
to adult basic skills, civics, English as a second language, commercial
drivers' licensing, and other related topics.
(b) Stakeholders identified under this subsection (4) may not
receive compensation for their participation with the grant recipient.
(5) The department shall monitor the effectiveness of any training
developed and provided under this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 15.04 RCW
to read as follows:
The department of agriculture shall report to the appropriate
committees of the legislature by December 1st of each year on the
implementation of agricultural worker training pursuant to section
309(7), chapter 522, Laws of 2007 and section 2 of this act, as
appropriate. The report shall include, as appropriate, information
about any competitive grant process used and the grant recipient
selected, training developed and provided, the number of people
trained, and any reduction in workplace injuries.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 Section 2 of this act takes effect July 1,
2009.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 This act expires July 1, 2012."
Correct the title.
EFFECT: Strikes the entire text of the bill.
Requires the Department of Agriculture (Department) to conduct a
competitive grant process to award a grant to a Title 26 U.S.C. Sec.
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to develop and provide practical,
hands-on training for the state's agricultural workers.
Requires the grant recipient to work with specific stakeholders to
develop training in certain subject matters.
Provides that the grant recipient may receive up to 250,000 dollars
per year.
Requires the Department to monitor the effectiveness of any
training developed and provided.
Requires the Department to report to the appropriate committees of
the Legislature by December 1st of each year beginning in 2008 on the
implementation of agricultural worker training pursuant to: (1) The
budget proviso in the 2007-09 operating budget that provided the
Department pass-through funding to the Opportunities Industrialization
Center; and (2) the competitive grant program, as appropriate. The
report shall include, as appropriate, information about the competitive
grant process used and the grant recipient selected, any training
developed and provided, the number of people trained, and any reduction
in workplace injuries.
Provides for the competitive grant program provisions to take
effect July 1, 2009, and for all the provisions to expire July 1, 2012.