H-4003              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1754

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representatives Tanner, Sanders, Long, Peery and P. King

Read first time 1/23/86 and referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor. Referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development 1/29/86.

AN ACT Relating to economic development; and adding a new chapter to Title 50 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes that the essential purpose of state economic development programs is to encourage the hiring of the unemployed.  It is of even greater benefit to the state if those hired were drawing unemployment benefits or public assistance and the benefits terminate when employment is secured.  A targeted program that encourages employers to make a good faith effort to hire public assistance recipients and the unemployed will provide benefits to the state of Washington.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) "Department" means the employment security department.

          (2) "First source contract" means an agreement by an employer to screen applicants from a pool of qualified individuals, if any, submitted to the employer by the department and to consider hiring from that pool.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The department shall encourage the use of first source contracts with employers looking to locate or expand in the state.  The department shall make every effort to guarantee easy access by employers to qualified workers.  The commissioner may delegate duties under this chapter to a local organization.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The department may provide specific financial incentives to employers who sign first source agreements.  The incentives may include but shall not be limited to providing an employer with up to fifty percent of a trainee's wages during the first ten weeks of employment and on-the-job training.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     An employer and a prospective employee to be hired from the pool may agree to a thirty-day training period, at the end of which time the employer shall make a decision whether to hire the individual.  The individual may continue to draw unemployment or public assistance, or both during the thirty-day training period.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     The funds specified in section 4 of this act shall be available during the thirty-day training period.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     Sections 1 through 6 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 50 RCW.