_______________________________________________

                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6538

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Economic Development & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Lee, Smitherman, Anderson and Rasmussen;by request of Employment Security Department)

Read first time 1/26/88.

AN ACT Relating to establishing a computerized labor market information system; creating new sections; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that the economic competitiveness of Washington state depends on the quality of employer human resources planning and evaluation decisions, such as those dealing with expansion, recruitment, training, competitive wage schedules, and relocation within Washington state.

          The legislature recognizes that the state has a vital interest in ensuring that employers have easy access and use of a broad range of labor market and training information in order to optimize their human resources planning and evaluation decisions.

          The legislature further recognizes that employers without accurate and timely access to available labor market and training information make less than optimal decisions regarding expansion, recruitment, training, competitive wage schedules, and possible relocation within the state.

          The legislature therefore directs the employment security department to develop a computerized labor market information system, including computer software and a related data base, consistent with its responsibilities under this title.  Such a system shall include information concerning:  Worker skills and availability, prevailing wage information, training programs and availability, and labor surpluses and shortages, and other information the department may deem appropriate.  This computerized labor market information  system will provide easy to use software and a related labor market and training information data base for the use of employers in their human resources planning and evaluation decisions and for the use of labor organizations and researchers in their research and decision-making.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The commissioner may establish a user fee at a sufficient level to defray the costs of establishing and operating the computerized labor market information system as described in section 1 of this 1988 act.  The fee shall be established by the commissioner by rule.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     If any part of this act shall be found to be in conflict with federal requirements which are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, such conflicting part of this act is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of such conflict, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1988.