H-1600

AN ACT Relating to work force training and education; adding a new section to chapter 50.63 RCW; creating new sections; and making appropriations.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the economy of Washington state can be enhanced by improving the employability of disadvantaged residents and providing relevant job training for occupations in demand by employers. Many of the more than six hundred thousand economically disadvantaged Washington residents age sixteen and older can find productive employment in the estimated seven hundred fifty thousand new jobs created in Washington state between 1990 and 2010 if their employment skills match job qualifications.

The legislature further finds that job training leading to unsubsidized employment is a positive investment for the state's general fund. Local job training partnership act programs have successfully placed nearly seventy percent of their public assistance clients into employment. The job training partnership act programs also benefit individuals who are unemployed, disabled, single heads of households, limited in the English language and without a high school diploma.

The legislature further finds that alternatives to traditional college and university enrollment is necessary to improve the workplace skills for the state's disadvantaged and unemployed population, eighty percent of whom have not obtained any postsecondary degree or certificate and forty percent of whom have not received a high school diploma.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 50.63 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The job training partnership account is created in the state treasury. All receipts from legislative appropriations for programs eligible under the job training partnership act shall be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used only for programs eligible under the job training partnership act.

(2) The employment security department shall allocate state general funds appropriated to this account among the service delivery areas on the basis of the number of economically disadvantaged population eligible under Title II-A of the job training partnership act residing within each service delivery area.

(3) Allocations from this account shall be used by the service delivery areas for programs and services eligible under Title II-A of the job training partnership act and approved by the local private industry council.

(4) No more than one percent of any state general fund appropriation to this account may be used by the employment security department for the administration of these funds.

(5) No more than fifteen percent of any state general fund appropriation to this account may be used by the service delivery areas for the administration of programs and services eligible under Title II-A of the job training partnership act.

(6) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Job training partnership act" means the federal job training partnership act, P.L. 97-300, as amended.

(b) "Service delivery areas" means the substate geographic areas, designated by the governor, in which job training partnership act programs are planned and delivered.

(c) "Private industry council" means the planning and policy council with a majority of private sector business executives that provide direction for job training partnership act programs in each of the service delivery areas.

(d) "Economically disadvantaged individual" has the same definition as provided in the job training partnership act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The sum of twelve million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, from the general fund to the employment security department for deposit in the job training partnership account solely for grants to service delivery areas for programs and services eligible under Title II-A of the job training partnership act, P.L. 97-300, as amended.

Of this amount, six million dollars is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, and six million dollars is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993.

(2) The sum of one hundred twenty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, from the general fund to the employment security department for the purposes of administration of the funds appropriated under subsection (1) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. The rules under this act shall meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.