BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to reemployment support centers administered by the department of community development; and adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to assist in the creation of local reemployment support centers that would increase the capacity of local communities to aid their unemployed. The centers are intended to supplement but not supplant the efforts of the local job service centers of the employment security department. The legislature intends that the local reemployment support centers established by this chapter shall give first priority to those unemployed persons most likely to exhaust their unemployment compensation benefits or to become long-term unemployed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The department of community development shall issue requests for proposals to nonprofit agencies or to local government agencies to serve as the local reemployment support centers under this chapter. A minimum of five areas shall be served by the selected agencies. Selected agencies shall receive funds pursuant to this chapter for a two-year period. Selected agencies must offer services in impact areas.

(2) As used in this section, "impact areas" means:

(a) Distressed counties as defined in RCW 43.165.010(3)(a);

(b) Subcounty areas in those counties that are not covered under (a) of this subsection that are timber impact areas as defined in RCW 43.31.601;

(d) Areas not currently experiencing economic distress that the department anticipates as likely to experience distress in the near future, such as areas experiencing defense budget reductions or suffering dislocations from downturns in natural resource-based industries.

(3) The department of community development shall establish standards to govern the selection of the reemployment support centers. At a minimum, each local reemployment support center shall raise matching funds in an amount equal to the state grant.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The local reemployment support centers shall provide direct or referral services to the unemployed. The referrals shall be made to agencies that provide any of the following services:

(1) Reemployment assistance;

(2) Medical services;

(3) Social services including marital counseling;

(4) Psychotherapy;

(5) Mortgage foreclosure and utilities problems counseling;

(6) Drug and alcohol abuse services;

(7) Credit counseling; and

(8) Other services as deemed appropriate.

The local reemployment support centers shall demonstrate the use of the services of volunteers to maximize the effectiveness of the centers' programs and outreach efforts to encourage the unemployed to seek assistance.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The employment security department and the department of social and health services shall each locate one or more workers on a full or part-time basis at each local reemployment support center in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the local reemployment centers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The department of community development shall require each local center that receives funds under this chapter to submit semiannual reports to the department that document the effectiveness of the center's activities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The referrals and services provided by the centers shall be confidential. Reporting and recordkeeping necessary to file the required reports with the department of community development shall be conducted in a manner that will maintain the confidentiality of the client-provider relationship.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Each local reemployment support center designated by the department under this chapter shall receive a minimum of sixty thousand dollars for a one-year period.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Sections 1 through 7 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.