5971 AMS BROW BUCH 004

SB 5971 - S AMD 191

By Senator Brown

3/14/03 ADOPTED

On page 2, after "Sec. 3. " on line 29, insert the following:

"RCW 28C.04.390 and 1999 c 121 sec. 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The college board worker retraining program funds shall be used for training programs and related support services, including financial aid, counseling, referral to training resources, job referral, and job development that:

(a) Are consistent with the unified plan for work force development;

(b) Provide increased enrollments for dislocated workers and Fircrest employees who lost their jobs with the closure of Fircrest school;

(c) Provide customized training opportunities for dislocated workers and Fircrest employees who lost their jobs with the closure of Fircrest school; and

(d) Provide increased enrollments and support services, including financial aid for those students not receiving unemployment insurance benefits, that do not replace or supplant any existing enrollments, programs, support services, or funding sources.

(2) The college board shall develop a plan for use of the worker retraining program funds in conjunction with the work force training customer advisory committee established in subsection (3) of this section. In developing the plan the college board shall:

(a) Provide that applicants for worker retraining program funds shall solicit financial support for training programs and give priority in receipt of funds to those applicants which are most successful in matching public dollars with financial support;

(b) Provide that applicants for worker retraining program funds shall develop training programs in partnership with local businesses, industry associations, labor, and other partners as appropriate and give priority in receipt of funds to those applicants who develop customized training programs in partnership with local businesses, industry associations, and labor organizations;

(c) Give priority in receipt of funds to those applicants serving rural areas;

(d) Ensure that applicants receiving worker retraining program funds gather information from local work force development councils on employer work force needs, including the needs of businesses with less than twenty-five employees; and

(e) Provide for specialized vocational training at a private career school or college at the request of a recipient eligible under subsection (1)(b) of this section. Available tuition for the training is limited to the amount that would otherwise be payable per enrolled quarter to a public institution.

(3) The executive director of the college board shall appoint a work force training customer advisory committee by July 1, 1999, to:

(a) Assist in the development of the plan for the use of the college board worker retraining program funds and recommend guidelines to the college board for the operation of worker retraining programs;

(b) Recommend selection criteria for worker retraining programs and grant applicants for receipt of worker retraining program grants;

(c) Provide advice to the college board on other work force development activities of the community and technical colleges;

(d) Recommend selection criteria for job skills grants, consistent with criteria established in this chapter and chapter 121, Laws of 1999. Such criteria shall include a prioritization of job skills applicants in rural areas;

(e) Recommend guidelines to the college board for the operation of the job skills program; and

(f) Recommend grant applicants for receipt of job skills program grants.

(4) Members of the work force training customer advisory committee shall consist of three college system representatives selected by the executive director of the college board, three representatives of business selected from nominations provided by statewide business organizations, and three representatives of labor selected from nominations provided by a statewide labor organization representing a cross-section of workers in the state."

Renumber the sections consecutively and correct any internal references accordingly.

SB 5971 - S AMD

By Senator ....

On page 1, on line 2 of the title, after "28A.190.020;", insert "28C.04.390;".

--- END ---

EFFECT: Provides college board worker retraining program assistance for Fircrest employees.