BILL REQ. #: H-1643.1
| State of Washington | 61st Legislature | 2009 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/10/09.
AN ACT Relating to coordinating workforce and economic development; amending RCW 43.330.090, 50.38.050, 28B.50.030, 28C.18.010, 28C.18.060, 28C.18.080, 43.162.020, and 43.330.080; adding a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28C.18 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 43.330.090 and 2007 c 228 s 201 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The department shall work with private sector organizations,
industry and ((cluster)) sector associations, federal agencies, state
agencies that use a ((cluster-based)) sector-based approach to service
delivery, local governments, local associate development organizations,
and higher education and training institutions in the development of
industry ((cluster-based)) sector-based strategies to diversify the
economy, facilitate technology transfer and diffusion, and increase
value-added production. The industry ((clusters)) sectors targeted by
the department may include, but are not limited to, aerospace,
agriculture, food processing, forest products, marine services, health
and biomedical, software, digital and interactive media, transportation
and distribution, and microelectronics. The department shall, on a
continuing basis, evaluate the potential return to the state from
devoting additional resources to an industry ((cluster-based)) sector-based approach to economic development and identifying and assisting
additional ((clusters)) sectors. ((The department shall use
information gathered in each service delivery region in formulating its
industry cluster-based strategies and shall assist local communities in
identifying regional industry clusters and developing industry cluster-based strategies.))
(2) The department's sector-based strategies shall include, but not
be limited to, cluster-based strategies that focus on assisting
regional industry sectors and related firms and institutions that meet
the definition of an industry cluster in this section and based on
criteria identified by the working group established in this chapter.
(3)(a) The department shall promote, market, and encourage growth
in the production of films and videos, as well as television
commercials within the state; to this end the department is directed to
assist in the location of a film and video production studio within the
state.
(b) The department may, in carrying out its efforts to encourage
film and video production in the state, solicit and receive gifts,
grants, funds, fees, and endowments, in trust or otherwise, from
tribal, local, or other governmental entities, as well as private
sources, and may expend the same or any income therefrom for the
encouragement of film and video production. All revenue received for
such purposes shall be deposited into the film and video promotion
account created in RCW 43.330.092.
(((3))) (4) In assisting in the development of regional and
statewide industry cluster-based strategies, the department's
activities shall include, but are not limited to:
(a) Facilitating regional focus group discussions and conducting
studies to identify industry clusters, appraise the current information
linkages within a cluster, and identify issues of common concern within
a cluster;
(b) Supporting industry and cluster associations, publications of
association and cluster directories, and related efforts to create or
expand the activities of industry and cluster associations;
(c) Administering a competitive grant program to fund economic
development activities designed to further regional cluster growth. In
administering the program, the department shall work with an industry
cluster advisory committee with equal representation from the economic
development commission, the workforce training and education
coordinating board, the state board for community and technical
colleges, the employment security department, business, and labor.
(i) The industry cluster advisory committee shall recommend
criteria for evaluating applications for grant funds and recommend
applicants for receipt of grant funds. Criteria shall include not
duplicating the purpose or efforts of industry skill panels.
(ii) Applicants must include organizations from at least two
counties and participants from the local business community. Eligible
organizations include, but are not limited to, local governments,
economic development councils, chambers of commerce, federally
recognized Indian tribes, workforce development councils, and
educational institutions.
(iii) Applications must evidence financial participation of the
partner organizations.
(iv) Eligible activities include the formation of cluster economic
development partnerships, research and analysis of economic development
needs of the cluster, the development of a plan to meet the economic
development needs of the cluster, and activities to implement the plan.
(v) Priority shall be given to applicants ((which)) that complement
industry skill panels and will use the grant funds to build linkages
and joint projects((, to develop common resources and common training,
and to develop common research and development projects or
facilities)).
(((v))) (vi) The maximum amount of a grant is one hundred thousand
dollars.
(((vi))) (vii) A maximum of one hundred thousand dollars total can
go to King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties combined.
(((vii))) (viii) No more than ten percent of funds received for the
grant program may be used by the department for administrative costs.
(((4))) (5) As used in ((subsection (3) of this section)) this
chapter, "industry cluster" means a geographic concentration of
((interdependent competitive firms that do business with each other.
"Industry cluster" also includes firms that sell inside and outside of
the geographic region as well as support firms that supply raw
materials, components, and business services)) interconnected companies
in a single industry, related businesses in other industries, including
suppliers and customers, and associated institutions, including
government and education.
Sec. 2 RCW 50.38.050 and 1993 c 62 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
The department shall have the following duties:
(1) Oversight and management of a statewide comprehensive labor
market and occupational supply and demand information system, including
development of a five-year employment forecast for state and labor
market areas;
(2) Produce local labor market information packages for the state's
counties, including special studies and job impact analyses in support
of state and local employment, training, education, and job creation
programs, especially activities that prevent job loss, reduce
unemployment, and create jobs;
(3) Coordinate with the office of financial management and the
office of the forecast council to improve employment estimates by
enhancing data on corporate officers, improving business establishment
listings, expanding sample for employment estimates, and developing
business entry/and))
(4) In cooperation with the office of financial management, produce
long-term industry and occupational employment forecasts. These
forecasts shall be consistent with the official economic and revenue
forecast council biennial economic and revenue forecasts; and
(5) Analyze labor market and economic data, including the use of
input-output models, for the purpose of identifying industry clusters
and strategic industry clusters that meet the criteria identified by
the working group convened by the economic development commission and
the workforce training and education coordinating board under chapter
43.330 RCW.
Sec. 3 RCW 28B.50.030 and 2007 c 277 s 301 are each amended to
read as follows:
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the
term:
(1) "System" shall mean the state system of community and technical
colleges, which shall be a system of higher education.
(2) "Board" shall mean the workforce training and education
coordinating board.
(3) "College board" shall mean the state board for community and
technical colleges created by this chapter.
(4) "Director" shall mean the administrative director for the state
system of community and technical colleges.
(5) "District" shall mean any one of the community and technical
college districts created by this chapter.
(6) "Board of trustees" shall mean the local community and
technical college board of trustees established for each college
district within the state.
(7) "Occupational education" shall mean that education or training
that will prepare a student for employment that does not require a
baccalaureate degree, and education and training leading to an applied
baccalaureate degree.
(8) "K-12 system" shall mean the public school program including
kindergarten through the twelfth grade.
(9) "Common school board" shall mean a public school district board
of directors.
(10) "Community college" shall include those higher education
institutions that conduct education programs under RCW 28B.50.020.
(11) "Technical college" shall include those higher education
institutions with the sole mission of conducting occupational
education, basic skills, literacy programs, and offering on short
notice, when appropriate, programs that meet specific industry needs.
The programs of technical colleges shall include, but not be limited
to, continuous enrollment, competency-based instruction, industry-experienced faculty, curriculum integrating vocational and basic skills
education, and curriculum approved by representatives of employers and
labor. For purposes of this chapter, technical colleges shall include
Lake Washington Vocational-Technical Institute, Renton Vocational-Technical Institute, Bates Vocational-Technical Institute, Clover Park
Vocational Institute, and Bellingham Vocational-Technical Institute.
(12) "Adult education" shall mean all education or instruction,
including academic, vocational education or training, basic skills and
literacy training, and "occupational education" provided by public
educational institutions, including common school districts for persons
who are eighteen years of age and over or who hold a high school
diploma or certificate. However, "adult education" shall not include
academic education or instruction for persons under twenty-one years of
age who do not hold a high school degree or diploma and who are
attending a public high school for the sole purpose of obtaining a high
school diploma or certificate, nor shall "adult education" include
education or instruction provided by any four year public institution
of higher education.
(13) "Dislocated forest product worker" shall mean a forest
products worker who: (a)(i) Has been terminated or received notice of
termination from employment and is unlikely to return to employment in
the individual's principal occupation or previous industry because of
a diminishing demand for his or her skills in that occupation or
industry; or (ii) is self-employed and has been displaced from his or
her business because of the diminishing demand for the business'
services or goods; and (b) at the time of last separation from
employment, resided in or was employed in a rural natural resources
impact area.
(14) "Forest products worker" shall mean a worker in the forest
products industries affected by the reduction of forest fiber
enhancement, transportation, or production. The workers included
within this definition shall be determined by the employment security
department, but shall include workers employed in the industries
assigned the major group standard industrial classification codes "24"
and "26" and the industries involved in the harvesting and management
of logs, transportation of logs and wood products, processing of wood
products, and the manufacturing and distribution of wood processing and
logging equipment. The commissioner may adopt rules further
interpreting these definitions. For the purposes of this subsection,
"standard industrial classification code" means the code identified in
RCW 50.29.025(3).
(15) "Dislocated salmon fishing worker" means a finfish products
worker who: (a)(i) Has been terminated or received notice of
termination from employment and is unlikely to return to employment in
the individual's principal occupation or previous industry because of
a diminishing demand for his or her skills in that occupation or
industry; or (ii) is self-employed and has been displaced from his or
her business because of the diminishing demand for the business's
services or goods; and (b) at the time of last separation from
employment, resided in or was employed in a rural natural resources
impact area.
(16) "Salmon fishing worker" means a worker in the finfish industry
affected by 1994 or future salmon disasters. The workers included
within this definition shall be determined by the employment security
department, but shall include workers employed in the industries
involved in the commercial and recreational harvesting of finfish
including buying and processing finfish. The commissioner may adopt
rules further interpreting these definitions.
(17) "Rural natural resources impact area" means:
(a) A nonmetropolitan county, as defined by the 1990 decennial
census, that meets three of the five criteria set forth in subsection
(18) of this section;
(b) A nonmetropolitan county with a population of less than forty
thousand in the 1990 decennial census, that meets two of the five
criteria as set forth in subsection (18) of this section; or
(c) A nonurbanized area, as defined by the 1990 decennial census,
that is located in a metropolitan county that meets three of the five
criteria set forth in subsection (18) of this section.
(18) For the purposes of designating rural natural resources impact
areas, the following criteria shall be considered:
(a) A lumber and wood products employment location quotient at or
above the state average;
(b) A commercial salmon fishing employment location quotient at or
above the state average;
(c) Projected or actual direct lumber and wood products job losses
of one hundred positions or more;
(d) Projected or actual direct commercial salmon fishing job losses
of one hundred positions or more; and
(e) An unemployment rate twenty percent or more above the state
average. The counties that meet these criteria shall be determined by
the employment security department for the most recent year for which
data is available. For the purposes of administration of programs
under this chapter, the United States post office five-digit zip code
delivery areas will be used to determine residence status for
eligibility purposes. For the purpose of this definition, a zip code
delivery area of which any part is ten miles or more from an urbanized
area is considered nonurbanized. A zip code totally surrounded by zip
codes qualifying as nonurbanized under this definition is also
considered nonurbanized. The office of financial management shall make
available a zip code listing of the areas to all agencies and
organizations providing services under this chapter.
(19) "Applied baccalaureate degree" means a baccalaureate degree
awarded by a college under RCW 28B.50.810 for successful completion of
a program of study that is:
(a) Specifically designed for individuals who hold an associate of
applied science degree, or its equivalent, in order to maximize
application of their technical course credits toward the baccalaureate
degree; and
(b) Based on a curriculum that incorporates both theoretical and
applied knowledge and skills in a specific technical field.
(20) "Qualified institutions of higher education" means:
(a) Washington public community and technical colleges;
(b) Private career schools that are members of an accrediting
association recognized by rule of the higher education coordinating
board for the purposes of chapter 28B.92 RCW; and
(c) Washington state apprenticeship and training council-approved
apprenticeship programs.
(21) "Center of excellence" means a community or technical college
designated by the college board as a statewide leader in
industry-specific, community and technical college workforce education
and training.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW
to read as follows:
The college board, in consultation with business, industry, labor,
the workforce training and education coordinating board, the department
of community, trade, and economic development, the employment security
department, and community and technical colleges, shall designate
centers of excellence and allocate funds to existing and new centers of
excellence based on a competitive basis.
Eligible applicants for the program established under this section
include community and technical colleges. Priority shall be given to
applicants that have an established education and training program
serving the targeted industry and that have in their home district or
region an industry cluster with the same targeted industry at its core.
It is the role of centers of excellence to employ strategies to:
Create educational efficiencies; build a diverse, competitive workforce
for strategic industries; maintain an institutional reputation for
innovation and responsiveness; develop innovative curriculum and means
of delivering education and training; act as brokers of information and
resources related to community and technical college education and
training for a targeted industry; and serve as partners with workforce
development councils, associate development organizations, and other
workforce and economic development organizations.
Examples of strategies include but are not limited to: Sharing
curriculum and other instructional resources, to ensure cost savings to
the system; delivering collaborative certificate and degree programs;
and holding statewide summits, seminars, conferences, and workshops on
industry trends and best practices in community and technical college
education and training.
Sec. 5 RCW 28C.18.010 and 2008 c 103 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in
this section apply throughout this title.
(1) "Board" means the workforce training and education coordinating
board.
(2) "Director" means the director of the workforce training and
education coordinating board.
(3) "Training system" means programs and courses of secondary
vocational education, technical college programs and courses, community
college vocational programs and courses, private career school and
college programs and courses, employer-sponsored training, adult basic
education programs and courses, programs and courses funded by the
federal workforce investment act, programs and courses funded by the
federal vocational act, programs and courses funded under the federal
adult education act, publicly funded programs and courses for adult
literacy education, and apprenticeships, and programs and courses
offered by private and public nonprofit organizations that are
representative of communities or significant segments of communities
and provide job training or adult literacy services.
(4) "Workforce skills" means skills developed through applied
learning that strengthen and reinforce an individual's academic
knowledge, critical thinking, problem solving, and work ethic and,
thereby, develop the employability, occupational skills, and management
of home and work responsibilities necessary for economic independence.
(5) "Vocational education" means organized educational programs
offering a sequence of courses which are directly related to the
preparation or retraining of individuals in paid or unpaid employment
in current or emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate
or advanced degree. Such programs shall include competency-based
applied learning which contributes to an individual's academic
knowledge, higher-order reasoning, and problem-solving skills, work
attitudes, general employability skills, and the occupational-specific
skills necessary for economic independence as a productive and
contributing member of society. Such term also includes applied
technology education.
(6) "Adult basic education" means instruction designed to achieve
mastery of skills in reading, writing, oral communication, and
computation at a level sufficient to allow the individual to function
effectively as a parent, worker, and citizen in the United States,
commensurate with that individual's actual ability level, and includes
English as a second language and preparation and testing service for
the general education development exam.
(7) "Industry skill panel" means a regional partnership of
business, labor, and education leaders that identifies skill gaps in a
key economic cluster and enables the industry and public partners to
respond to and be proactive in addressing workforce skill needs.
(8) "Workforce development council" means a local workforce
investment board as established in P.L. 105-220 Sec. 117.
Sec. 6 RCW 28C.18.060 and 2008 c 212 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
The board, in cooperation with the operating agencies of the state
training system and private career schools and colleges, shall:
(1) Concentrate its major efforts on planning, coordination
evaluation, policy analysis, and recommending improvements to the
state's training system;
(2) Advocate for the state training system and for meeting the
needs of employers and the workforce for workforce education and
training;
(3) Establish and maintain an inventory of the programs of the
state training system, and related state programs, and perform a
biennial assessment of the vocational education, training, and adult
basic education and literacy needs of the state; identify ongoing and
strategic education needs; and assess the extent to which employment,
training, vocational and basic education, rehabilitation services, and
public assistance services represent a consistent, integrated approach
to meet such needs;
(4) Develop and maintain a state comprehensive plan for workforce
training and education, including but not limited to, goals,
objectives, and priorities for the state training system, and review
the state training system for consistency with the state comprehensive
plan. In developing the state comprehensive plan for workforce
training and education, the board shall use, but shall not be limited
to: Economic, labor market, and populations trends reports in office
of financial management forecasts; joint office of financial management
and employment security department labor force, industry employment,
and occupational forecasts; the results of scientifically based
outcome, net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations; the needs of
employers as evidenced in formal employer surveys and other employer
input; and the needs of program participants and workers as evidenced
in formal surveys and other input from program participants and the
labor community;
(5) In consultation with the higher education coordinating board,
review and make recommendations to the office of financial management
and the legislature on operating and capital facilities budget requests
for operating agencies of the state training system for purposes of
consistency with the state comprehensive plan for workforce training
and education;
(6) Provide for coordination among the different operating agencies
and components of the state training system at the state level and at
the regional level;
(7) Develop a consistent and reliable database on vocational
education enrollments, costs, program activities, and job placements
from publicly funded vocational education programs in this state;
(8)(a) Establish standards for data collection and maintenance for
the operating agencies of the state training system in a format that is
accessible to use by the board. The board shall require a minimum of
common core data to be collected by each operating agency of the state
training system;
(b) Develop requirements for minimum common core data in
consultation with the office of financial management and the operating
agencies of the training system;
(9) Establish minimum standards for program evaluation for the
operating agencies of the state training system, including, but not
limited to, the use of common survey instruments and procedures for
measuring perceptions of program participants and employers of program
participants, and monitor such program evaluation;
(10) Every two years administer scientifically based outcome
evaluations of the state training system, including, but not limited
to, surveys of program participants, surveys of employers of program
participants, and matches with employment security department payroll
and wage files. Every five years administer scientifically based net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations of the state training system;
(11) In cooperation with the employment security department,
provide for the improvement and maintenance of quality and utility in
occupational information and forecasts for use in training system
planning and evaluation. Improvements shall include, but not be
limited to, development of state-based occupational change factors
involving input by employers and employees, and delineation of skill
and training requirements by education level associated with current
and forecasted occupations;
(12) Provide for the development of common course description
formats, common reporting requirements, and common definitions for
operating agencies of the training system;
(13) Provide for effectiveness and efficiency reviews of the state
training system;
(14) In cooperation with the higher education coordinating board,
facilitate transfer of credit policies and agreements between
institutions of the state training system, and encourage articulation
agreements for programs encompassing two years of secondary workforce
education and two years of postsecondary workforce education;
(15) In cooperation with the higher education coordinating board,
facilitate transfer of credit policies and agreements between private
training institutions and institutions of the state training system;
(16) Develop policy objectives for the workforce investment act,
P.L. 105-220, or its successor; develop coordination criteria for
activities under the act with related programs and services provided by
state and local education and training agencies; and ensure that
entrepreneurial training opportunities are available through programs
of each local workforce investment board in the state;
(17) Make recommendations to the commission of student assessment,
the state board of education, and the superintendent of public
instruction, concerning basic skill competencies and essential core
competencies for K-12 education. Basic skills for this purpose shall
be reading, writing, computation, speaking, and critical thinking,
essential core competencies for this purpose shall be English, math,
science/technology, history, geography, and critical thinking. The
board shall monitor the development of and provide advice concerning
secondary curriculum which integrates vocational and academic
education;
(18) Establish and administer programs for marketing and outreach
to businesses and potential program participants;
(19) Facilitate the location of support services, including but not
limited to, child care, financial aid, career counseling, and job
placement services, for students and trainees at institutions in the
state training system, and advocate for support services for trainees
and students in the state training system;
(20) Facilitate private sector assistance for the state training
system, including but not limited to: Financial assistance, rotation
of private and public personnel, and vocational counseling;
(21) Facilitate the development of programs for school-to-work
transition that combine classroom education and on-the-job training,
including entrepreneurial education and training, in industries and
occupations without a significant number of apprenticeship programs;
(22) Include in the planning requirements for local workforce
investment boards a requirement that the local workforce investment
boards specify how entrepreneurial training is to be offered through
the one-stop system required under the workforce investment act, P.L.
105-220, or its successor;
(23) Encourage and assess progress for the equitable representation
of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities
among the students, teachers, and administrators of the state training
system. Equitable, for this purpose, shall mean substantially
proportional to their percentage of the state population in the
geographic area served. This function of the board shall in no way
lessen more stringent state or federal requirements for representation
of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities;
(24) Participate in the planning and policy development of governor
set-aside grants under P.L. 97-300, as amended;
(25) Administer veterans' programs, licensure of private vocational
schools, the job skills program, and the Washington award for
vocational excellence;
(26) Allocate funding from the state job training trust fund;
(27) Work with the director of community, trade, and economic
development and the economic development commission to ensure
coordination ((between)) among workforce training priorities, the long-term economic development strategy of the economic development
commission, and ((that department's)) economic development and
entrepreneurial development efforts, including but not limited to
assistance to industry clusters;
(28) Conduct research into workforce development programs designed
to reduce the high unemployment rate among young people between
approximately eighteen and twenty-four years of age. In consultation
with the operating agencies, the board shall advise the governor and
legislature on policies and programs to alleviate the high unemployment
rate among young people. The research shall include disaggregated
demographic information and, to the extent possible, income data for
adult youth. The research shall also include a comparison of the
effectiveness of programs examined as a part of the research conducted
in this subsection in relation to the public investment made in these
programs in reducing unemployment of young adults. The board shall
report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by November 15,
2008, and every two years thereafter. Where possible, the data
reported to the legislative committees should be reported in numbers
and in percentages;
(29) Adopt rules as necessary to implement this chapter.
The board may delegate to the director any of the functions of this
section.
Sec. 7 RCW 28C.18.080 and 1997 c 369 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The state comprehensive plan for workforce training and
education shall be updated every two years and presented to the
governor and the appropriate legislative policy committees. Following
public hearings, the legislature shall, by concurrent resolution,
approve or recommend changes to the initial plan and the updates. The
plan shall then become the state's workforce training policy unless
legislation is enacted to alter the policies set forth in the plan.
(2) The comprehensive plan shall include workforce training role
and mission statements for the workforce development programs of
operating agencies represented on the board and sufficient specificity
regarding expected actions by the operating agencies to allow them to
carry out actions consistent with the comprehensive plan.
(3) Operating agencies represented on the board shall have
operating plans for their workforce development efforts that are
consistent with the comprehensive plan and that provide detail on
implementation steps they will take to carry out their responsibilities
under the plan. Each operating agency represented on the board shall
provide an annual progress report to the board.
(4) The comprehensive plan shall include recommendations to the
legislature and the governor on the modification, consolidation,
initiation, or elimination of workforce training and education programs
in the state.
(5) The comprehensive plan shall ((address how the state's
workforce development system will meet the needs of employers hiring
for industrial projects of statewide significance)) identify the
strategic industry clusters targeted by the workforce development
system. In identifying the strategic clusters, the board shall consult
with the economic development commission to identify clusters that meet
the criteria identified by the working group convened by the economic
development commission and the workforce training and education
coordinating board under RCW 43.330.280.
(6) The board shall report to the appropriate legislative policy
committees by December 1st of each year on its progress in implementing
the comprehensive plan and on the progress of the operating agencies in
meeting their obligations under the plan.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 A new section is added to chapter 28C.18 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Workforce development councils, in partnership with local
elected officials, shall develop and maintain a local unified plan for
the workforce development system including, but not limited to, the
local plan required by P.L. 105-220, Title I. The unified plan shall
include a strategic plan that assesses local employment opportunities
and skill needs, the present and future workforce, the current
workforce development system, information on financial resources,
diversity, goals, objectives, and strategies for the local workforce
development system, and a system-wide financial strategy for
implementing the plan. Local workforce development councils shall
submit their strategic plans to the board for review and to the
governor for approval.
(2) The strategic plan shall clearly articulate the connection
between workforce and economic development efforts in the local area
including the area industry clusters and the strategic clusters the
community is targeting for growth. The plan shall include, but is not
limited to:
(a) Data on current and projected employment opportunities in the
local area;
(b) Identification of workforce investment needs of existing
businesses and businesses considering location in the region, with
special attention to industry clusters;
(c) Identification of educational, training, employment, and
support service needs of jobseekers and workers in the local area,
including individuals with disabilities and other underrepresented
talent sources;
(d) Analysis of the industry demand, potential labor force supply,
and educational, employment, and workforce support available to
businesses and jobseekers in the region; and
(e) Collaboration with associate development organizations in
regional planning efforts involving combined strategies around
workforce development and economic development policies and programs.
Combined planning efforts shall include, but not be limited to,
assistance to industry clusters in the area.
(3) The board shall work with workforce development councils to
develop implementation and funding strategies for purposes of this
section.
Sec. 9 RCW 43.162.020 and 2007 c 232 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
The Washington state economic development commission shall:
(1) Concentrate its major efforts on planning, coordination,
evaluation, policy analysis, and recommending improvements to the
state's economic development system using, but not limited to, the
"Next Washington" plan and the global competitiveness council
recommendations;
(2) Develop and maintain on a biennial basis a state comprehensive
plan for economic development, including but not limited to goals,
objectives, and priorities for the state economic development system;
identify the elements local associate development organizations must
include in their countywide economic development plans; and review the
state system for consistency with the state comprehensive plan. The
plan shall include the industry clusters in the state and the strategic
clusters targeted by the commission for economic development efforts.
The commission shall consult with the workforce training and education
coordinating board and include labor market and economic information by
the employment security department in developing the list of clusters
and strategic clusters that meet the criteria identified by the working
group convened by the economic development commission and the workforce
training and education coordinating board under chapter 43.330 RCW. In
developing the state comprehensive plan for economic development, the
commission shall use, but may not be limited to: Economic, labor
market, and populations trend reports in office of financial management
forecasts; the annual state economic climate report prepared by the
economic climate council; joint office of financial management and
employment security department labor force, industry employment, and
occupational forecasts; the results of scientifically based outcome
evaluations; the needs of industry associations, industry clusters,
businesses, and employees as evidenced in formal surveys and other
input;
(3) Establish and maintain an inventory of the programs of the
state economic development system and related state programs; perform
a biennial assessment of the ongoing and strategic economic development
needs of the state; and assess the extent to which the economic
development system and related programs represent a consistent,
coordinated, efficient, and integrated approach to meet such needs; and
(4) Produce a biennial report to the governor and the legislature
on progress by the commission in coordinating the state's economic
development system and meeting the other obligations of this chapter,
as well as include recommendations for any statutory changes necessary
to enhance operational efficiencies or improve coordination.
The commission may delegate to the executive director any of the
functions of this section.
Sec. 10 RCW 43.330.080 and 2007 c 249 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
The department shall contract with county-designated associate
development organizations to increase the support for and coordination
of community and economic development services in communities or
regional areas. The organizations contracted with in each community or
regional area shall be broadly representative of community and economic
interests. The organization shall be capable of identifying key
economic and community development problems, developing appropriate
solutions, and mobilizing broad support for recommended initiatives.
The contracting organization shall work with and include local
governments, local chambers of commerce, workforce development
councils, port districts, labor groups, institutions of higher
education, community action programs, and other appropriate private,
public, or nonprofit community and economic development groups. The
scope of services delivered under these contracts shall include two
broad areas of work:
(1) Direct assistance, including business planning, to companies
who need support to stay in business, expand, or relocate to Washington
from out of state or other countries. Assistance includes:
(a) Working with the appropriate partners, including but not
limited to, local governments, workforce development ((organizations))
councils, port districts, community and technical colleges and higher
education institutions, export assistance providers, the Washington
manufacturing services, the Washington state quality award((,))
council, small business assistance programs, and other federal, state,
and local programs to facilitate the alignment of planning efforts and
the seamless delivery of business support services in the county;
(b) Providing information on state and local permitting processes,
tax issues, and other essential information for operating, expanding,
or locating a business in Washington;
(c) Marketing Washington and local areas as excellent locations to
expand or relocate a business and positioning Washington as a globally
competitive place to grow business, which may include developing and
executing regional plans to attract companies from out of state;
(d) Working with businesses on site location and selection
assistance;
(e) Providing business retention and expansion services, including
business outreach and monitoring efforts to identify and address
challenges and opportunities faced by businesses; and
(f) ((Participate [Participating])) Participating in economic
development system-wide discussions regarding gaps in business start-up
assistance in Washington; and
(2) Support for regional economic research and regional planning
efforts to implement target industry sector strategies and other
economic development strategies, including cluster-based strategies,
that support increased living standards and increase foreign direct
investment throughout Washington. Activities include:
(a) Participation in regional planning efforts with workforce
development councils involving ((combined)) coordinated strategies
around workforce development and economic development policies and
programs. Coordinated planning efforts shall include, but not be
limited to, assistance to industry clusters in the region;
(b) Participation between the contracting organization ((shall
participate with)) and the state board for community and technical
colleges as created in RCW 28B.50.050, and any community and technical
colleges in providing for the coordination of the job skills training
program and the customized training program within its region;
(((b))) (c) Collecting and reporting data as specified by the
contract with the department for statewide systemic analysis. The
department shall consult with the Washington state economic development
commission in the establishment of such uniform data as is needed to
conduct a statewide systemic analysis of the state's economic
development programs and expenditures. In cooperation with other
local, regional, and state planning efforts, contracting organizations
may provide insight into the needs of target industry clusters,
business expansion plans, early detection of potential relocations or
layoffs, training needs, and other appropriate economic information;
(((c))) (d) In conjunction with other governmental jurisdictions
and institutions, participate in the development of a countywide
economic development plan, consistent with the state comprehensive plan
for economic development developed by the Washington state economic
development commission.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 By December 15, 2010, the workforce
training and education coordinating board, the economic development
commission, the department of community, trade, and economic
development, the employment security department, and the state board
for community and technical colleges shall provide a written progress
report to the appropriate committees of the legislature on concrete
actions taken, individually and collectively, to achieve the intent and
objectives of this act. The report must include a description of:
(1) Direct services or funding provided to regional industry
clusters by state agencies;
(2) Centers of excellence designated and funded;
(3) Industry clusters and strategic industry clusters identified in
state and local strategic plans;
(4) How the analysis of labor market and economic data was used to
identify clusters;
(5) How associate development organizations and workforce
development councils are jointly planning and delivering services to
companies and the workforce at regional and local levels;
(6) How workforce training priorities, the state's long-term
economic development strategy, and entrepreneurial development efforts
are being coordinated; and
(7) Quantitative and qualitative outcomes that have resulted from
these actions.