Passed by the Senate February 11, 2012 YEAS 36   BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House February 27, 2012 YEAS 55   FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SENATE BILL 6141 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. THOMAS HOEMANN ________________________________________ Secretary | |
Approved March 7, 2012, 2:43 p.m. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | March 7, 2012 Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/12/12. Referred to Committee on Economic Development, Trade & Innovation.
AN ACT Relating to a lifelong learning program; 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:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that training and
education is vitally important in the development of skilled workers
and the promotion of an internationally competitive economy. It is the
intent of the legislature to promote the opportunity to succeed. It is
the further intent of the legislature to build a highly skilled and
globally competitive workforce by supporting the movement of low-skilled workers into average-skilled jobs and moving average-skilled
workers into high-skilled jobs to achieve a world class competitive
workforce that is sustainable through the coming decades. The
legislature intends, through the establishment of a lifelong learning
program, to address the challenge of providing low-skilled workers with
postsecondary education and training and ultimately achieving
excellence in all sectors of our workforce and economy. The
legislature intends that participation in the lifelong learning program
is completely voluntary and in no way obligatory for employers or
employees. The legislature intends the lifelong learning program to
develop partnerships and mechanisms through which:
(1) Workers take responsibility for advancing in their careers and
improving their economic future by investing their own funds in their
training and education;
(2) Employers voluntarily promote the success of their businesses,
workers, and communities by investing in their workers' lifelong
learning accounts;
(3) Educational and training institutions promote the establishment
of lifelong learning accounts to equip students and their employers
with a means to meet the financial demands of higher education tuition
costs and the competitive needs of industries;
(4) State and local government institutions provide the
infrastructure, incentives, and proactive support for employees,
employers, and institutions to invest in lifelong learning accounts;
and
(5) Financial institutions and nonprofit organizations invest their
resources to provide the initial web of support to establish pilot
projects, foster program development, assist in impact evaluation, and
assist in migrating the program achievements and best practices across
other communities and industries in the United States.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28C.18 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) A lifelong learning program is established within the workforce
training and education coordinating board to provide the opportunity
for employees, with the support of their employers, to create
educational savings accounts that may be used to fund approved
education and training. In operating the program, the board:
(a) May partner with, and coordinate the voluntary alignment of
services with, financial institutions and other public, private, and
nonprofit organizations in order to enable low-wage workers to attain
high-skilled and high-wage jobs in their communities;
(b) Must work with its partners to:
(i) Establish the policies, rules, and procedures, including but
not limited to standards for fund management and for approving career
development plans and education and training, that support the
operation of the program;
(ii) Ensure the program is marketed to various geographic areas and
industry sectors of the state, as well as to low-wage workers, their
employers, and the communities in which they reside; and
(iii) Help partners coordinate new career counseling services with
existing online and other providers, including the state's WorkSource
system;
(c) May work with financial institutions to encourage their full
engagement in:
(i) The management functions of the program, including managing
lifelong learning accounts for individual employers and their
respective employees consistent with program requirements and
guidelines;
(ii) Adding value to the program through the provision of financial
literacy and career counseling; and
(iii) Aligning their activities under a consolidated partnership,
which may include the designation of one fund manager to streamline the
establishment and management of the program; and
(d) May develop program policies and system options that will lead
the program to become self-sustaining.
(2) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this
section.
(a) "Approved career development plan" means an employee's career
development plan that is approved by the program managers and contains
the necessary information to determine if expenditures are in alignment
with program criteria.
(b) "Approved education and training" means education, training,
and associated costs aligned with an approved career development plan
and thus eligible to be funded from a lifelong learning account.
(c) "Financial institution" means any federally chartered or state
chartered bank, savings bank, or savings and loan association, or
credit union.
(d) "Lifelong learning accounts" means joint savings accounts that
are established by employees and employers to support the education and
training of employees and that are aligned with their approved career
development plan.