February 17, 1999
BILL ANALYSIS
TO: Members, Committee on Economic Development, Housing, and Trade
FROM: Jean Ann Quinn, Counsel (786-7310)
RE: HB 1475 - Establishing a grant program for job training.
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Brief Summary of Bill
CEstablishes the Washington Jobs Initiative Program which provides grants to local governments for creating local programs designed to help residents achieve and retain livable wage jobs and supply regional employers with qualified workers.
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BACKGROUND:
The state of Washington seeks to support programs that help low income job seekers access and retain liveable-wage jobs and, at the same time, help provide regional employers with access to the qualified, job ready workers they need to improve their competitiveness.
SUMMARY:
The Washington Jobs Initiative program is established in the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development. The program may provide grants to local governments to create programs designed to help workers achieve livable wage jobs, and promote retention and upward mobility for low-income job seekers. Specifically, the grants are to be used to develop strategies to (1) assist unemployed and underemployed residents obtain livable wage jobs; (2) help low-income residents access job opportunities with businesses that benefit local economic development efforts by establishing first-source and voluntary hiring agreements with those businesses; (3) create long-term, intensive pathways to employment for residents that are harder to serve due to chronic unemployment or lack of work experience; and (4) coordinate the services of the public and private sector and community organizations in providing outreach, recruitment, and job readiness services.