House Bill 0987

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

        By the Committee on Community Colleges & Career Prep and
    Representatives Harrington, Greenstein, Stafford, A. Greene,
    Merchant, Goodlette, Wise and Lynn




  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to workforce investment;

  3         creating the Florida Workforce Investment Act

  4         of 1999; providing legislative intent;

  5         requiring the state to operate a workforce

  6         development education system for certain

  7         purposes; providing requirements; requiring the

  8         Jobs and Education Partnership to develop a

  9         plan to implement individual training accounts;

10         providing for individual training accounts;

11         providing requirements and criteria; requiring

12         the Jobs and Education Partnership to make rule

13         recommendations to the State Board of

14         Education; authorizing the board to adopt

15         rules; providing for one-stop center intensive

16         services; providing for eligibility for

17         training services; providing for one-stop

18         center training services; providing duties of

19         regional workforce development boards;

20         allocating a portion of federal funds for

21         certain purposes; segregating certain federal

22         funds; requiring youth councils to use certain

23         funds for certain purposes; specifying criteria

24         for performance payments; requiring the Jobs

25         and Education Partnership to develop a state

26         plan for certain purposes; providing plan

27         requirements; providing for review and

28         evaluation of the workforce development

29         education system; requiring a report to the

30         Legislature; requiring the Office of Program

31         Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

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  1         to assess the workforce development education

  2         system and report to the Legislature; providing

  3         for statewide activities; requiring regional

  4         workforce development boards to establish a

  5         committee for certain purposes; providing for

  6         membership; requiring the committees to make

  7         certain recommendations to the Job and

  8         Education Partnership; requiring a report;

  9         providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  (1)  SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as

14  the "Florida Workforce Investment Act of 1999."

15         (2)  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION SYSTEM.--The goal

16  of this act is to establish legislative intent for the unified

17  state plan implementing the Federal Workforce Investment Act

18  of 1998.  It is the intent of the Legislature that this be

19  consistent with the Federal Workforce Investment Act's

20  principles of local control of service delivery, one-stop

21  delivery of services, individual choice, accountability for

22  performance, and coordination of workforce activities.

23         (a)  This state shall operate a workforce development

24  education system that integrates state and federal resources

25  without duplication of services or administrative

26  responsibilities.  This system shall use existing entities

27  rather than creating new bureaucracy to implement the Federal

28  Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

29         (b)  The workforce development education system shall

30  align performance measures that reward student completion of

31  training programs and placement and retention in employment.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

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  1         (c)  The system shall facilitate individual choice for

  2  service delivery and access of public and nonpublic

  3  postsecondary educational institutions to provide services,

  4  with valid consumer information made available upon which to

  5  base such choice.

  6         (d)  The "work first" philosophy of welfare reform

  7  shall not preclude individuals without adequate skills from

  8  receiving training, nor shall it preclude individuals from

  9  receiving training for high-skill, high-wage occupations.

10  Training shall be made available within the workforce

11  development education system as quickly as possible for those

12  who do not have adequate skills.

13         (e)  Regional workforce development boards shall have

14  greater responsibility in recommending policies that integrate

15  federal and state workforce development education funds for

16  delivering training in high-skill, high-wage occupations that

17  respond to the business and economic development needs in

18  their areas.

19         (f)  The workforce development education system shall

20  be designed to foster the transition from secondary education

21  to postsecondary education which is crucial for providing

22  opportunities for access to high-skill, high-wage occupations.

23         (3)  INDIVIDUAL TRAINING ACCOUNTS.--

24         (a)  By July 1, 1999, the Jobs and Education

25  Partnership, in consultation with the Department of Education,

26  shall develop a plan and timetable for implementing individual

27  training accounts, approving authorized training providers,

28  and authorization of training programs allowable with an

29  individual training account.

30         (b)  The plan shall provide for the immediate

31  implementation of individual training accounts with public

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  1  postsecondary educational institutions as authorized training

  2  providers.  Nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions

  3  currently using the Florida Education and Training Placement

  4  Information Program shall be immediately authorized as

  5  training providers.

  6         (c)  The plan shall allow nonpublic postsecondary

  7  educational institutions not currently using the Florida

  8  Education and Training Placement Information Program to become

  9  authorized training providers when such institutions agree to

10  and implement the use of the Florida Education and Training

11  Placement Information Program.

12         (d)  The Jobs and Education Partnership shall consult

13  with the State Board of Independent Colleges and Universities

14  and the State Board of Nonpublic Career Education to include

15  provisions in the plan which shall address data collection and

16  reporting issues relating to the participation of nonpublic

17  postsecondary educational institutions as authorized training

18  providers.

19         (e)  The plan shall specify that after July 1, 2000,

20  authorized training providers shall be determined based upon

21  performance documented by the Florida Education and Training

22  Placement Information Program.

23         (f)  The plan shall ensure the fair participation of

24  nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions as authorized

25  service providers and shall prohibit the use of unlawful

26  remuneration to the student in return for attending an

27  institution.  Unlawful remuneration does not include federal

28  or state financial assistance programs.

29         (g)  The Jobs and Education Partnership shall make

30  recommendations to the State Board of Education on adopting

31  rules to implement the provisions of this act. The State Board

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  1  of Education may adopt any rules necessary to implement the

  2  provisions of this act.  However, the inclusion of nonpublic

  3  postsecondary educational institutions as authorized service

  4  providers does not expand the regulatory authority of the

  5  state or its officers beyond that which is reasonably

  6  necessary to enforce requirements set forth in this section.

  7         (4)  ONE-STOP CENTER INTENSIVE SERVICES.--At the

  8  intensive service level, one-stop centers shall be responsible

  9  for assessing individuals for skill levels.  Any individual

10  who demonstrates a skill below the sixth grade level shall be

11  immediately eligible for training services.

12         (5)  ONE-STOP CENTER TRAINING SERVICES.--

13         (a)  One-stop centers may issue individual training

14  accounts for individuals at the intensive service level who

15  score below the sixth grade skill level on the assessment; and

16  to other individuals as determined by the criteria developed

17  by the Jobs and Education Partnership and the Regional

18  Workforce Board.

19         (b)  Regional workforce development boards shall

20  reserve a portion of the individual training account funds for

21  performance based incentive payments to authorized training

22  providers upon the successful completion and placement of the

23  student utilizing the individualized training account.

24  Performance incentive payments shall be weighted to place

25  extra value on completion and placements of students in

26  targeted populations such as WAGES clients and the working

27  poor.

28         (6)  STATEWIDE ACTIVITIES.--At least 5 percent of the

29  15 percent of federal funding that is retained at the state

30  level for statewide activities shall be reserved for incumbent

31  worker training delivered through individual training

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  1  accounts. These activities shall be targeted to the working

  2  poor.

  3         (7)  YOUTH PROGRAMS.--

  4         (a)  Federal funding available for youth programs under

  5  the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 shall not be added to

  6  existing state programs.

  7         (b)  The youth councils designated by the Jobs and

  8  Education Partnership shall use the funds available for youth

  9  programs under the Federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 as

10  performance payments for existing programs.

11         (c)  Performance payments shall reward innovative

12  strategies to integrate existing youth programs that target

13  the attainment of a high-school diploma or a GED equivalency,

14  placement into postsecondary training, or placement into

15  high-skill, high-wage employment.  Additionally, performance

16  payments shall reward success for targeted populations

17  including parenting teens, youth at risk of dropping out of

18  traditional K-12 instruction, youth who have already dropped

19  out of traditional K-12 instruction, youth who are being

20  served in juvenile justice commitment and detention

21  facilities, and youth who are being served in adult education

22  programs in school districts or community colleges.

23         (8)  STATE PLAN.--

24         (a)  The Jobs and Education Partnership shall prepare a

25  5-year state plan implementing the provisions of this act in

26  fulfillment of the requirements of the Federal Workforce

27  Investment Act of 1998.  The plan shall include secondary

28  vocational education and shall provide for a transition year

29  for researching and resolving any outstanding issues

30  associated with the inclusion of vocational education.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

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  1         (b)  The plan shall align the performance measures

  2  required in the Federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 with

  3  existing workforce development performance measures including

  4  Performance Based Program Budgeting, the Workforce Development

  5  Education Fund, and the performance tiers specified in the

  6  Federal Workforce Florida Act of 1996.

  7         (9)  REVIEW AND EVALUATION.--

  8         (a)  The regional workforce development boards shall

  9  report annually to the Jobs and Education Partnership on the

10  implementation, efficiency, effectiveness, and outcomes of the

11  workforce development system.

12         (b)  The Jobs and Education Partnership shall compile

13  and review the information from the Regional Workforce Boards

14  and shall make recommendations to the President of the Senate

15  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for any

16  necessary changes in policy, rule, or law to increase the

17  effectiveness of the workforce development system.  The report

18  shall be submitted annually by December 1 to the President of

19  the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

20         (c)  The Office of Program Policy Analysis and

21  Government Accountability shall assess the implementation of

22  this act and outcomes of the workforce development system and

23  shall report findings to the President of the Senate and the

24  Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2000.

25         (10)  Each Regional Workforce Development Board shall

26  establish a high-skill, high-wage committee composed of the

27  Regional Workforce Development Board chair, the presidents of

28  all community colleges within the board's region, the

29  superintendents of all public school districts conducting

30  postsecondary workforce development education programs within

31  the region, a representative from a nonpublic postsecondary

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

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  1  educational institution which is an authorized individual

  2  training account provider within the region, and five other

  3  private sector business representatives within the region. The

  4  five business representatives and the nonpublic postsecondary

  5  educational institution representative shall be appointed by

  6  the chair of the Regional Workforce Development Board, in

  7  consultation with local chambers of commerce and other local

  8  economic development organizations. Appointed business

  9  representatives may include individuals who are not members of

10  the Regional Workforce Development Board.

11         (a)  Before December 1, 1999, and annually before

12  August 1 thereafter, each high-skill, high-wage committee

13  shall submit to the Jobs and Education Partnership

14  recommendations related to:

15         1.  Policies to make the workforce development

16  education programs in the region more responsive to the needs

17  of the region's employers and workforce to better develop

18  high-skill, high-wage opportunities.

19         2.  Integrated use of state allocations and federal

20  workforce development funds to enhance the workforce training

21  and placement efforts in the region to best meet the needs of

22  local business and industry and the local workforce.

23         (b)  Each high-skill, high-wage committee shall work in

24  consultation with its local chambers of commerce or other

25  economic development organizations to develop its

26  recommendations. The Jobs and Education Partnership shall

27  provide each committee with its region's most recent

28  occupational forecasts as soon as they are available.

29         (c)  The Jobs and Eduction Partnership shall annually

30  compile all the recommendations of the high-skill, high-wage

31  committees, research the feasibility of such recommendations,

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 987

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  1  and make recommendations to the Governor, the President of the

  2  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

  3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  4  law.

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