Florida Senate - 2012 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1398
Barcode 389580
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: FAV .
01/26/2012 .
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The Committee on Commerce and Tourism (Flores) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 44 and 45
4 insert:
5
6 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
7 445.003, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
8 445.003 Implementation of the federal Workforce Investment
9 Act of 1998.—
10 (3) FUNDING.—
11 (a) Title I, Workforce Investment Act of 1998 funds;
12 Wagner-Peyser funds; and NAFTA/Trade Act funds will be expended
13 based on the 5-year plan of Workforce Florida, Inc. The plan
14 shall outline and direct the method used to administer and
15 coordinate various funds and programs that are operated by
16 various agencies. The following provisions shall also apply to
17 these funds:
18 1. At least 50 percent of the Title I funds for Adults and
19 Dislocated Workers that are passed through to regional workforce
20 boards shall be allocated and expended on to Individual Training
21 Accounts unless a regional workforce board obtains a waiver from
22 Workforce Florida, Inc. Tuition, books, and fees of training
23 providers qualify as an Individual Training Account expenditure,
24 as do other programs developed by regional workforce boards in
25 compliance with policies of Workforce Florida, Inc.
26 2. Fifteen percent of Title I funding shall be retained at
27 the state level and shall be dedicated to state administration
28 and used to design, develop, induce, and fund innovative
29 Individual Training Account pilots, demonstrations, and
30 programs. Of such funds retained at the state level, $2 million
31 shall be reserved for the Incumbent Worker Training Program,
32 created under subparagraph 3. Eligible state administration
33 costs include the costs of: funding for the board and staff of
34 Workforce Florida, Inc.; operating fiscal, compliance, and
35 management accountability systems through Workforce Florida,
36 Inc.; conducting evaluation and research on workforce
37 development activities; and providing technical and capacity
38 building assistance to regions at the direction of Workforce
39 Florida, Inc. Notwithstanding s. 445.004, such administrative
40 costs shall not exceed 25 percent of these funds. An amount not
41 to exceed 75 percent of these funds shall be allocated to
42 Individual Training Accounts and other workforce development
43 strategies for other training designed and tailored by Workforce
44 Florida, Inc., including, but not limited to, programs for
45 incumbent workers, displaced homemakers, nontraditional
46 employment, and enterprise zones. Workforce Florida, Inc., shall
47 design, adopt, and fund Individual Training Accounts for
48 distressed urban and rural communities.
49 3. The Incumbent Worker Training Program is created for the
50 purpose of providing grant funding for continuing education and
51 training of incumbent employees at existing Florida businesses.
52 The program will provide reimbursement grants to businesses that
53 pay for preapproved, direct, training-related costs.
54 a. The Incumbent Worker Training Program will be
55 administered by Workforce Florida, Inc. Workforce Florida, Inc.,
56 at its discretion, may contract with a private business
57 organization to serve as grant administrator.
58 b. To be eligible for the program’s grant funding, a
59 business must have been in operation in Florida for a minimum of
60 1 year prior to the application for grant funding; have at least
61 one full-time employee; demonstrate financial viability; and be
62 current on all state tax obligations. Priority for funding shall
63 be given to businesses with 25 employees or fewer, businesses in
64 rural areas, businesses in distressed inner-city areas,
65 businesses in a qualified targeted industry, businesses whose
66 grant proposals represent a significant upgrade in employee
67 skills, or businesses whose grant proposals represent a
68 significant layoff avoidance strategy.
69 c. All costs reimbursed by the program must be preapproved
70 by Workforce Florida, Inc., or the grant administrator. The
71 program will not reimburse businesses for trainee wages, the
72 purchase of capital equipment, or the purchase of any item or
73 service that may possibly be used outside the training project.
74 A business approved for a grant may be reimbursed for
75 preapproved, direct, training-related costs including tuition;
76 fees; books and training materials; and overhead or indirect
77 costs not to exceed 5 percent of the grant amount.
78 d. A business that is selected to receive grant funding
79 must provide a matching contribution to the training project,
80 including, but not limited to, wages paid to trainees or the
81 purchase of capital equipment used in the training project; must
82 sign an agreement with Workforce Florida, Inc., or the grant
83 administrator to complete the training project as proposed in
84 the application; must keep accurate records of the project’s
85 implementation process; and must submit monthly or quarterly
86 reimbursement requests with required documentation.
87 e. All Incumbent Worker Training Program grant projects
88 shall be performance-based with specific measurable performance
89 outcomes, including completion of the training project and job
90 retention. Workforce Florida, Inc., or the grant administrator
91 shall withhold the final payment to the grantee until a final
92 grant report is submitted and all performance criteria specified
93 in the grant contract have been achieved.
94 f. Workforce Florida, Inc., may establish guidelines
95 necessary to implement the Incumbent Worker Training Program.
96 g. No more than 10 percent of the Incumbent Worker Training
97 Program’s total appropriation may be used for overhead or
98 indirect purposes.
99 4. At least 50 percent of Rapid Response funding shall be
100 dedicated to Intensive Services Accounts and Individual Training
101 Accounts for dislocated workers and incumbent workers who are at
102 risk of dislocation. Workforce Florida, Inc., shall also
103 maintain an Emergency Preparedness Fund from Rapid Response
104 funds which will immediately issue Intensive Service Accounts
105 and Individual Training Accounts as well as other federally
106 authorized assistance to eligible victims of natural or other
107 disasters. At the direction of the Governor, for events that
108 qualify under federal law, these Rapid Response funds shall be
109 released to regional workforce boards for immediate use. Funding
110 shall also be dedicated to maintain a unit at the state level to
111 respond to Rapid Response emergencies around the state, to work
112 with state emergency management officials, and to work with
113 regional workforce boards. All Rapid Response funds must be
114 expended based on a plan developed by Workforce Florida, Inc.,
115 and approved by the Governor.
116
117 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
118 And the title is amended as follows:
119
120 Delete line 3
121 and insert:
122
123 providing a short title; amending s. 445.003, F.S.;
124 providing that tuition, books, and fees of training
125 providers qualify as an Individual Training Account
126 expenditure; amending s. 445.007, F.S.;