Bill Text: NY A02984 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the retrain and employ unemployed persons program providing grants to community colleges to develop training programs or improve existing workforce development programs for the purposes of training unemployed individuals for jobs in the regions surrounding such community colleges.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to higher education [A02984 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A02984-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2984
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 28, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  SIMON, MOSLEY, SEAWRIGHT, GOTTFRIED, JAFFEE,
          COOK, CAHILL, LAWRENCE, BLAKE, WALKER -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Higher Education
        AN ACT to amend the education  law,  in  relation  to  establishing  the
          retrain and employ unemployed persons program
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6303-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 6303-b. Retrain and employ unemployed persons program.   1.    Defi-
     4  nitions.  As  used  in  this  section the following terms shall have the
     5  following meanings.
     6    (a) "Grant program" shall  mean  the  retrain  and  employ  unemployed
     7  persons program or the RE-UP New York program.
     8    (b) "Training program or workforce development program" shall mean the
     9  community  college  programs  created  or improved pursuant to the grant
    10  program.
    11    (c) "BOCES" shall mean boards of cooperative educational  services  as
    12  defined in article forty of this chapter.
    13    2.  By no later than July first, two thousand twenty the state univer-
    14  sity boards of trustees and the city university boards of trustees shall
    15  establish a grant program for community  colleges  to  develop  training
    16  programs  or  improve  existing  workforce  development programs for the
    17  purposes of training unemployed individuals  for  jobs  in  the  regions
    18  surrounding such community colleges.
    19    3.  Grants  shall be awarded pursuant to appropriation in an amount up
    20  to five hundred thousand dollars to community colleges that  can  demon-
    21  strate  that  such  training  programs or workforce development programs
    22  will provide the requisite training required for job placement in  busi-
    23  nesses  and  industries  within the region that lack the necessary work-
    24  force or that are seeking employees with new skills in an area where job
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01505-01-9
        A. 2984                             2
     1  openings currently exist or where job growth is anticipated in the  near
     2  future.
     3    4.  To  be  eligible to receive a grant, a community college must also
     4  demonstrate that such community college: (a) has partnered with regional
     5  businesses or industries to determine areas where jobs are available  or
     6  are  anticipated  to become available and a skilled workforce is needed;
     7  and (b) consults with the department of labor to target unemployed indi-
     8  viduals who  shall  be  given  priority  placement  into  such  training
     9  programs or workforce development programs.
    10    5. Upon successful placement of training program or workforce develop-
    11  ment  program  participants,  local  businesses or industries partnering
    12  with community colleges pursuant to this grant program  shall  reimburse
    13  the community colleges for one-third of the cost of such employee train-
    14  ing.
    15    6. Community colleges may seek to provide on-site training or may seek
    16  to have participants trained on job sites.
    17    7.  The  community  college,  in  consultation  with local business or
    18  industry, shall determine the  length  of  such  training  or  workforce
    19  development program, provided that such program shall provide competency
    20  for  a  particular  business  or industry need. Successful completion of
    21  such programs shall be signified by the  receipt  of  a  certificate  of
    22  completion, however, training or workforce development programs need not
    23  lead to degrees or official certifications provided by the department or
    24  the department of state.
    25    8.  Beginning  in  the  year  two  thousand twenty-one and thereafter,
    26  pursuant to appropriation and based on the availability of funds, commu-
    27  nity colleges shall be eligible to receive an additional fifty  thousand
    28  dollars  in  any  year that more than fifty percent of all grant program
    29  participants trained become employed.
    30    9. SUNY and CUNY boards of trustees shall also consult  with  regional
    31  BOCES  to  develop or improve career training programs that will partner
    32  with community colleges and business industries to train  middle  school
    33  or  high school students. In order to be eligible for a grant under this
    34  subdivision, such career training programs shall result in  high  school
    35  graduation  and  enrollment in a community college or participation in a
    36  RE-UP New York training or workforce development program. A  portion  of
    37  the  funding  for  the BOCES, community college and industry partnership
    38  may be funded by the participating business or industry.
    39    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.