Bill Text: NY S00974 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to training and education for sustainable wage jobs and traditional and non-traditional employment in public assistance employment programs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES [S00974 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S00974-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 974 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E January 7, 2015 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MONTGOMERY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to training and education for sustainable wage jobs and traditional and nontraditional employment in public assistance employment programs THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 330 of the social services law, as 2 amended by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the laws of 1997, 3 paragraphs a and b as amended by section 2 of part C of chapter 57 of 4 the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows: 5 1. Whenever used in this title: 6 a. the term "commissioner" means the commissioner of the state office 7 of temporary and disability assistance; [and] 8 b. the term "department" means the state office of temporary and disa- 9 bility assistance; 10 C. THE TERM "NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT" MEANS OCCUPATIONS OR FIELDS 11 OF WORK, INCLUDING CAREERS IN THE SKILLED TRADES, OR COMPUTER SCIENCE, 12 TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER EMERGING HIGH SKILL OCCUPATIONS, FOR WHICH ANY ONE 13 GENDER COMPRISES LESS THAN TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE INDIVIDUALS 14 EMPLOYED IN EACH SUCH OCCUPATION OR FIELD OF WORK ACCORDING TO FEDERAL 15 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STATISTICS; AND 16 D. THE TERM "SUSTAINABLE WAGE" MEANS A WAGE THAT IS AT LEAST ONE 17 HUNDRED EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE POVERTY LINE AND THAT IS ADJUSTED FOR 18 REGIONAL FACTORS. 19 S 2. The second undesignated paragraph of section 333 of the social 20 services law, as amended by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the 21 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows: 22 Such plan shall be developed in cooperation and coordination with 23 public and private education institutions, child care providers, child 24 care resource and referral agencies if available in the district, labor EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02221-01-5 S. 974 2 1 unions, libraries, public and private employers, employment and training 2 agencies and organizations, and private industry councils established in 3 service delivery areas defined in subdivision five of section nine 4 hundred seventy-one of the executive law. SUCH PLAN SHALL STRONGLY 5 CONSIDER, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE OBTAINED A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR A 6 GENERAL EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA (GED), TRAINING FOR SUSTAINABLE WAGE JOBS 7 AND PROMOTE NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCH PARTIC- 8 IPANTS; PROVIDED THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S PREPARATION FOR EMPLOYMENT SHALL 9 BE CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL AND STATE WORK PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS. 10 S 3. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 334 of the social 11 services law, as amended by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the 12 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows: 13 (a) education, employment and training opportunities available under 14 the local plan, including: (I) EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR SUSTAINABLE 15 WAGE JOBS AND NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES; AND (II) educa- 16 tional and training opportunities available at no cost to the partic- 17 ipant as well as the responsibilities associated with the repayment of 18 student financial aid; 19 S 4. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 335 of the social 20 services law, as amended by section 148 of part B of chapter 436 of the 21 laws of 1997, is amended to read as follows: 22 (a) Based on the assessment required by subdivision one of this 23 section, the social services official, in consultation with the partic- 24 ipant, shall develop an employability plan in writing which shall set 25 forth the services that will be provided by the social services offi- 26 cial, including but not limited to child care and other services and the 27 activities in which the participant will take part, including child care 28 and other services and shall set forth an employment goal for the 29 participant. To the extent possible, the employability plan shall 30 reflect the preferences of the participant in a manner that is consist- 31 ent with the results of the participant's assessment and the need of the 32 social services district to meet federal and state work activity partic- 33 ipation requirements, and, if such preferences cannot be accommodated, 34 the reasons shall be specified in the employability plan. The employa- 35 bility plan shall also take into account the participant's supportive 36 services needs, available program resources, local employment opportu- 37 nities, AND SHALL STRONGLY CONSIDER, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE OBTAINED A 38 HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR A GENERAL EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA (GED), THE POTEN- 39 TIAL FOR AVAILABLE EMPLOYMENT THAT PAYS A SUSTAINABLE WAGE; PROVIDED 40 THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S PREPARATION FOR EMPLOYMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT 41 WITH FEDERAL AND STATE WORK PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS; and where the 42 social services official is considering an educational activity assign- 43 ment for such participant, the participant's liability for student 44 loans, grants and scholarship awards. The employability plan shall be 45 explained to the participant. Any change to the participant's employa- 46 bility plan required by the social services official shall be discussed 47 with the participant and shall be documented in writing. 48 S 5. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 335-a of the social 49 services law, as amended by section 1 of part J of chapter 58 of the 50 laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows: 51 (a) Based on the assessment required by subdivision one of this 52 section, the social services official, in consultation with the partic- 53 ipant, shall develop an employability plan in writing which shall set 54 forth the services that will be provided by the social services official 55 and the activities in which the participant will take part, including 56 supportive services and shall set forth an employment goal for the S. 974 3 1 participant. To the extent possible, the employability plan shall 2 reflect the preferences of the participant in a manner that is consist- 3 ent with the results of the participant's assessment and the need of the 4 social services district to meet federal and state work activity partic- 5 ipation requirements, and, if such preferences cannot be accommodated, 6 the reasons shall be specified in the employability plan. The employa- 7 bility plan also shall take into account the participant's supportive 8 services needs, available program resources, local employment opportu- 9 nities, AND SHALL STRONGLY CONSIDER, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE OBTAINED A 10 HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR A GENERAL EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA (GED), THE POTEN- 11 TIAL FOR AVAILABLE EMPLOYMENT THAT PAYS A SUSTAINABLE WAGE; PROVIDED 12 THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S PREPARATION FOR EMPLOYMENT SHALL BE CONSISTENT 13 WITH FEDERAL AND STATE WORK PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS; and where the 14 social services official is considering an educational activity assign- 15 ment for such participant, the participant's liability for student 16 loans, grants and scholarship awards. The employability plan shall be 17 explained to the participant. Any change to the participant's employa- 18 bility plan required by the social services official shall be discussed 19 with the participant and shall be documented in writing. 20 S 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 21 it shall have become a law, and shall apply to employability plans made 22 or updated on and after such effective date.