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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES, COSTA, STACK, FONTANA, MUSTO, ERICKSON, O'PAKE, WILLIAMS, WASHINGTON, FARNESE, KITCHEN, BOSCOLA, LOGAN AND MELLOW, APRIL 20, 2010 |
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| REFERRED TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, APRIL 20, 2010 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Establishing the Job Creation Program and providing for funding. |
2 | The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: |
3 | (1) In the aftermath of the 2008 economic downturn, |
4 | thousands of individuals have been laid off through the |
5 | closing of businesses or the downsizing of companies. |
6 | (2) Individuals who were unemployed prior to this |
7 | economic downturn have had an even more difficult time |
8 | finding employment due to the larger number of persons |
9 | looking for jobs. |
10 | (3) Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is the highest it |
11 | has been in 25 years. |
12 | (4) Increasing unemployment has resulted in more persons |
13 | applying for government benefits in order to take care of |
14 | their families. |
15 | (5) Creation of jobs will provide for economic growth, |
16 | along with stability within the family unit. |
17 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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1 | hereby enacts as follows: |
2 | Section 1. Short title. |
3 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Job Creation |
4 | Program Act. |
5 | Section 2. Definitions. |
6 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
7 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
8 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
9 | "Community-based agency." A private, nonprofit organization |
10 | that is representative of a community or a significant segment |
11 | of a community that is engaged in meeting human, educational or |
12 | environmental community needs. The term shall include community |
13 | development corporations, neighborhood groups and organizations, |
14 | union-related organizations, employer-related nonprofit |
15 | organizations, organizations operating career intern or literacy |
16 | programs, educational or religious institutions and other |
17 | nonprofit organizations. |
18 | "Department." The Department of Labor and Industry of the |
19 | Commonwealth. |
20 | "Program." The Job Creation Program established under |
21 | section 3. |
22 | "Qualified individual." An individual who meets one of the |
23 | following: |
24 | (1) Is ineligible for unemployment or chronically |
25 | unemployed. |
26 | (2) Has exhausted their unemployment compensation |
27 | benefits. |
28 | "TANF." The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program |
29 | under the Social Security Act (49 Stat. 620, 42 U.S.C. § 301 et |
30 | seq.). |
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1 | Section 3. Job Creation Program. |
2 | (a) Establishment.--The Job Creation Program is established |
3 | within the department to provide grants to community-based |
4 | agencies to provide funding to hire qualified unemployed |
5 | individuals for subsidized employment. |
6 | (b) Rates and hours.--The following shall apply: |
7 | (1) Qualified individuals may be employed for no more |
8 | than nine months at an hourly rate of $10 per hour or the |
9 | rate required by a local ordinance, whichever is higher. |
10 | (2) The maximum number of hours for each individual |
11 | employed under the program shall be 30 hours per week for no |
12 | more than nine months. |
13 | (c) Eligibility.--An individual shall be eligible if the |
14 | person is unemployed and has exhausted all of his unemployment |
15 | benefits. The receipt of TANF benefits shall not preclude |
16 | eligibility. |
17 | (d) Chronic unemployment.--Individuals who are identified as |
18 | chronically unemployed by the department shall be given priority |
19 | in terms of employment under the program. |
20 | Section 4. Powers and duties of department. |
21 | The department shall have the following powers and duties: |
22 | (1) In coordination with the Department of Public |
23 | Welfare, to apply for Federal and State money available to |
24 | the Commonwealth for job creation purposes to be used for the |
25 | program. |
26 | (2) To develop a methodology for the distribution of |
27 | funds to community-based agencies that apply for the program. |
28 | (3) To establish procedures for community-based agencies |
29 | to apply for the funds available under this act. |
30 | (4) To require all community-based agencies applying for |
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1 | funds to provide the necessary counseling and job training to |
2 | individuals hired for the jobs. |
3 | (5) To provide a report within six months from the |
4 | effective date of this section to the chairman and minority |
5 | chairman of the Labor and Industry Committee of the Senate |
6 | and the chairman and minority chairman of the Labor Relations |
7 | Committee of the House of Representatives, which shall |
8 | provide an update on the increase in jobs with the |
9 | implementation of this act. The report shall be made |
10 | available for public inspection and posted on the |
11 | department's publicly accessible Internet website. |
12 | Section 5. Labor standards. |
13 | No work assignment under this act shall result in any of the |
14 | following: |
15 | (1) The displacement of a currently employed worker, |
16 | including any of the following: |
17 | (i) A reduction in the hours of nonovertime work, |
18 | wages or employment benefits. |
19 | (ii) The filling of a vacant, established position. |
20 | (2) Assignment of a participant to a position if another |
21 | individual is on layoff from the same or an equivalent |
22 | position or if the employer has terminated the employment of |
23 | a regular employee or otherwise reduced its workforce with |
24 | the effect of filling the vacancy created with a participant |
25 | or without the prior approval of the applicable labor union |
26 | at a worksite employing union workers. |
27 | (3) Infringement of the promotional opportunities of a |
28 | currently employed individual. |
29 | (4) Replacement of a striker or lockout worker. |
30 | Section 6. Funding. |
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1 | No more than 83% of the funds in the Tobacco Product Tax |
2 | Account shall be used to fund the program. |
3 | Section 20. Effective date. |
4 | This act shall take effect immediately. |
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