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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, KITCHEN, KASUNIC, GORDNER, ERICKSON, FONTANA, WOZNIAK, ARGALL, M. WHITE, RAFFERTY, WASHINGTON, BREWSTER, SOLOBAY, TARTAGLIONE AND BOSCOLA, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 |
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| REFERRED TO AGING AND YOUTH, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Providing for the establishment, implementation and |
2 | administration of a comprehensive retiree welfare-to-work |
3 | mentoring program for certain individuals; and imposing |
4 | additional powers and duties on the Department of Aging. |
5 | The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: |
6 | (1) Nationally, employment retention and job advancement |
7 | for former welfare clients and other low-wage workers has |
8 | become a major focus in work force development. |
9 | (2) Mentoring provides an avenue for job advancement for |
10 | those clients so that they can continue to not only be |
11 | productive but also to enjoy prosperity and stay on the job. |
12 | (3) The Retiree Mentoring Works Program is advantageous |
13 | for business and government because it addresses problems on |
14 | the employment site, thereby alleviating costly turnover for |
15 | companies, and because it ensures job retention so welfare |
16 | rolls may be reduced. |
17 | (4) By giving benefits to employers, they are made part |
18 | owners in a program that is helping solve America's pressing |
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1 | problem of transitioning people from welfare to work and that |
2 | ensures that those people will remain productive, independent |
3 | Americans with pride and dignity. |
4 | (5) In essence, retiree mentors pragmatically teach |
5 | welfare clients to fight their war on poverty by working |
6 | their way to prosperity. |
7 | (6) The Kansas Welfare to Work Senior Mentoring |
8 | Initiative, known as "Mentoring Works," has been |
9 | exceptionally effective, exceeding planned enrollment and job |
10 | placement goals, generating enthusiastic interest among |
11 | employers and moving individuals from welfare to work. The |
12 | program has received an award from the United States |
13 | Committee for the Celebration of the United Nations |
14 | International Year of Older Persons 1999-United States |
15 | Committee's National Awards for Excellence in Aging Programs. |
16 | The United States Department of Labor named the program the |
17 | winner of the 1999 "Architect of Change Award" for what labor |
18 | defines as "the most innovative and forward thinking program |
19 | in the workforce development system." |
20 | (7) Pennsylvania is fortunate to have the second largest |
21 | percentage of older persons in the country and inherent in |
22 | that distinction is the deep well of knowledge and expertise |
23 | found in this Commonwealth's population of retired |
24 | individuals. It is incumbent upon the General Assembly, |
25 | therefore, to utilize the valuable network of retired |
26 | Pennsylvanians who may be willing to share their knowledge |
27 | and expertise for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. |
28 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
29 | hereby enacts as follows: |
30 | Section 1. Short title. |
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1 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania |
2 | Retiree Mentoring Works Program Act. |
3 | Section 2. Definitions. |
4 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
5 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
6 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
7 | "Client." A resident of this Commonwealth who receives or |
8 | has received welfare payments or who is a low-wage worker. |
9 | "Department." The Department of Aging of the Commonwealth. |
10 | "Program." The Pennsylvania Retiree Mentoring Works Program |
11 | established by this act. |
12 | Section 3. Pennsylvania Retiree Mentoring Works Program. |
13 | (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established within the |
14 | department a demonstration program to be known as the |
15 | Pennsylvania Retiree Mentoring Works Program. The purpose of the |
16 | program shall be to provide mentoring services to assist |
17 | individuals who are transitioning from welfare or who are low- |
18 | wage workers to find and retain employment. |
19 | (b) Mentors.--The department shall select retired |
20 | individuals who are 55 years of age or older to serve as mentors |
21 | in the program. The mentors shall assist clients in removing |
22 | barriers that have been major obstacles to finding and retaining |
23 | quality employment in rural, urban and suburban regions of this |
24 | Commonwealth. |
25 | Section 4. Powers and duties of the Department of Aging. |
26 | (a) Mentor recruitment and training.--The department shall |
27 | establish a process for recruiting quality retiree mentors, |
28 | training those mentors and purchasing the needed technology to |
29 | make the program operational. |
30 | (b) Funding opportunities.--The department may seek |
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1 | potential funding opportunities in the form of grants through |
2 | government agencies as well as private sector dollars to fund |
3 | the program. |
4 | (c) Interagency cooperation.--The department shall work in |
5 | cooperation with the Team PA Workforce Investment Board, the |
6 | Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of Public |
7 | Welfare to ensure the success of this program. The program shall |
8 | act as a resource to the retention, advancement and rapid re- |
9 | employment services of the Department of Public Welfare. |
10 | (d) Local cooperation.--The department shall work in |
11 | cooperation with the designated area agencies established in |
12 | section 2206-A of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), |
13 | known as The Administrative Code of 1929, to provide local |
14 | involvement in the program. |
15 | (e) Annual report.--The department shall prepare and submit |
16 | an annual report to the General Assembly on the program. The |
17 | report shall include pertinent information regarding the |
18 | effectiveness of the program, as well as findings and |
19 | recommendations for changes that may be deemed necessary to |
20 | improve the program's outcome. |
21 | Section 5. Responsibilities of mentors. |
22 | Retiree mentors shall volunteer with the department and shall |
23 | work as advisors, counselors and teachers to welfare clients, |
24 | former welfare clients and other low-wage workers in one-on-one |
25 | scenarios where they cover topics on job-seeking and job-keeping |
26 | skills, work ethic, responsibility as a trusted employee and the |
27 | difference between wants and needs. |
28 | Section 6. Rules and regulations. |
29 | The department shall develop and promulgate rules and |
30 | regulations necessary to provide for the administration of the |
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1 | program, no later than six months after the effective date of |
2 | this section. Implementation of the program shall commence no |
3 | later than six months following final approval of the |
4 | regulations. |
5 | Section 7. Program expiration. |
6 | The program shall remain in effect from the effective date of |
7 | this section through the close of the third full year of |
8 | operation. |
9 | Section 20. Effective date. |
10 | This act shall take effect immediately. |
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