Bill Text: VA HB1986 | 2015 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Workforce Development, Virginia Board of; changes to Board requirements, annual report.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-03-17 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0275) [HB1986 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2015-HB1986-Chaptered.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That §§2.2-435.7, 2.2-435.8, 2.2-2238.1, 2.2-2470, 2.2-2471, 2.2-2472, and 60.2-113 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 4.2 of Title 2.2 sections numbered 2.2-435.9 and 2.2-435.10 and by adding sections numbered 2.2-2471.1, 2.2-2472.1, and 2.2-2472.2 as follows: §2.2-435.7. Responsibilities of the Chief Workforce Development Advisor. A. The Governor's responsibilities 1. Developing a strategic plan for the statewide delivery of
workforce development and training programs and activities. The strategic plan
shall be developed in coordination with the development of the comprehensive
economic development policy required by §2.2-205. The strategic plan shall
include performance measures that link the objectives of such programs and
activities to the record of state agencies, local workforce 2. 3. Ensuring that the Commonwealth's workforce development efforts are implemented in a coordinated and efficient manner by, among other activities, taking appropriate executive action to this end and recommending to the General Assembly necessary legislative actions to streamline and eliminate duplication in such efforts; 4. Facilitating efficient implementation of workforce development and training programs by cabinet secretaries and agencies responsible for such programs; 5. Developing, in coordination with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, (i) certification standards for programs and providers and (ii) uniform policies and procedures, including standardized forms and applications, for one-stop centers; 6. Monitoring, in coordination with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, the effectiveness of each one-stop center and recommending actions needed to improve their effectiveness; 7. Establishing measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the
local workforce 8. Conducting annual evaluations of the performance of workforce development and training programs and activities and their administrators and providers, using the performance measures developed through the strategic planning process described in subdivision 1. The evaluations shall include, to the extent feasible, (i) a comparison of the per-person costs for each program or activity, (ii) a comparative rating of each program or activity based on its success in meeting program objectives, and (iii) an explanation of the extent to which each agency's appropriation requests incorporate the data reflected in the cost comparison described in clause (i) and the comparative rating described in clause (ii). These evaluations, including the comparative rankings, shall be considered in allocating resources for workforce development and training programs. These evaluations shall be submitted to the chairs of the House and Senate Commerce and Labor Committees and included in the biennial reports pursuant to subdivision 10; 9. Monitoring federal legislation and policy, in order to maximize the Commonwealth's effective use of and access to federal funding available for workforce development programs; and 10. Submitting biennial reports, which shall be included in the Governor's executive budget submissions to the General Assembly, on improvements in the coordination of workforce development efforts statewide. The reports shall identify (i) program success rates in relation to performance measures established by the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, (ii) obstacles to program and resource coordination, and (iii) strategies for facilitating statewide program and resource coordination. B. The Chief Workforce Development Advisor shall report to the Governor. §2.2-435.8. Workforce program evaluations; sharing of certain data. A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the agencies specified in subsection D may share data from within their respective databases solely to (i) provide the workforce program evaluation and policy analysis required by subdivision A 8 of §2.2-435.7 and clause (i) of subdivision A 10 of §2.2-435.7 and (ii) conduct education program evaluations that require employment outcomes data to meet state and federal reporting requirements. B. Data shared pursuant to subsection A shall not include any personal identifying information, shall be encrypted, and shall be transmitted to the Governor or his designee. Upon receipt of such data, the Governor or his designee shall re-encrypt the data to prevent any participating agency from connecting shared data sets with existing agency files. For the purposes of this section: 1. "Identifying information" means the same as that
term is defined in §18.2-186.3 2. "Encrypted" means the same as that term is defined in §18.2-186.6. C. The Governor or his designee and all agencies authorized under this section shall destroy or erase all shared data upon completion of all required evaluations and analyses. The Governor or his designee may retain a third-party entity to assist with the evaluation and analysis. D. The databases from the following agencies relating to the specific programs identified in this subsection may be shared solely to achieve the purposes specified in subsection A: 1. Virginia Employment Commission: Unemployment Insurance, Job Service, Trade Act, and Veterans Employment Training Programs; 2. Virginia Community College System: Postsecondary Career and
Technical Education, Workforce 3. Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services: Vocational Rehabilitation and Senior Community Services Employment Program; 4. Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired: Vocational Rehabilitation; 5. Department of Education: Adult Education and Family Literacy, Special Education, and Career and Technical Education; 6. Department of Labor and Industry: Apprenticeship; 7. Department of Social Services: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Virginia Initiative for Employment Not Welfare; 8. Virginia Economic Development Partnership: Virginia Jobs Investment Program; 9. Department of Juvenile Justice: Youth Industries and Institutional Work Programs and Career and Technical Education Programs; 10. Department of Corrections: Career and Technical Education Programs; and 11. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. §2.2-435.9. Annual report by publicly funded career and technical education and workforce development programs; performance on state-level metrics. Beginning November 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, each agency administering any publicly funded career and technical education and workforce development program shall submit to the Governor and the Virginia Board of Workforce Development a report detailing the program's performance against state-level metrics established by the Virginia Board of Workforce Development and the Chief Workforce Development Advisor. §2.2-435.10. Administration of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; memorandum of understanding; executive summaries. A. The Chief Workforce Development Advisor, the Commissioner of the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System shall enter into a memorandum of understanding that sets forth (i) the roles and responsibilities of each of these entities in administering a state workforce system and facilitating regional workforce systems that are business-driven, aligned with current and reliable labor market data, and targeted at providing participants with workforce credentials that have demonstrated value to employers and job seekers; (ii) a funding mechanism that adequately supports operations under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-128) (WIOA); and (iii) a procedure for the resolution of any disagreements that may arise concerning policy, funding, or administration of the WIOA. B. The Chief Workforce Development Advisor, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Virginia Community College System shall collaborate to produce an annual executive summary, no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly, of the interim activity undertaken to implement the memorandum of understanding described in subsection A and to administer the WIOA. §2.2-2238.1. Special economic development services in rural communities; strategic plan. A. In order to assist the rural communities of the
Commonwealth, the Authority B. The Authority, the Center for Rural Virginia, the Virginia
Department of Housing and Community Development, the Virginia Resources
Authority, the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, the
Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, the
Virginia Employment Commission, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia
Community College System, institutions of higher education within rural regions
of the Commonwealth, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
shall jointly develop and implement a rural economic development strategic plan
that at a minimum addresses: (i) education, including pre-kindergarten, primary,
secondary and post-graduate resources, and comprehensive workforce development
programs, as they may pertain to the Workforce §2.2-2470. Definitions. As used in this article: "Local workforce "One stop" means a conceptual approach to service delivery intended to provide a single point of access for receiving a wide range of workforce development and employment services, either on-site or electronically, through a single system. "One-stop center" means a physical site where "One-stop operator" means a single entity or
consortium of entities that operate a one-stop center or centers. Operators may
be public or private entities competitively selected
"WIOA" means the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-128). §2.2-2471. Virginia Board of Workforce Development; purpose; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; staff. A. The Virginia Board of Workforce Development (the Board) is
established as a policy board, within the meaning of §2.2-2100, in the
executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Board shall be to
assist and advise the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Chief Workforce
Development Advisor in meeting workforce B. The Board shall consist 1. 2. The Governor or his designee who shall be selected from
among the cabinet-level officials appointed to the Board pursuant to
subdivision 3; 3. The Secretaries of Commerce and Trade, Education,
Health and Human Resources, and Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, or
their designees, each of whom shall serve ex officio; 4. The Chancellor of the Virginia Community College
System or his designee, who shall serve
6. Two representatives nominated by state labor
federations and appointed by the Governor; and 7. Fourteen nonlegislative citizen members representing
the business community appointed by the Governor, to include the
presidents of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Manufacturers
Association, one representative of proprietary employment training schools, C.
1. Legislative members appointed in accordance with subdivision B 1 shall receive such compensation and reimbursement of expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§2.2-2813, 2.2-2825, and 30-19.12. 2. Members of the Board appointed in accordance with subdivision B 2, B 3, or B 4 shall not receive compensation but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. 3. Members of the Board appointed in accordance with
subdivision B Funding for the costs of compensation and expenses of the
members shall be provided from federal funds received under the
§2.2-2471.1. Executive Director; staff support. A. Board staffing shall be led by a full-time Executive Director to be supervised by the Chief Workforce Development Advisor. Additional staff support, including staffing of standing committees, may include other directors or coordinators of relevant education and workforce programs as requested by the Chief Workforce Development Advisor and as in-kind support to the Board from agencies administering workforce programs. B. The Chief Workforce Development Advisor shall enter into a written agreement with agencies administering workforce programs regarding supplemental staff support to Board committees and other logistical support for the Board. Such written agreements shall be provided to members of the Board upon request. Funding for a full-time Executive Director position shall be provided by the WIOA, and such position shall be dedicated to the support of the Board's operations and outcomes and the Board's operational budget as agreed upon and referenced in a written agreement between the Chief Workforce Development Advisor and the agencies administering workforce programs. §2.2-2472. Powers and duties of the Board; Virginia Workforce System created. A. The Board shall implement a Virginia Workforce System that shall undertake the following actions to implement and foster workforce development and training and better align education and workforce programs to meet current and projected skills requirements of an increasingly technological, global workforce: 1. Provide policy advice to the Governor on workforce and workforce development issues in order to create a business-driven system that yields increasing rates of attainment of workforce credentials in demand by business and increasing rates of jobs creation and attainment; 2. Provide policy direction to local workforce 3. 4.
8. Develop
B. The Board may establish such committees as it deems necessary including the following: 1. A committee to accomplish the federally mandated
requirements of the 2. An advanced technology committee to focus on high-technology workforce training needs and skills attainment solutions through sector strategies, career readiness, and career pathways; 3. A performance and accountability committee to coordinate
with the Virginia Employment Commission, the State Council of Higher
Education for Virginia, the Virginia Community College System, and the
Council on Virginia's Future to develop the metrics and measurements for
publishing comprehensive workforce score cards and other longitudinal data that
will enable the Virginia Workforce 4. A military transition assistance committee to focus on C. The Board and the Governor's cabinet secretaries shall
assist the Governor in complying with the provisions of the D. The Board shall assist the Governor in the following areas
with respect to workforce development: development of The Board shall share information regarding its meetings and activities with the public. E. Each local workforce
F. Each workforce development board shall develop and execute a strategic plan designed to combine public and private resources to support sector strategies, career pathways, and career readiness skills development. Such initiatives shall include or address (i) a regional vision for workforce development; (ii) protocols for planning workforce strategies that anticipate industry needs; (iii) the needs of incumbent and underemployed workers in the region; (iv) the development of partners and guidelines for various forms of on-the-job training, such as registered apprenticeships; (v) the setting of standards and metrics for operational delivery; (vi) alignment of monetary and other resources, including private funds and in-kind contributions, to support the workforce development system; and (vii) the generation of new sources of funding to support workforce development in the region. G. Local workforce development boards are encouraged to implement pay-for-performance contract strategy incentives for rapid reemployment services consistent within the WIOA as an alternative model to traditional programs. Such incentives shall focus on (i) partnerships that lead to placements of eligible job seekers in unsubsidized employment and (ii) placement in unsubsidized employment for hard-to-serve job seekers. At the discretion of the local workforce development board, funds to the extent permissible under §§ 128(b) and 133(b) of the WIOA may be allocated for pay-for-performance partnerships. H. Each chief local elected official shall consult with
the Governor regarding designation of local workforce
1. Programs authorized under Title I of the 2. Programs authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. §49 et seq.); 3. Adult education and literacy activities authorized under
Title II of the 4. Programs authorized under Title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. §720 et seq.); 5. Postsecondary career and technical education activities authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (20 U.S.C. §2301 et seq.); 6. Activities authorized under Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. §2271 et seq.); 7. Activities pertaining to employment and training programs for veterans authorized under 38 U.S.C. §4100 et seq.; 8. Programs authorized under Title 60.2, in accordance with applicable federal law; 9. Workforce development activities or work requirements of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program known in Virginia as the Virginia Initiative for Employment, Not Welfare (VIEW) program established pursuant to §63.2-608; 10. Workforce development activities or work programs
authorized under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. §2011 et seq.); 11. Other programs or activities as required by the 12. Programs authorized under Title I of the WIOA. J. The quorum for a meeting of a local workforce development board shall consist of a majority of both the private sector and public sector members. Each local workforce development board shall share information regarding its meetings and activities with the public.
§2.2-2472.1. Regional convener designation required; development of regional workforce pipelines and training solutions. A. As used in this section, "regional convener" means the local workforce development board having responsibility for coordinating business, economic development, labor, regional planning commissions, education at all levels, and human services organizations to focus on community workforce issues and the development of solutions to current and prospective business needs for a skilled labor force at the regional level. B. As a condition of receiving WIOA funds, each local workforce development board shall either be designated as the regional convener for the WIOA region or enter into a memorandum of agreement supporting the public or private entity identified as serving as the regional convener. C. Each regional convener shall develop, in collaboration with other workforce development entities in the region, a local plan for employer engagement. The plan shall (i) specify the policies and protocols to be followed by all of the region's workforce development entities when engaging the region's employers, (ii) address how the region's workforce entities will involve employers in the formation of new workforce development initiatives, and (iii) identify what activities will be undertaken to address employers' specific workforce needs. Each region's plan should be reviewed by the Virginia Board of Workforce Development, and the board should recommend changes to the plans to ensure consistency across regions. §2.2-2472.2. Minimum levels of fiscal support from WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds by local workforce development boards; incentives. A. Each local workforce development board shall allocate a minimum of 40 percent of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds to training services as defined under §134(c)(3)(D) of the WIOA that lead to recognized postsecondary education and workforce credentials aligned with in-demand industry sectors or occupations in the local area or region. Beginning October 1, 2016, and biannually thereafter, the Chief Workforce Development Advisor shall submit a report to the Board evaluating the rate of the expenditure of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds under this section. B. Failure by a local workforce development board to meet the required training expenditure percentage requirement shall result in sanctions, to increase in severity for each year of noncompliance. These sanctions may include corrective action plans; ineligibility to receive state-issued awards, additional WIOA incentives, or sub-awards; the recapturing and reallocation of a percentage of the local area board's Adult and Dislocated Worker funds; or for boards with recurring noncompliance, development of a reorganization plan through which the Governor would appoint and certify a new local board. C. The Virginia Community College System, in consultation with the Governor, shall develop a formula providing for 30 percent of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds reserved by the Governor for statewide activities to be used solely for providing incentives to postsecondary workforce training institutions through local workforce development boards to accelerate the increase of workforce credential attainment by participants. Fiscal incentive awards provided under this section must be expended on training activities that lead participants to a postsecondary education or workforce credential that is aligned with in-demand industry sectors or occupations within each local workforce area. Apprenticeship-related instruction shall be included as a qualifying training under this subsection if such instruction is provided through a postsecondary education institution. §60.2-113. Employment stabilization. The Commission shall take all necessary steps through its appropriate divisions and with the advice of such advisory boards and committees as it may have to: 1. Establish a viable labor exchange system to promote maximum employment for the Commonwealth of Virginia with priority given to those workers drawing unemployment benefits; 2. Provide Virginia State Job Service services, as described
in this title, according to the provisions of the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C.
49f), as amended by the Workforce 3. Maintain a solvent trust fund financed through equitable employer taxes that provide temporary partial income replacement to involuntarily unemployed covered workers; 4. Coordinate and conduct labor market information research studies, programs and operations, including the development, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information on the social and economic aspects of the Commonwealth and publish data needed by employers, economic development, education and training entities, government and other users in the public and private sectors; 5. Determine and publish a list of jobs, trades, and professions for which a high demand of qualified workers exists or is projected by the Commission. The Commission shall consult with the Virginia Board of Workforce Development in making such determination. Such information shall be published biennially and disseminated to employers; education and training entities, including public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education; government agencies, including the Department of Education and public libraries; and other users in the public and private sectors; 6. Prepare official short and long-range population projections for the Commonwealth for use by the General Assembly and state agencies with programs which involve or necessitate population projections; 7. Encourage and assist in the adoption of practical methods of vocational guidance, training and retraining; and 8. Establish the Interagency Migrant Worker Policy Committee, comprised of representatives from appropriate state agencies, including the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, whose services and jurisdictions involve migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their employees. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall be required to cooperate with the Committee upon request. 2. That on October 1, 2017, the Executive Director of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development shall provide members of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development with a detailed report evaluating the rate of the expenditures for incentives established under subsection C of §2.2-2472.2, as created by this act, from July 1, 2015, through July 1, 2017. |