legislation: 103-s-2516
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| 103-s-2516 | 103 | s | 2516 | Job Training Consolidation and Reform Act | Labor and Employment | 1994-10-06 | 1994-10-06 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. | Senate | Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] | MA | D | K000105 | 0 | TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal Responsibilities Title II: State Responsibilities Title III: Local Responsibilities Title IV: Consolidation Title V: Integrated Labor Market Information System Job Training Consolidation and Reform Act - Consolidates and revises Federal job training programs to create a workforce development system. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations. Title I: Federal Responsibilities - Establishes the National Workforce Development Board (the Board). (Sec. 101) Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) to repeal the establishment of the National Commission for Employment Policy. Replaces references to such Commission with references to the Board. Requires the Board to issue a biennial National Workforce Strategic Plan (Federal Blueprint). Directs the Board also to: (1) provide congressional testimony; (2) make recommendations on measures (including tax code changes) to encourage employers and workers to invest in training and skills upgrading and employers to hire and train hard-to-serve individuals; (3) review implementation and incentive grant proposals; (4) coordinate with the National Skill Standards Board; and (5) make final recommendations in the form of a joint resolution to the President and the Congress. (Sec. 102) Requires the Board to prepare an annual report to be known as the Nation's Workforce Development Report Card (National Report Card) which shall assess the U.S. workforce development system performance and evaluate all workforce development programs that receive Federal funding. (Sec. 103) Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to make grants to applicant States to: (1) develop strategic plans for development of comprehensive statewide integrated workforce development systems; and (2) if they are leading edge States, implement such systems. Directs the Secretary to use specified information clearinghouses and other entities to: (1) collect and disseminate information to help States and localities to streamline and reform their job training systems; and (2) facilitate exchange of information and ideas among States and localities carrying out job training reform initiatives. Requires the Board to determine whether any proposed Federal job training legislation complies with data reporting, common definitions, and common funding cycles provisions under this Act. Makes it out of order for the Senate or House of Representatives to consider any bill or resolution concerning workforce development that would not comply with the national workforce development system, as determined by the Board. Requires a three-fifths affirmative vote to waive or suspend such requirement in the Senate or House. (Sec. 104) Directs the President to establish an expedited process to consider and act on requests by States for waivers of laws and regulations for specified programs for: (1) two years to facilitate provision of assistance for workforce development, for States not receiving implementation grants; or (2) the duration of the implementation grant, for States receiving such grants. (Sec. 105) Establishes a quality assurance system. Directs the Secretaries of Labor, of Education, and of Health and Human Services to jointly develop common terms and definitions and a placement accountability system and adjust existing program performance standards. Directs the Board to recommend a system of performance standards in its joint resolution to the Congress that includes standard outcome measures relating to employment, job retention, earnings, and nonemployment outcome measures (such as learning and competency gains). Requires each workforce development program that receives Federal funds to collect, and report to the Governor and State Council, specified information relating to each participant's: (1) quarterly employment status and earnings for one year after no longer receiving program assistance; (2) economic and demographic characteristics; (3) services received and spending for them; (4) program outcomes; and (5) other data that may be added as the Board develops other standard definitions. Requires that program monitoring under these provisions supplant existing monitoring and reporting requirements for program participants. Directs each Federal department and agency with responsibility for a workforce development program to report to the Board on its progress in adopting common terms and definitions for program participants, service activities, and outcomes by program operators and grant recipients. Requires each workforce development program receiving Federal funds to use the common terms and definitions. Directs the Board to make recommendations to: (1) the Secretaries and heads of other agencies operating workforce development programs, on common definitions for other terms; and (2) the Congress, on legislative action if any of the proposed common definitions require amendment to existing laws. Establishes a placement accountability system for all federally funded workforce development programs. Requires each such program to: (1) monitor its own performance by measuring quarterly employment status and earnings of each participant for one year after he or she no longer receives program assistance; and (2) provide required information on participants, to be matched by information from the State agency for labor market information which shall be reimbursed by the requesting program with Federal funds. Directs the State agency to submit the results of the matching to the State Council. Requires the Governor to ensure submission of matched data to the State Council, the Board, the Secretary (of Labor), and other Federal entities. Requires that such program quality assurance information be made available to the State Council, local workforce development boards in the State, and consumers of labor market information. Requires all federally funded workforce development programs to be funded on a consistent funding cycle basis. Directs the Board to make recommendations to the Congress on the appropriate funding cycle. Title II: State Responsibilities - Requires each State desiring to participate in development of an integrated and accountable workforce development system to: (1) establish a State Workforce Development Council (State Council); or (2) have an existing entity similar to a State Council that includes representatives of employers and workers. Directs each State Council to: (1) serve as principal advisory board to the Governor for all programs in the State's integrated workforce development system; and (2) assume the functions and responsibilities of councils and commissions required under Federal law that are part of such system. (Sec. 204) Directs the State Council to assist the Governor in: (1) preparing a biennial State Workforce Development Policy Blueprint and an annual State Workforce Development Report Card; and (2) certifying each local workforce development board, as well as recommending criteria to judge such local boards' effectiveness. (Sec. 205) Requires the State Council to develop a quality assurance system to complement and expand upon the one established under title I, in order to provide customers of job training services with consumer reprts on the supply, demand, price, and quality of job training services in each unified service delivery area in the State. Directs each State to select tools and measures appropriate to its needs, including: (1) collecting and organizing service provider performance data; and (2) conducting surveys to ascertain customer satisfaction. Directs the State Council, with the local workforce development boards, to establish mechanisms for collecting and disseminating the quality assurance information to individuals seeking employment, employers, Federal, State, and local policymakers, and training and education providers. Requires each public and private education, training, and career development service provider receiving Federal funds under a program in a State integrated system to collect and provide the quality assurance information. (Sec. 206) Sets forth State Council authorities, including funding and operating special projects for research or improvement of system performance. (Sec. 207) Directs State Councils to make recommendations to Governors for establishment of unified service delivery areas (SDAs). Requires States receiving implementation grants to establish unified SDAs to provide community-wide workforce development assistance in one-stop career centers. Requires consideration of existing labor market areas, local governments, and SDAs under JTPA, as well as distance traveled by individuals to receive services. Allows merger of existing SDAs. Prohibits approval of a total number of such unified SDAs greater than that of the existing SDAs in the State. (Sec. 208) Requires each State to use a portion of its development grant to design a unified financial and management information system. Directs each State receiving an implementation grant to require all programs in the integrated system to use such unified financial and management information system. Sets forth requirements for such systems. (Sec. 209) Requires each State, from its development or implementation grant, to develop a strategy to enhance capacity of institutions, organizations, and staff involved in State and local workforce development activities by providing certain types of services. (Sec. 210) Provides that the Governor of each State implementing an integrated workforce development system: (1) may adjust existing performance standards for programs in such system, using criteria including specified factors; and (2) shall, within parameters established by the Board, prescribe adjustments to such performance criteria for unified SDAs based on specified factors. Requires such developed performance criteria to be used in lieu of similar criteria for programs receiving Federal funding included in the State's integrated system, to the extent determined by the State Council subject to Board approval. Title III: Local Responsibilities - Requires the local elected officials of each unified SDA, in each State receiving an implementation grant (except any with a single unified SDA with contiguous borders), to establish a workforce development board (local board) to administer the workforce development provided by all programs in the integrated workforce development system in such area. (Sec. 302) Requires each local board to report to the State Council a biennial workforce development board policy blueprint. (Sec. 303) Requires each local board to submit to the State Council an annual unified SDA report card. (Sec. 304) Requires each local board receiving funds under an implementation grant to develop and implement a network of one-stop career centers in its unified SDA to provide jobseekers, workers, and businesses universal access to a comprehensive array of quality employment, education, and training services. Requires selection of a method for such establishment consistent with specified criteria. Makes eligible for selection as a one-stop career center each entity within the unified SDA that performs specified brokerage services for individuals and employers. Prohibits any entity that performs one-stop career center functions from making an education and training referral to itself, but allows waivers of this prohibition under certain conditions. Allows each one-stop career center to charge fees for certain brokerage services to employers, subject to local board approval. Requires each such center to: (1) adopt core data elements and common definitions; and (2) enter into an operating agreement with the local board. (Sec. 305) Directs each local board to submit annual progress reports to the State Council. (Sec. 306) Requires each local board to identify capacity building actions to be taken for the workforce development system in its unified SDA. Directs the State Council to make funds available to each local board for capacity building building activities from implementation grant funds and other funds within the State's integrated workforce development budget. Lists types of capacity building activities. (Sec. 307) Establishes a program of incentive grants for incumbent worker training, consisting of competitive matching grants to local boards to respond to the training needs of front-line workers in their communities. Sets forth provisions for applications, selection of grantees by the Secretary according to certain criteria, authorized uses of funds, and Federal and local matching shares of funding. Title IV: Consolidation - Provides for consolidation of the system of federally funded employment training services available to jobseekers, workers, and businesses. (Sec. 401) Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) any budget savings realized through elimination or consolidation or sunsetting of such programs should be reinvested in the national job training (or workforce development) system; and (2) elimination or merging of programs should be done without reducing the Federal commitment or level of effort to improve education, employment, and earnings of all workers, particularly hard-to-serve individuals, including those with limited-English proficiency and others with special needs. (Sec. 402) Directs the Board to study and report to the President and the Congress on how best to integrate specified programs for in-school-and out-of-school youth under various Federal laws with those under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. (Sec. 403) Directs the board to advise on consolidation of workforce development progrms through: (1) recommendations to the President and the Congress for the elimination of Federal workforce development programs, or programs whose functions should be subsumed under other Federal programs; (2) a report and recommendations for proposed reforms to specified congressional committees based on its analysis of the experience of leading edge States and the progress toward establishing an integrated workforce development system; and (3) a draft of a joint resolution to the Congress with provisions to develop a streamlined, integrated, federally supported workforce development system, from listed programs and any other appropriate Federal program (including recommendations for standard program measures and a description of how the new system will maintain services to hard-to-serve populations). (Sec. 404) Requires any State receiving an implementation grant to include specified programs under various Federal laws (mandatory integrated programs) in its reformed delivery system. Allows any such State to include specified additional programs (optional integrated programs) under various Federal laws in its reformed delivery system. (Sec. 405) Repeals the provisons of various Federal laws for the listed mandatory integrated programs. Title V: Integrated Labor Market Information System - Directs the Secretary to oversee and ensure development, maintenance, and continued improvement of: (1) a nationwide integrated system of labor market information that will serve specified functions, include certain information, use common standards, and make certain data and information available to the Board and to consumers in automated delivery systems; and (2) certain mechanisms and programs for dissemination, technical assistance, and research. (Sec. 502) Directs the Board to plan, review, and evaluate the national integrated labor market information system. (Sec. 503) Requires the Secretary to: (1) manage the investment in an integrated labor market information on system in a specified manner; and (2) submit an annual plan for improving such system to the Board for review and recommendations, and to the President and the Congress. (Sec. 504) Directs each Governor and State Council to designate one State agency to be responsible for: (1) managing and overseeing a statewide integrated labor market information system; and (2) developing an annual State unified labor market information budget. Conditions Federal financial assistance under this title on the Governor or State Council carrying out other specified functions with respect to labor market information. Provides that the State agency is not limited by this Act from conducting additional data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities with funds derived from sources other than this Act. | 2025-08-26T13:49:43Z |