Assembly Bill A1011A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  1011--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 7, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  BRONSON,  STIRPE,  WALLACE  -- read once and
   referred to the Committee on  Economic  Development  --  reported  and
   referred  to  the  Committee  on  Ways and Means -- recommitted to the
   Committee on Ways and Means in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2
   -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered  reprinted  as  amended
   and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in
   relation  to  the  creation  of  the strategic investment in workforce
   development program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting
 the New York state urban development  corporation  act,  is  amended  by
 adding a new section 58 to read as follows:
   §  58.  STRATEGIC  INVESTMENT IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 1. PURSUANT TO
 THIS SECTION THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED  WITHIN  THE  CORPORATION,  THE
 STRATEGIC  INVESTMENT  IN  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY AND
 ADDRESS WORKFORCE NEEDS THROUGHOUT  THE  STATE.  THE  CORPORATION  SHALL
 COLLABORATE  WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF LABOR, THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC
 DEVELOPMENT, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, THE  CITY  UNIVERSITY  OF
 NEW  YORK,  AND  THE  STATE  EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO
 ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS WITHIN AMOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR THE  STRATEGIC  INVEST-
 MENTS  IN  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND SHALL IDENTIFY THE TRAINING
 NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES AND PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES; IDENTIFY  AREAS
 OF  THE STATE OR SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES WHERE A SHORTAGE OF A SKILLED WORK-
 FORCE IS IMPACTING THE ABILITY OF THOSE AREAS OF THE STATE OR INDUSTRIES
 TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE AND INNOVATIVE; IDENTIFY  METHODS  AND  MODELS  TO
 TRAIN  AND  EMPLOY YOUTH WORKERS; AND IDENTIFY WAYS TO SERVE PROSPECTIVE
 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED. THE  STRATEGIC
 INVESTMENT  IN  WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SHALL UTILIZE THE INFORMA-
 TION  GATHERED  TO  TARGET  WORKFORCE  TRAINING  ACTIVITIES,  EMPLOYMENT
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05240-03-1
              

 A. 1011--A                          2
 
 CREDENTIALS OR CERTIFICATE OPPORTUNITIES, AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
 TO MEET THE IDENTIFIED NEEDS AND TO PROVIDE NECESSARY TRAINING AND SKILL
 DEVELOPMENT  PROGRAMS  TO  YOUTH  AND  INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED OR
 UNDEREMPLOYED.
   2.  ELIGIBLE  APPLICANTS  SHALL  INCLUDE  AN EMPLOYER OR CONSORTIUM OF
 EMPLOYERS IN CONJUNCTION WITH A LABOR ORGANIZATION, A NOT-FOR-PROFIT, AN
 EDUCATIONAL ENTITY OR A PROGRAM OR NETWORK THAT  PROVIDES  TRAINING  AND
 SKILL  DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUTH OR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED OR UNDER-
 EMPLOYED.   AN ENTITY THAT WORKS  DIRECTLY  WITH  EMPLOYERS  TO  PROVIDE
 TRAINING OR RETRAINING, PARTICULARLY IN HIGH-SKILL OCCUPATIONS OR INDUS-
 TRIES,  OR  AN ENTITY THAT SEEKS TO PROMOTE AND FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOP-
 MENT AND JOB GROWTH SHALL ALSO  BE  CONSIDERED  AN  ELIGIBLE  APPLICANT.
 ELIGIBLE  APPLICANTS  SHALL  DEMONSTRATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH EDUCATIONAL
 PROGRAMS AND ENTITIES THAT ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES  OR
 PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, PARTICULARLY YOUTH, UNSKILLED WORKERS, UNEMPLOYED
 INDIVIDUALS OR UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS.
   3.  (A) ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE CORPORATION TO ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS,
 MAY BE USED FOR THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH STRATEGIC  WORKFORCE  DEVELOP-
 MENT  TRAINING  AND  SKILLS DEVELOPMENT. SUCH COSTS MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE
 NOT LIMITED TO, CLASSROOM TRAINING,  ON  THE  JOB  TRAINING,  CURRICULUM
 DEVELOPMENT, AND TRAINING MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH ON THE JOB TRAINING,
 SKILLS  UPGRADING,  SKILLS  RETRAINING,  AND  BASIC SKILLS TRAINING THAT
 LEADS TO OBTAINING APPROPRIATE CERTIFICATIONS OR DEGREES FROM ACCREDITED
 INSTITUTIONS; AND
   (B) THE CORPORATION SHALL ENSURE THAT NOT LESS THAN TWENTY PERCENT  OF
 THE  PROGRAM  FUNDS  ARE  USED  IN SUPPORT OF PROJECTS THAT ASSIST SMALL
 BUSINESSES AS DEFINED IN SECTION ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE OF THE  ECONOMIC
 DEVELOPMENT LAW AND MINORITY- AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES.
   4. (A) THE CORPORATION SHALL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE BY JUNE THIRTI-
 ETH,  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE AND ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, IDENTIFYING THE
 ENTITIES RECEIVING ASSISTANCE, THE  TYPE  OF  ASSISTANCE  PROVIDED,  THE
 NUMBER  OF  INDIVIDUALS TRAINED AND NEWLY HIRED INCLUDING THOSE WHO WERE
 PREVIOUSLY UNEMPLOYED, UNDEREMPLOYED OR ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED,  AND
 THE NUMBER OF CERTIFICATIONS OR DEGREES CONFERRED FROM ACCREDITED INSTI-
 TUTIONS.
   (B)  THE  CORPORATION SHALL ALSO PROVIDE FOR AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION
 OF THE PROGRAM ON OR BEFORE JUNE THIRTIETH,  TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-FOUR,
 AND EVERY THREE YEARS THEREAFTER.
   §  2.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to
 have been in full force and effect on and after April 1, 2023.