PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 7 PRINTER'S NO. 1619
No. 4 Session of 1987
INTRODUCED BY FATTAH, IRVIS, PIEVSKY, MANDERINO, O'DONNELL,
F. TAYLOR, D. R. WRIGHT, ITKIN, DOMBROWSKI, MICHLOVIC, VEON,
KUKOVICH, LIVENGOOD, STEWART, FEE, OLIVER, KOSINSKI, ACOSTA,
TRUMAN, ROEBUCK, STUBAN, SALOOM, COWELL, CAPPABIANCA,
SHOWERS, PRESTON, COHEN, LINTON, WIGGINS, JOSEPHS, DEAL,
GRUITZA, FOX, WASS, BUNT, R. C. WRIGHT, COY, PRESSMANN,
DeLUCA, HARPER, LESCOVITZ AND MORRIS, MARCH 18, 1987
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND COMMERCE, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 26, 1987
AN ACT
1 Authorizing the Department of Labor and Industry to make grants
2 for projects which provide employment opportunities for
3 certain individuals.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Employment
8 Opportunities Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Displaced homemaker." An individual who:
14 (1) has not worked in the labor force for a number of
15 years but has, during those years, worked in the home
1 providing unpaid services for family members;
2 (2) (i) has been dependent on public assistance or on
3 the income of another family member but is no longer
4 supported by that income; or
5 (ii) is receiving public assistance on account of
6 dependent children in the home and that assistance will
7 likely be terminated in the next three years; and
8 (3) is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading
9 employment.
10 "Homeless person." An individual who has no residence in
11 which he can sleep legally every night and meet his basic needs
12 in dignity and privacy.
13 "On-the-job training." A program in which the training
14 necessary to perform a job is provided by the employer after the
15 employee is hired and designed for individuals who do not have
16 the related education, training or work experience required for
17 the job. Wages are paid to the participant by the employer, but
18 the employer may receive a subsidy from the Commonwealth of up
19 to 50% of the wages paid in compensation for the costs
20 associated with training participants and in compensation for
21 costs associated with the lower productivity of such
22 participants.
23 "Transitionally needy general assistance recipient." A
24 person classified as transitionally needy under the provisions
25 of section 432(3)(iii) of the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31,
26 No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, including those who
27 have exhausted their eligibility for cash assistance.
28 "Work experience." A program designed to enhance a
29 participant's employability by helping him develop good work
30 habits and basic skills needed for the work environment through
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1 employment in the public sector for up to six months. The
2 program is designed for individuals who have never worked or who
3 have been unemployed for a considerable length of time and can
4 be combined with a program of basic education of English as a
5 second language.
6 Section 3. Grants for projects to provide employment
7 opportunities for transitionally needy welfare
8 recipients.
9 The Department of Labor and Industry OR THE PENNSYLVANIA <--
10 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP CREATED BY THE ACT OF
11 1986 (P.L. , NO. ), is hereby authorized to
12 make grants to any private industry council or designated
13 administrative entity, public or private school, institution of
14 higher learning, business enterprise or nonprofit organization
15 for the implementation of projects to provide employment
16 opportunities for transitionally needy general assistance
17 recipients.
18 Section 4. Persons to be served.
19 (a) General rule.--Projects which receive funding under this
20 act shall serve transitionally needy general assistance
21 recipients who cannot be placed directly in an employment search
22 program and who have multiple barriers to employment or have
23 special needs.
24 (b) Multiple barriers to employment.--Persons with multiple
25 barriers to employment are individuals with two or more of the
26 following characteristics:
27 (1) Functional illiteracy.
28 (2) Limited or no fluency in the English language.
29 (3) Few or no marketable occupation skills.
30 (4) Lack of recent employment history.
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1 (c) Special needs.--Persons with special needs include, but
2 are not limited to, any one of the following:
3 (1) Persons with emotional or mental problems.
4 (2) Persons with drug or alcohol abuse history.
5 (3) Victims of domestic violence.
6 (4) High school dropout.
7 (5) Minority persons ages 18 through 25 without full-
8 time employment experience.
9 (6) Displaced homemakers.
10 (7) Ex-offenders.
11 (8) Homeless persons.
12 Section 5. Types of programs eligible for funding.
13 Grants may be awarded to fund the following types of
14 programs:
15 (1) Work experience projects not to exceed six months
16 duration per participant. Such projects shall include
17 intensive job-readiness and personal counseling services and
18 job-placement services which aim to place participants in
19 unsubsidized full-time jobs by the time the work experience
20 component is completed. Wages at the applicable State or
21 Federal minimum wage shall be provided for participants in
22 this component. The grantee may subcontract for some or all
23 of the services required or make use of services already
24 available in the community. Work experience projects may be
25 combined with adult basic education general equivalency
26 diploma preparation or English as a second language programs.
27 (2) Integrated vocational, basic and life skills
28 training projects which effectively combine adult basic
29 education, general equivalency diploma preparation or English
30 as a second language; vocational or technical training; and
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1 job-readiness services which together prepare participants
2 for identifiable jobs within the community. Such projects
3 shall include provision of job-placement services upon
4 completion of training and shall enroll participants without
5 administering and without reference to preenrollment
6 qualifying testing. The grantee may subcontract for the
7 services required or make use of services already available
8 in the community. Projects shall provide needs-based payments
9 or services in lieu of needs-based payments for participants
10 without other sources of income to enable them to
11 participate. These payments or services shall be sufficient
12 to cover basic personal needs of participants while in
13 training.
14 (3) On-the-job training projects, including support
15 services and job-readiness counseling. If on-the-job training
16 does not result in permanent employment for participants, the
17 grantee shall provide job-placement services which aim to
18 place participants in unsubsidized full-time employment by
19 the time the on-the-job training is completed. Wages may be
20 subsidized up to 50% for on-the-job training participants for
21 up to six months. The grantee may subcontract for some or all
22 of the services required or make use of services already
23 available in the community.
24 Section 6. Considerations in funding.
25 In making funding decisions under this act, the Department of
26 Labor and Industry shall consider the relative need for the
27 project. Funds shall be allocated to service delivery areas
28 approximately in proportion to the relative percentage of the
29 Commonwealth's transitionally needy population residing in the
30 service delivery area., except for Job Training Partnership <--
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1 Incentive Grants funds appropriated in section 9.
2 Section 7. Criteria for projects.
3 Projects receiving grants under this act shall demonstrate
4 the following:
5 (1) Linkage with and participation of the local county
6 board of assistance.
7 (2) Provisions for support services such as
8 transportation, ongoing supportive counseling services, and
9 provision of income from wages or needs-based stipends for
10 participants without other sources of income to meet basic
11 personal needs while participating in training.
12 (3) That funding will result in the creation of
13 permanent private job opportunities for participants.
14 (4) THAT THE TRAINING WILL PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL <--
15 LIKELIHOOD OF JOB PLACEMENT, FOR AT LEAST A YEAR OR MORE, FOR
16 50% OF THOSE TRAINED.
17 Section 8. Conversion of welfare benefits.
18 The welfare benefits of participants eligible for cash
19 assistance may be converted into wage subsidies for work
20 experience projects and on-the-job training projects.
21 Section 9. Effective date.
22 This act shall take effect July 1, 1987.
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