PRINTER'S NO. 762
No. 694 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY COWELL, COY, TIGUE, STAIRS, DALEY, KOSINSKI,
HERMAN, FOX, FLICK, WAMBACH, CALTAGIRONE, RITTER, VEON,
ITKIN, PISTELLA, KUKOVICH, HECKLER, DOMBROWSKI, BISHOP,
REBER, McVERRY, McCALL, MARKOSEK, JAROLIN, MICHLOVIC, TRELLO,
HARPER, BELARDI, BUNT, RYBAK, BOYES, SCHULER, STABACK,
BELFANTI, JOHNSON, GIGLIOTTI, SAURMAN, DeLUCA, MELIO,
SERAFINI, MRKONIC, CAWLEY, RAYMOND AND EVANS, MARCH 7, 1989
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 7, 1989
AN ACT
1 Providing for the creation of a multipurpose program for
2 displaced homemakers; and further providing for powers and
3 duties of the Department of Education.
4 The General Assembly hereby finds and declares that there is
5 an ever-increasing number of persons in this Commonwealth who,
6 having fulfilled roles as homemakers, find themselves
7 "displaced" through divorce, death of a spouse or other loss of
8 family income. As a consequence, displaced homemakers are very
9 often without any source of income. They may be ineligible for
10 categorical welfare assistance. Since they have been engaged in
11 unpaid labor in the home, they are ineligible for unemployment
12 insurance. They are subject to high unemployment and face
13 discrimination in seeking employment because they have no recent
14 paid work experience. Because of divorce from or death of
15 spouse, many will never benefit from the Social Security system
16 and have lost the rights to pension and health plans. Many are
1 ineligible for Medicaid because they are too young; and many are
2 unable to purchase private health insurance because they are too
3 old or lack the resources to purchase private health insurance.
4 The General Assembly acknowledges and commends the commitment
5 by the Department of Education, through the use of Federal and
6 State vocational education funds, to initiate and support
7 programs to aid the displaced homemaker. Further, the General
8 Assembly recognizes that Federal support to the Commonwealth for
9 education has declined in recent years. It is the intent of the
10 General Assembly in enacting this act to commit the Commonwealth
11 to continued maintenance and financial support of this program.
12 State funds shall continue to be used, in addition to Federal
13 funds, to continue existing programs and to create programs in
14 areas of this Commonwealth which are currently underserved or
15 unserved.
16 Further, it is the intention of the General Assembly in
17 enacting this act to reaffirm the Commonwealth's commitment to
18 provide necessary counseling, training, employment placement and
19 other services for displaced homemakers so that they may attain
20 the independence and economic security vital to a productive
21 life and to improve the health and welfare of this ever-growing
22 group of citizens.
23 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
24 hereby enacts as follows:
25 Section 1. Short title.
26 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Displaced
27 Homemakers Act.
28 Section 2. Definitions.
29 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
30 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
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1 context clearly indicates otherwise:
2 "Department." The Department of Education of the
3 Commonwealth.
4 "Displaced homemaker." A person who meets all of the
5 following criteria:
6 (1) Has worked without pay as a homemaker for his or her
7 family.
8 (2) Is not adequately employed.
9 (3) Has had or would have difficulty finding employment.
10 (4) Has depended on the income of a family member and
11 has lost that income; or is or has been dependent on
12 governmental assistance; or has been the recipient of
13 disability assistance and is no longer eligible.
14 Section 3. Powers and duties.
15 The department shall establish a multipurpose displaced
16 homemaker program for displaced homemakers in this Commonwealth.
17 To the greatest extent possible, the department shall make
18 grants to or otherwise utilize existing nonprofit agencies,
19 organizations and educational institutions to deliver the
20 various services enumerated in this act. Consideration should be
21 given, when funding new programs, to the areas of this
22 Commonwealth which are underserved or have no appropriate
23 programs for displaced homemakers. The displaced homemaker
24 program shall be designed and staffed as follows:
25 (1) The program shall be designed to provide displaced
26 homemakers with the necessary counseling, training, skills,
27 services and education to become adequately employed and
28 independent.
29 (2) To the greatest extent possible, the staff of the
30 program, including supervisory, technical, administrative and
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1 volunteer positions, shall be filled by displaced homemakers.
2 Where necessary, potential staff members shall be provided
3 with on-the-job training by independent contractors or
4 volunteer agencies.
5 (3) The department shall explore all possible sources of
6 funding and in-kind contributions from Federal, local and
7 private sources in establishing the displaced homemaker
8 program, including building space, equipment and qualified
9 personnel for training purposes. The department shall
10 prepare, and update as needed, a list of these funding
11 sources. This list shall be made available to all programs
12 currently funded by the department and to all parties
13 submitting requests for funding of displaced homemakers
14 programs.
15 (4) The department shall develop a plan with the
16 Department of Labor and Industry to utilize the program
17 resources of the Pennsylvania State Employment Service to
18 include displaced homemakers in existing job-training
19 programs, including, but not limited to, programs and
20 services available under the Federal Job Training Partnership
21 Act (Public Law 97-300, 29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq.)
22 Section 4. Services to be provided.
23 Services to be provided by funded displaced homemaker
24 programs shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
25 (1) A career counseling service designed specifically
26 for the person entering the job market after a number of
27 years as a homemaker. The counseling will take into account
28 and build upon the skills and experience of a homemaker. Peer
29 counseling and job readiness, as well as skill updating and
30 development, shall be emphasized.
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1 (2) Educational programs, including courses offering
2 credit through postsecondary educational institutions; adult
3 basic education programs; vocational education programs; or
4 programs leading toward a high school equivalency degree or
5 certificate.
6 (3) A job training service developed with government
7 agencies and private employers to provide displaced
8 homemakers with training programs for jobs in the public and
9 private sectors. To this end, the staff shall include the
10 program services of the Pennsylvania State Employment
11 Service.
12 (4) A job placement service to assist the displaced
13 homemaker in finding permanent employment. To this end, the
14 staff shall work with the Pennsylvania State Employment
15 Service and prime sponsors under the Federal Job Training
16 Partnership Act (Public Law 97-300, 29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq.)
17 to secure employment for displaced homemakers.
18 (5) Money management courses, including information and
19 assistance in dealing with insurance programs (life, health
20 and car), taxes, mortgage loans, credit and probate problems.
21 (6) Outreach and information services concerning
22 government programs, including specific information and
23 assistance with regard to Supplemental Security Income,
24 Social Security, Veterans' Administration benefits, welfare,
25 food stamps, unemployment insurance and Medicaid.
26 Section 5. Regulations and annual evaluation.
27 (a) Regulations.--The department shall, in the manner
28 provided by law, establish the regulations necessary to carry
29 out this act.
30 (b) Evaluation.--The department shall prepare an annual
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1 evaluation report of the displaced homemakers program. The
2 report shall include an evaluation of the effectiveness of the
3 components of the programs, including the number of persons
4 trained, the number of persons placed in employment, follow-up
5 data on these persons, the number of persons served by other
6 various service programs and cost effectiveness of the
7 components of the programs. The department shall make this
8 report annually to the Governor and the Education Committees of
9 the Senate and the House of Representatives.
10 Section 6. Effective date.
11 This act shall take effect July 1, 1989.
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