PRINTER'S NO. 2775
No. 2040 Session of 1986
INTRODUCED BY FATTAH, MANDERINO, PIEVSKY, MICHLOVIC, IRVIS,
VEON, KUKOVICH, STEWART, FEE, DOMBROWSKI, OLIVER, KOSINSKI,
ACOSTA, TRUMAN, ROEBUCK, STUBAN, SALOOM, COWELL, GALLAGHER,
CAPPABIANCA, BALDWIN, SHOWERS, PRESTON, COHEN, LINTON,
WIGGINS, JOSEPHS, BARBER, DEAL, GRUITZA, FOX, ITKIN, WASS,
RAYMOND, BUNT, R. C. WRIGHT, COY, DURHAM, PRESSMANN,
AFFLERBACH AND DeLUCA, JANUARY 27, 1986
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, JANUARY 27, 1986
AN ACT
1 Authorizing the Department of Labor and Industry to make grants
2 for projects which provide employment opportunities for
3 certain individuals; and making appropriations.
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
16 providing unpaid services for family members;
1 (2) (i) has been dependent on public assistance or on
2 the income of another family member but is no longer
3 supported by that income; or
4 (ii) is receiving public assistance on account of
5 dependent children in the home and that assistance will
6 likely be terminated in the next three years; and
7 (3) is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading
8 employment.
9 "Homeless person." An individual who has no residence in
10 which he can sleep legally every night and meet his basic needs
11 in dignity and privacy.
12 "On-the-job training." A program in which the training
13 necessary to perform a job is provided by the employer after the
14 employee is hired designed for individuals who do not have the
15 related education, training or work experience required for the
16 job. Wages are paid to the participant by the employer but the
17 employer may receive a subsidy from the Commonwealth of up to
18 50% of the wages paid in compensation for the costs associated
19 with training participants and in compensation for costs
20 associated with the lower productivity of such participants.
21 "Transitionally needy general assistance recipient." A
22 person classified as transitionally needy under the provisions
23 of section 432(3)(iii) of the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31,
24 No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, including those who
25 have exhausted their eligibility for cash assistance.
26 "Work experience." A program designed to enhance a
27 participant's employability by helping him develop good work
28 habits and basic skills needed for the work environment through
29 employment in the public sector for up to six months. The
30 program is designed for individuals who have never worked or who
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1 have been unemployed for a considerable length of time and can
2 be combined with a program of basic education of English as a
3 second language.
4 Section 3. Grants for projects to provide employment
5 opportunities for transitionally needy welfare
6 recipients.
7 The Department of Labor and Industry is hereby authorized to
8 make grants to any private industry council or designated
9 administrative entity, public or private school, institution of
10 higher learning, business enterprise or nonprofit organization
11 for the implementation of projects to provide employment
12 opportunities for transitionally needy general assistance
13 recipients.
14 Section 4. Persons to be served.
15 (a) General rule.--Projects which receive funding under this
16 act shall serve transitionally needy general assistance
17 recipients who cannot be placed directly in an employment search
18 program and who have multiple barriers to employment or have
19 special needs.
20 (b) Multiple barriers to employment.--Persons with multiple
21 barriers to employment are individuals with two or more of the
22 following characteristics:
23 (1) Functional illiteracy.
24 (2) Limited or no fluency in the English language.
25 (3) Few or no marketable occupation skills.
26 (4) Lack of recent employment history.
27 (c) Special needs.--Persons with special needs include, but
28 are not limited to, any one of the following:
29 (1) Persons with emotional or mental problems.
30 (2) Persons with drug or alcohol abuse history.
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1 (3) Victims of domestic violence.
2 (4) High school dropout.
3 (5) Minority persons ages 18 through 25 without full-
4 time employment experience.
5 (6) Displaced homemakers.
6 (7) Ex-offenders.
7 (8) Homeless persons.
8 Section 5. Types of programs eligible for funding.
9 Grants may be awarded to fund the following types of
10 programs:
11 (1) Work experience projects not to exceed six months
12 duration per participant. Such projects shall include
13 intensive job-readiness and personal counseling services and
14 job-placement services which aim to place participants in
15 unsubsidized full-time jobs by the time the work experience
16 component is completed. Wages at the applicable State or
17 Federal minimum wage shall be provided for participants in
18 this component. The grantee may subcontract for some or all
19 of the services required or make use of services already
20 available in the community. Work experience projects may be
21 combined with adult basic education general equivalency
22 diploma preparation or English as a second language programs.
23 (2) Integrated vocational, basic and life skills
24 training projects which effectively combine adult basic
25 education, general equivalency diploma preparation or English
26 as a second language; vocational or technical training; and
27 job-readiness services which together prepare participants
28 for identifiable jobs within the community. Such projects
29 shall include provision of job-placement services upon
30 completion of training and shall enroll participants without
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1 administering and without reference to preenrollment
2 qualifying testing. The grantee may subcontract for the
3 services required or make use of services already available
4 in the community. Projects shall provide needs-based payments
5 or services in lieu of needs-based payments for participants
6 without other sources of income to enable them to
7 participate. These payments or services shall be sufficient
8 to cover basic personal needs of participants while in
9 training.
10 (3) On-the-job training projects, including support
11 services and job-readiness counseling. If on-the-job training
12 does not result in permanent employment for participants, the
13 grantee shall provide job-placement services which aim to
14 place participants in unsubsidized full-time employment by
15 the time the on-the-job training is completed. Wages may be
16 subsidized up to 50% for on-the-job training participants for
17 up to six months. The grantee may subcontract for some or all
18 of the services required or make use of services already
19 available in the community.
20 Section 6. Considerations in funding.
21 In making funding decisions under this act, the Department of
22 Labor and Industry shall consider the relative need for the
23 project. Funds shall be allocated to service delivery areas
24 approximately in proportion to the relative percentage of the
25 Commonwealth's transitionally needy population residing in the
26 service delivery area, except for Job Training Partnership
27 Incentive Grants funds appropriated in section 9.
28 Section 7. Criteria for projects.
29 Projects receiving grants under this act shall demonstrate
30 the following:
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1 (1) Linkage with and participation of the local county
2 board of assistance.
3 (2) Provisions for support services such as
4 transportation, ongoing supportive counseling services, and
5 provision of income from wages or needs-based stipends for
6 participants without other sources of income to meet basic
7 personal needs while participating in training.
8 (3) That funding will result in the creation of
9 permanent private job opportunities for participants.
10 Section 8. Conversion of welfare benefits.
11 The welfare benefits of participants eligible for cash
12 assistance may be converted into wage subsidies for work
13 experience projects and on-the-job training projects.
14 Section 9. Funding.
15 (a) State funds.--The sum of $3,000,000, or as much thereof
16 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
17 Labor and Industry for the fiscal year July 1, 1986, to June 30,
18 1987, to carry out the provisions of this act.
19 (b) Federal funds.--The following Federal augmentation
20 amounts are hereby specifically appropriated to supplement the
21 sum appropriated from the Commonwealth for the fiscal year July
22 1, 1986, to June 30, 1987:
23 (1) "Job Training Partnership -
24 Administration."
25 Federal appropriation.........$2,680,000
26 (2) "Incentive Grants - Job Training
27 Partnership." Incentive grant payments
28 available under the Job Training Partnership
29 Act (Public Law 97-300, 96 Stat. 1322) shall be
30 used to provide additional job training
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1 services to transitionally needy individuals as
2 specified in section 5.
3 Federal appropriation.........$5,000,000
4 Section 10. Effective date.
5 This act shall take effect July 1, 1986.
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