HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 735 (Substitute for House Bill No. 364 by Representative Jackson)
BY REPRESENTATIVES JACKSON AND PIERRE
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE: Establishes a workforce training pilot initiative to serve public
assistance recipients in certain regions
1 AN ACT
2To enact Part III of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be
3 comprised of R.S. 46:351 through 356, relative to public assistance programs; to
4 establish a workforce training pilot initiative to serve public assistance recipients in
5 certain regions; to provide for interagency collaboration in administering the pilot
6 initiative; to provide for duties of the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce
7 Commission, the secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, the
8 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the state superintendent of
9 education, and the president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College
10 System with respect to the pilot initiative; to provide for administrative rulemaking;
11 and to provide for related matters.
12Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
13 Section 1. Part III of Chapter 3 of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
14comprised of R.S. 46:351 through 356, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
15 PART III. WORKFORCE TRAINING INITIATIVE
16 §351. Declaration
17 It is the policy of this state to encourage self-sufficiency so that Louisianians
18 may reduce dependence on public benefits to meet basic needs and become
19 economically self-reliant, and to provide key supports to those persons to help them
20 in achieving their workforce participation goals.
Page 1 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
1 §352. Definitions
2 As used in this Part, the following terms have the meaning ascribed to them
3 in this Section:
4 (1) "Participant" means a person who participates in the pilot initiative
5 provided for in this Part.
6 (2) "Pilot initiative" means the workforce training and education pilot
7 initiative provided for in this Part.
8 (3) "Public assistance" means any of the following:
9 (a) Cash benefits of the Family Independence Temporary Assistance
10 Program administered by the Department of Children and Family Services.
11 (b) Cash benefits of the Kinship Care Subsidy Program administered by the
12 Department of Children and Family Services.
13 (c) Nutrition assistance benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
14 Program administered by the Department of Children and Family Services.
15 (d) Medical assistance pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act
16 through the program commonly known as Medicaid administered by the Louisiana
17 Department of Health.
18 (e) Child care assistance through the Child Care Assistance Program
19 administered by the Louisiana Department of Education.
20 (4) "State partners" shall mean the following state entities, collectively:
21 (a) The Louisiana Workforce Commission.
22 (b) The Department of Children and Family Services.
23 (c) The Louisiana Department of Health.
24 (d) The Louisiana Department of Education.
25 (e) The Louisiana Community and Technical College System.
26 §353. Workforce training and education pilot initiative; creation; functions
27 A.(1) Subject to any applicable requirements and limitations of federal law
28 and regulation, the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the
29 secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, the secretary of the
Page 2 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
1 Louisiana Department of Health, the state superintendent of education, and the
2 president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System shall
3 collaborate to design and implement a workforce training and education pilot
4 initiative for public assistance recipients for the purpose of improving employment
5 opportunities and promoting workforce advancement. The executive director of the
6 Louisiana Workforce Commission shall lead coordination of the pilot initiative. The
7 heads of the state partners shall administer the pilot initiative in accordance with the
8 provisions of this Part.
9 (2) The state partners shall design the pilot initiative's operations and system
10 of services in such a manner as to facilitate replication of the program in all regions
11 of the state.
12 B.(1) The state partners shall establish the pilot initiative to operate and
13 serve participants in the following regions:
14 (a) The service area of Local Workforce Development Area No. 40.
15 (b) The service area of the Franklin Parish Consortium.
16 (c) The service area of the Ouachita Parish Workforce Investment Board.
17 (2) If agreed to by the head of each state partner, the partners may expand
18 the geographic service area of the pilot initiative beyond the regions specified in
19 Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
20 C. Participation in the pilot initiative by public assistance recipients shall be
21 strictly voluntary.
22 D. Work supports and workforce education services provided by the pilot
23 initiative may include, without limitation, any of the following:
24 (1) Job referral services.
25 (2) Job skills development.
26 (3) Job support services.
27 (4) Career planning.
28 (5) Job training.
Page 3 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
1 (6) Workforce readiness.
2 (7) Apprenticeship programs.
3 §354. Administration; interagency agreements; participant forms; program
4 promotion
5 A. The state partners shall enter into any memoranda of understanding,
6 cooperative endeavors, or other types of agreements between and among the partners
7 as may be necessary to administer the pilot initiative.
8 B.(1) The state partners shall promulgate and issue such forms as are
9 necessary to inform prospective participants of the pilot initiative's purpose and
10 functions, and to obtain participants' consent to participate in the pilot initiative.
11 (2) Unless prohibited by federal law or regulation, each state partner shall
12 share with the other partners, on a schedule to be mutually determined by the
13 partners, the names and contact information of persons who have provided consent
14 to participate in the pilot initiative.
15 C. The state partners shall collaborate to promote the pilot initiative among
16 their respective clients, business groups and organizations, community-based groups
17 and organizations, faith-based groups and organizations, and the public generally.
18 §355. Reporting
19 No later than twelve months after commencement of the pilot initiative, and
20 at least annually thereafter, the state partners, jointly, shall submit a written report
21 providing a summary and evaluation of outcomes of the pilot initiative to the House
22 and Senate committees on labor and industrial relations and to the House and Senate
23 committees on health and welfare.
24 §356. Rulemaking
25 The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the secretary
26 of the Department of Children and Family Services, the secretary of the Louisiana
27 Department of Health, the state superintendent of education, and the president of the
28 Louisiana Community and Technical College System shall promulgate all such rules
Page 4 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
1 in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act as are necessary to implement
2 the provisions of this Part.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 735 Reengrossed 2018 Regular Session Jackson
Abstract: Establishes a workforce training pilot initiative to serve public assistance
recipients in certain regions of the state.
Proposed law defines "public assistance", for purposes of proposed law, as any of the
following:
(1)Cash benefits of the Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program
administered by the Dept. of Children and Family Services.
(2)Cash benefits of the Kinship Care Subsidy Program administered by the Dept. of
Children and Family Services.
(3)Nutrition assistance benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
administered by the Dept. of Children and Family Services.
(4)Medical assistance pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act through the
program commonly known as Medicaid administered by the La. Dept. of Health.
(5)Child care assistance through the Child Care Assistance Program administered by
the La. Dept. of Education.
Proposed law requires the executive director of the La. Workforce Commission, the
secretary of the Dept. of Children and Family Services, the secretary of the La. Dept. of
Health, the state superintendent of education, and the president of the La. Community and
Technical College System, referred to collectively in proposed law as the "state partners",
to collaborate to design and implement a workforce training and education pilot initiative
for public assistance recipients. Provides that the initiative's purposes are to improve
employment opportunities for and promote workforce advancement.
Proposed law provides that the executive director of the La. Workforce Commission shall
lead coordination of the pilot initiative.
Proposed law requires the state partners collaborating in the pilot initiative to design the
initiative's operations and system of services in such a manner as to facilitate replication of
the program in all regions of the state.
Proposed law requires the state partners to establish the pilot initiative to operate and serve
participants in the following regions:
(1)The service area of Local Workforce Development Area No. 40 (Acadia, Evangeline,
Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes).
(2)The service area of the Franklin Parish Consortium (Caldwell, East Carroll, Franklin,
Jackson, Madison, Morehouse, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West Carroll parishes).
Page 5 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
(3)The service area of the Ouachita Parish Workforce Investment Board (Ouachita
parish).
Proposed law provides that, if agreed to by the head of each state partner, the partners may
expand the geographic service area of the pilot initiative beyond the regions specified above.
Proposed law stipulates that participation in the pilot initiative shall be strictly voluntary.
Proposed law provides that work supports and workforce education services provided by the
pilot initiative may include, without limitation, any of the following:
(1)Job referral services.
(2)Job skills development.
(3)Job support services.
(4)Career planning.
(5)Job training.
(6)Workforce readiness.
(7)Apprenticeship programs.
Proposed law requires the state partners collaborating in the pilot initiative to do all of the
following:
(1)Enter into any memoranda of understanding, cooperative endeavors, or other types
of agreements between and among the partners as may be necessary to administer
the initiative.
(2)Promulgate and issue such forms as are necessary to inform prospective participants
of the initiative's purpose and functions, and to obtain participants' consent to
participate in the initiative.
(3)Collaborate to promote the initiative among their respective clients, business groups
and organizations, community-based groups and organizations, faith-based groups
and organizations, and the public generally.
Proposed law requires the state partners to submit annual reports providing a summary and
evaluation of the pilot initiative's outcomes to the legislative committees on labor and
industrial relations and to the legislative committees on health and welfare.
(Adds R.S. 46:351-356)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The House Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill:
1. Change the designation referring to the state entities which will collaborate on
the workforce training and education pilot initiative, collectively, from "the
departments" to "the state partners".
2. Add the La. Community and Technical College System as a partner in the
initiative.
Page 6 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions. HLS 18RS-1601 REENGROSSED
HB NO. 735
3. Add apprenticeship programs to the list of workforce services which could be
offered by the initiative.
4. Provide that the partners, unless prohibited by federal law or regulation, shall
share among the cohort of partners the names and contact information of persons
who have given consent to participate in the initiative.
Page 7 of 7
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.