ENROLLED
ACT No. 271
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 735 (Substitute for House Bill No. 364 by Representative Jackson)
BY REPRESENTATIVES JACKSON AND PIERRE AND SENATORS BARROW,
BOUDREAUX, LUNEAU, AND PRICE
1 AN ACT
2 To 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.
12 Be 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,
14 comprised 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.
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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
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1 secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, the secretary of the
2 Louisiana Department of Health, the state superintendent of education, and the
3 president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System shall
4 collaborate to design and implement a workforce training and education pilot
5 initiative for public assistance recipients for the purpose of improving employment
6 opportunities and promoting workforce advancement. The executive director of the
7 Louisiana Workforce Commission shall lead coordination of the pilot initiative. The
8 heads of the state partners shall administer the pilot initiative in accordance with the
9 provisions of this Part.
10 (2) The state partners shall design the pilot initiative's operations and system
11 of services in such a manner as to facilitate replication of the program in all regions
12 of the state.
13 B.(1) The state partners shall establish the pilot initiative to operate and
14 serve participants in the following regions:
15 (a) The service area of Local Workforce Development Area No. 40.
16 (b) The service area of the Franklin Parish Consortium.
17 (c) The service area of the Ouachita Parish Workforce Investment Board.
18 (2) If agreed to by the head of each state partner, the partners may expand
19 the geographic service area of the pilot initiative beyond the regions specified in
20 Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
21 C. Participation in the pilot initiative by public assistance recipients shall be
22 strictly voluntary.
23 D. Work supports and workforce education services provided by the pilot
24 initiative may include, without limitation, any of the following:
25 (1) Job referral services.
26 (2) Job skills development.
27 (3) Job support services.
28 (4) Career planning.
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1 (5) Job training.
2 (6) Workforce readiness.
3 (7) Apprenticeship programs.
4 §354. Administration; interagency agreements; participant forms; program
5 promotion
6 A. The state partners shall enter into any memoranda of understanding,
7 cooperative endeavors, or other types of agreements between and among the partners
8 as may be necessary to administer the pilot initiative.
9 B.(1) The state partners shall promulgate and issue such forms as are
10 necessary to inform prospective participants of the pilot initiative's purpose and
11 functions, and to obtain participants' consent to participate in the pilot initiative.
12 (2) Unless prohibited by federal law or regulation, each state partner shall
13 share with the other partners, on a schedule to be mutually determined by the
14 partners, the names and contact information of persons who have provided consent
15 to participate in the pilot initiative.
16 C. The state partners shall collaborate to promote the pilot initiative among
17 their respective clients, business groups and organizations, community-based groups
18 and organizations, faith-based groups and organizations, and the public generally.
19 §355. Reporting
20 No later than twelve months after commencement of the pilot initiative, and
21 at least annually thereafter, the state partners, jointly, shall submit a written report
22 providing a summary and evaluation of outcomes of the pilot initiative to the House
23 and Senate committees on labor and industrial relations and to the House and Senate
24 committees on health and welfare.
25 §356. Rulemaking
26 The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the secretary
27 of the Department of Children and Family Services, the secretary of the Louisiana
28 Department of Health, the state superintendent of education, and the president of the
29 Louisiana Community and Technical College System shall promulgate all such rules
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1 in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act as are necessary to implement
2 the provisions of this Part.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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