HLS 22RS-4657 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 184
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREIBERG
WORKFORCE COMMISSION: Urges and requests the legislative auditor to conduct a
performance audit of the Louisiana Workforce Commission's administration of its
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request the legislative auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Workforce
3 Innovation and Opportunity Act programs administered by the Louisiana Workforce
4 Commission.
5 WHEREAS, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which is
6bipartisan legislation that was signed into law in July 2014, replaced the Workforce
7Investment Act (WIA) of 1998; and
8 WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Labor, the WIOA was
9created for the purposes of strengthening and improving our nation's public workforce
10system by aiding American citizens, particularly young Americans and Americans with
11significant barriers to employment, in finding high-quality jobs and careers and assisting
12employers in hiring and retaining skilled workers; and
13 WHEREAS, federal law requires Louisiana to submit a single, coordinated plan for
14its six core programs funded under WIOA, which include Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth,
15Wagner-Peyser, Adult Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation programs, as well as any
16partner programs; and
17 WHEREAS, Louisiana has six partner programs in addition to its core programs, and
18these partner programs are Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF),
19employment and training programs under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
20(SNAP), work programs under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, Jobs for Veterans State
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HR NO. 184
1Grants Program (JVSG), Community Service Block Grant (CSBG), and Senior Community
2Service Employment Program (SCSEP); and
3 WHEREAS, in 2021, the state of Vermont's auditor's office conducted an
4investigative report of its state's WIOA program to measure its performance; and
5 WHEREAS, the results of that investigative report concluded the following about
6Vermont's core programs, which include Adult and Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Wagner-
7Peyser programs:
8 (1)The core programs serve a small percentage of the eligible population of
9 Vermont citizens.
10 (2)Some participants in the program did not receive high quality jobs and
11 careers, and some instead received little to no earnings.
12 (3)Some participants in the program did not complete their program, and those
13 who did complete the training and later found employment were not working
14 in a field related to their training.
15 WHEREAS, individual program performance metrics are needed to ensure the
16efficient allocation of taxpayer funds in the pursuit of WIOA goals of improving labor
17market outcomes; and
18 WHEREAS, the outcome of one state's investigative report is not indicative of the
19success and effectiveness of Louisiana's own WIOA programs; however, it would behoove
20our legislative auditor to perform an investigation of this state's WIOA programs.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
22Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the legislative auditor to investigate
23the Louisiana Workforce Commission's administration of the Workforce Innovation and
24Opportunity Act as part of the 2023 Louisiana Performance Audit Program.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature
26of Louisiana does hereby urge and request that this audit include an analysis of each
27individual employment and training program that has received state or federal funding under
28the WIOA state plan in the past five years. In addition to the WIOA performance metrics,
29this analysis shall also include:
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HR NO. 184
1 (1)The average pre-program earnings and employment status of program
2 participants.
3 (2)The number of program participants in comparison to the number of eligible
4 participants in each plan year of the current four-year state plan.
5 (3)The average cost per participant for each program.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature
7of Louisiana does hereby urge and request that the audit be completed no later than March
81, 2023.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
10state legislative auditor and the secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
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)]
HR 184 Original 2022 Regular Session Freiberg
Requests the legislative auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act programs administered by the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
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