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