Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont Senate Bill S0048 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
2	2	2025 Page 1 of 10
3	3
4	4
5	5	VT LEG #379545 v.1
6	6	S.48 1
7	7	Introduced by Senator Clarkson 2
8	8	Referred to Committee on 3
9	9	Date: 4
10	10	Subject: Conservation and development; workforce leadership 5
11	11	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to reorganize the 6
12	12	leadership of workforce education and employment and training activities in 7
13	13	Vermont. 8
14	14	An act relating to workforce leadership in Vermont 9
15	15	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 10
16	16	Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. § 540 is amended to read: 11
17	17	§ 540. WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT AND 12
18	18	TRAINING LEADER LEADERS 13
19	19	(a) The Commissioner of Labor and the Executive Director of the Office of 14
20	20	Workforce Strategy and Development shall be the leader leaders of workforce 15
21	21	education and employment and training in the State, and shall have the 16
22	22	authority and responsibility for the coordination of workforce education and 17
23	23	training within State government, including the following duties: the State’s 18
24	24	workforce system as provided in this section. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
25	25	2025 Page 2 of 10
26	26
27	27
28	28	VT LEG #379545 v.1
29	29	(b) The powers and duties provided in this section shall not limit, restrict, 1
30	30	or suspend any similar powers the Commissioner of Labor or the Executive 2
31	31	Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development may have 3
32	32	under other provisions of law. 4
33	33	(c) For purposes of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 5
34	34	(WIOA), the Department of Labor shall be designated as the State Workforce 6
35	35	Agency and the Commissioner of Labor shall serve as the State Workforce 7
36	36	Administrator. 8
37	37	(d) As coleader of workforce education and employment and training in the 9
38	38	State, the Commissioner of Labor, in consultation with the Executive Director 10
39	39	of the Office of Workforce Strategy and Development where appropriate, 11
40	40	shall: 12
41	41	(1) Perform the following duties in consultation with the State 13
42	42	Workforce Development Board: ensure the coordination and administration of 14
43	43	workforce education and employment and training programs operated by the 15
44	44	Department of Labor; 16
45	45	(A) advise the Governor on the establishment of an integrated system 17
46	46	of workforce education and training for Vermont; 18
47	47	(B) create and maintain an inventory of all existing workforce 19
48	48	education and training programs and activities in the State; 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
49	49	2025 Page 3 of 10
50	50
51	51
52	52	VT LEG #379545 v.1
53	53	(C) use data to ensure that State workforce education and training 1
54	54	activities are aligned with the needs of the available workforce, the current and 2
55	55	future job opportunities in the State, and the specific credentials needed to 3
56	56	achieve employment in those jobs; 4
57	57	(D) develop a State plan, as required by federal law, to ensure that 5
58	58	workforce education and training programs and activities in the State serve 6
59	59	Vermont citizens and businesses to the maximum extent possible; 7
60	60	(E) ensure coordination and nonduplication of workforce education 8
61	61	and training activities; 9
62	62	(F) identify best practices and gaps in the delivery of workforce 10
63	63	education and training programs; 11
64	64	(G) design and implement criteria and performance measures for 12
65	65	workforce education and training activities; 13
66	66	(H) establish goals for the integrated workforce education and training 14
67	67	system; and 15
68	68	(I) with the assistance of the Secretaries of Commerce and 16
69	69	Community Development, of Human Services, of Education, of Agriculture, 17
70	70	Food and Markets, and of Transportation and of the Commissioner of Public 18
71	71	Safety, develop and implement a coordinated system to recruit, relocate, and 19
72	72	train workers to ensure the labor force needs of Vermont’s businesses are met. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
73	73	2025 Page 4 of 10
74	74
75	75
76	76	VT LEG #379545 v.1
77	77	(2) Require from each business, training provider, or program that 1
78	78	receives State funding to conduct workforce education and training a report 2
79	79	that evaluates the results of the training. Each recipient shall submit its report 3
80	80	on a schedule determined by the Commissioner and shall include at least the 4
81	81	following information: enter into agreements, to the extent necessary, with 5
82	82	other State agencies and departments for services to improve the employment 6
83	83	and economic outcomes for individuals receiving public assistance, including 7
84	84	agreements to provide customized or specialized services that are beyond the 8
85	85	basic services required by federal law; 9
86	86	(A) name of the person who receives funding; 10
87	87	(B) amount of funding; 11
88	88	(C) activities and training provided; 12
89	89	(D) number of trainees and their general description; 13
90	90	(E) employment status of trainees; and 14
91	91	(F) future needs for resources. 15
92	92	(3) Review reports submitted by each recipient of workforce education 16
93	93	and training funding. develop strategies and provide support to entities 17
94	94	responsible for federal investments in the State’s workforce system; 18
95	95	(4)(A) Issue an annual report to the Governor, the House Committees on 19
96	96	Appropriations and on Commerce and Economic Development, and the Senate 20
97	97	Committees on Appropriations and on Economic Development, Housing and 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
98	98	2025 Page 5 of 10
99	99
100	100
101	101	VT LEG #379545 v.1
102	102	General Affairs on or before December 1 that includes a systematic evaluation 1
103	103	of the accomplishments of the State workforce investment system and the 2
104	104	performance of participating agencies and institutions. The provisions of 2 3
105	105	V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the report to 4
106	106	be made under this subdivision. develop strategies designed to reduce 5
107	107	employee layoffs and business closures; and 6
108	108	(B) provide reemployment services to employees affected by layoffs 7
109	109	and closures; 8
110	110	(5) Coordinate public and private workforce programs to ensure that 9
111	111	information is easily accessible to students, employees, and employers, and 10
112	112	that all information and necessary counseling is available through one contact. 11
113	113	administer a system where employment and training resources are provided to 12
114	114	individuals and businesses through both physical and virtual service delivery 13
115	115	methods; 14
116	116	(6) Facilitate effective communication between the business community 15
117	117	and public and private educational institutions. establish job centers in such 16
118	118	parts of the State as the Commissioner deems necessary and evaluate such 17
119	119	centers on an as-needed basis; 18
120	120	(7) maintain a free and secure electronic job board that, to the extent 19
121	121	practicable, compiles all available job, registered apprenticeship, education and 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
122	122	2025 Page 6 of 10
123	123
124	124
125	125	VT LEG #379545 v.1
126	126	training, and credentialing opportunities that support job seekers and career 1
127	127	advancers; 2
128	128	(7)(8) Notwithstanding any provision of State law to the contrary, and to 3
129	129	the fullest extent allowed under federal law, ensure that in each State and 4
130	130	State-funded workforce education and training program, the program 5
131	131	administrator collects and reports data and results at the individual level by 6
132	132	Social Security number or an equivalent. use data to ensure that State 7
133	133	workforce education and employment and training activities are aligned with 8
134	134	the needs of the: 9
135	135	(A) available workforce; 10
136	136	(B) employers to fill their current and future job openings; and 11
137	137	(C) specific credentials required by employers; 12
138	138	(8)(9) Coordinate intentional outreach and connections between students 13
139	139	graduating from Vermont’s colleges and universities and employment 14
140	140	opportunities in Vermont. require that each business, training provider, or other 15
141	141	entity receiving State funding to conduct workforce training submit a report 16
142	142	that evaluates the results of the training; and 17
143	143	(10) notwithstanding any provision of State law to the contrary, and to 18
144	144	the fullest extent allowed under federal law, ensure that the program 19
145	145	administrator in each State and State-funded workforce education and 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
146	146	2025 Page 7 of 10
147	147
148	148
149	149	VT LEG #379545 v.1
150	150	employment and training program collects and reports data and results at the 1
151	151	individual level by Social Security number or equivalent. 2
152	152	(e) As coleader of workforce education and employment and training in the 3
153	153	State, the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and 4
154	154	Development, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and the State 5
155	155	Workforce Development Board where appropriate, shall: 6
156	156	(1) advise the Governor and members of the Governor’s cabinet on the 7
157	157	establishment and management of an integrated system of workforce education 8
158	158	and training in Vermont; 9
159	159	(2) coordinate across public and private sectors to identify and address 10
160	160	labor force needs and ensure that workforce development program information 11
161	161	is easily accessible to students, employees, and businesses; 12
162	162	(3) develop a comprehensive workforce strategy that contains 13
163	163	measurable statewide workforce goals along with a biennial operational plan to 14
164	164	achieve those goals that shall: 15
165	165	(A) be developed in collaboration with, and representative of, 16
166	166	workforce system partners, including public, private, nonprofit, and 17
167	167	educational sectors and the State Workforce Development Board; 18
168	168	(B) include a set of metrics, designed in consultation with the Agency 19
169	169	of Administration’s Chief Performance Office, used to evaluate the 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
170	170	2025 Page 8 of 10
171	171
172	172
173	173	VT LEG #379545 v.1
174	174	effectiveness of, to the extent practicable, all workforce development 1
175	175	programs; 2
176	176	(C) align with and build upon other required strategic planning 3
177	177	efforts, including the WIOA State Plan; 4
178	178	(D) be informed by the inventory system as set forth in subdivision 5
179	179	(4) of this subsection (e); and 6
180	180	(E) be reviewed and updated as necessary, but at least once every two 7
181	181	years; 8
182	182	(4) create, maintain, and update a publicly accessible inventory of all 9
183	183	known workforce education and employment and training programs and 10
184	184	activities in the State in order to: 11
185	185	(A) annually assess the investments and effectiveness of the 12
186	186	workforce development system; 13
187	187	(B) ensure coordination and nonduplication of workforce education 14
188	188	and employment and training activities; and 15
189	189	(C) identify best practices and gaps in the delivery of workforce 16
190	190	education and employment and training programs; 17
191	191	(5) identify and manage priority projects specific to regional workforce 18
192	192	needs; 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
193	193	2025 Page 9 of 10
194	194
195	195
196	196	VT LEG #379545 v.1
197	197	(6) facilitate effective communication between the business community, 1
198	198	State and local government, and public and private educational institutions, for 2
199	199	the purpose of workforce pipeline development and job placement; 3
200	200	(7) coordinate intentional outreach and connections between students 4
201	201	and employment opportunities in the State; and 5
202	202	(8) ensure the State Workforce Development Board is carrying out its 6
203	203	duties and responsibilities as set forth in section 541a of this chapter. 7
204	204	(f)(1) The Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and 8
205	205	Development shall, once every two years, issue a comprehensive biennial 9
206	206	workforce report to the Governor, the House Committees on Appropriations 10
207	207	and on Commerce and Economic Development, and the Senate Committees on 11
208	208	Appropriations and on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, 12
209	209	on or before December 1, that includes an evaluation of the accomplishments 13
210	210	of the State workforce investment system and the performance of participating 14
211	211	agencies and institutions covering the previous two calendar years. The report 15
212	212	shall include identification of system priorities, need for future funding 16
213	213	requests, identification of proposed legislative and administrative changes, and 17
214	214	any other information relevant to the performance and future needs of the 18
215	215	workforce investment system. The report shall summarize performance and 19
216	216	outcome information submitted by federally and State-funded workforce 20
217	217	development and investment programs for all public and nonpublic programs. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.48
218	218	2025 Page 10 of 10
219	219
220	220
221	221	VT LEG #379545 v.1
222	222	(2) To the extent practicable, workforce reports required of the 1
223	223	Department of Labor, including the apprenticeship report required by 21 2
224	224	V.S.A. § 1113(e)(2), shall be incorporated into the comprehensive report 3
225	225	required by subdivision (1) of this subsection. 4
226	226	(3) The Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Strategy and 5
227	227	Development shall have the support and coordination of the Department of 6
228	228	Labor in developing and submitting the biennial report required by subdivision 7
229	229	(1) of this subsection. 8
230	230	(4) The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) 9
231	231	shall not apply to the report to be made under subdivision (1) of this 10
232	232	subsection. 11
233	233	Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 12
234	234	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 13