Senate Bill No. 439
(By Senator Oliverio, Minard, Redd, Caldwell, Hunter, Rowe and
Mitchell)
____________
[Introduced January 29, 2002; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
____________
A BILL to amend chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia,
one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding
thereto a new article, designated article ten-o, relating
to authorizing the maintenance and operation of
nontraditional career development centers for displaced
homemakers and single parents; providing for powers and
duties of the secretary of education and the arts;
establishing services to be offered; providing for
allocation of state funding; and requiring annual report.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That chapter eighteen of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by
adding thereto a new article, designated article ten-o, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 10O SELF SUFFICIENCY CENTERS.
§18-10O-1. Short title.
This article shall be known and may be cited as the
"Nontraditional Career Development Centers Act."
§18-10O-2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Displaced homemaker" or "single parent" means an individual
who:
(1) Has worked in the home, providing unpaid household
services for family members;
(2) Is not gainfully employed or is underemployed;
(3) Has had, is experiencing or would have difficulty in
securing adequate employment; and
(4) Has been dependent on the income of another family
member but is no longer supported by that income, or has been
dependent on government assistance but will be or is no longer
eligible for such assistance, or is supported as the parent of
minor children by government assistance or other support.
"Nontraditional career development center" means a
community-based organization, local educational agency, postsecondary school, institution of higher learning or area
vocational education school that provides the services specified
in section four of this article for displaced homemakers and
single parents.
"Secretary" means the secretary of education and the arts.
§18-10O-3. Powers and duties of the secretary.
(a) Contracts. -- The secretary may enter into contracts
with and make grants to public and nonprofit private entities
for purposes of supporting nontraditional career development
centers.
(b) Application.-- An application to become a nontraditional
career development center shall be submitted to and approved by
the secretary on or before the thirtieth day of June, two
thousand three. The secretary shall either approve or
disapprove the application prior to the nontraditional career
development center being eligible to receive state funding. The
application shall include comprehensive classroom curriculum
that will include a hands-on component, physical fitness
component, job shadow component and a job placement component.
To receive approval, the application must show that the proposed
center will have a comprehensive program specifically designed
to result in high-skill, high-wage job placements for program
participants. The application shall include a statistical assessment of the service area and the service needs thereof.
It shall also include evidence of proven experience and success
in assisting displaced homemakers or single parents to achieve
self-sufficiency as currently demonstrated by the center, and a
demonstration of the center's fiscal support and stability.
(c) Revocation of approved application.-- The secretary may
revoke the approval of a nontraditional career development
center if the center fails to meet the criteria established
under section four of this article. The approval of a
nontraditional career development center shall remain in effect
unless revoked by the secretary.
§18-10O-4. Nontraditional career development centers.
(a) A nontraditional career development center shall provide
job counseling services which:
(1) Are specifically designed for a person entering the job
market after a number of years as a homemaker and include life
skills training and counseling to prepare displaced homemakers
and single parents to enter and sustain training and employment;
(2) Operate to counsel displaced homemakers and single
parents with respect to appropriate job opportunities, focusing
on high-skill, high-wage jobs leading to self-sufficiency;
(3) Provide prevocational training and educational services
including outreach and information about other programs which are determined to benefit displaced homemakers and single
parents to achieve economic self-sufficiency;
(4) Provide training-related support services, including,
but not limited to, dependent care, transportation, tuition,
books, equipment and tools; and
(5) Provide job search skills training to prepare displaced
homemakers and single parents for writing resumes, completing
job applications and participating in employment interviewing.
(b) A nontraditional career development center shall provide
job training, educational and job placement services which
include provision of information, direct training, referrals to
institutions providing postsecondary education credits or other
services designed to assist the individual to become
economically self-sufficient, including basic education and
bilingual programs when appropriate. Training shall include
courses offered through varied sources. The service centers
shall:
(1) Develop, in collaboration with state and local
government agencies and private employers, placement programs
for jobs in the public and private sectors;
(2) Provide financial assistance in the payment of expenses
related to training and assisting displaced homemakers and
single parents to gain admission to existing public and private job training programs and opportunities and to determine
eligibility for financial aid; and
(3) Assist in identifying community needs and creating new
jobs in the public and private sectors.
(c) A nontraditional career development center shall
provide:
(1) Information about and referrals to appropriate health
education sources;
(2) Financial management services which provide referrals
for information with respect to insurance, taxes, estate and
probate problems, mortgages loans and other related financial
matters; and
(3) Outreach and information services with respect to
federal and state employment, education, health and unemployment
assistance programs which the secretary determines would be
beneficial to displaced homemakers and single parents.
§18-10O-5. Allocation of state funding.
(a) Projected expenditures to be submitted. -- A
nontraditional career development center shall submit projected
expenditures to the secretary for review prior to allocation of
funding. The secretary shall establish eligibility criteria
which nontraditional career development centers must annually
meet in order to qualify for assistance under this article.
(b) Priority in allocation of funds. -- The secretary shall
allocate and distribute state funding among nontraditional
career development centers. Priority for financial assistance
shall be given to those nontraditional career development
centers that received state assistance during the fiscal year
prior to the year of application.
§18-10O-6. Evaluation.
The secretary shall prepare and furnish to the Legislature's
joint committee on government and finance, not later than one
year after the effective date of this article, a report which
includes a thorough assessment of each nontraditional career
development center.
NOTE:
The purpose of this bill is to
authorize the
Secretary of Education and the Arts to enter into contracts with
public and nonprofit private entities to support Nontraditional
Career Development Centers in assisting displaced homemakers or
single parents in receiving job counseling, job training, job
placement services and other support services leading to high-
skill, high-wage jobs.
This article is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.