H. B. 4083
(By Delegates Mezzatesta, Cann, Stalnaker,
Givens and Frederick)
[Introduced January 17, 2002; referred to the
Committee on Government Organization then Finance.]
A BILL to amend chapter five-b of the code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding
thereto a new article, designated article two-b, relating to
workforce investment.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That chapter five-b of the code of West Virginia, one thousand
nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto
a new article, designated article two-b, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2B. WEST VIRGINIA WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT.
§5B-2B-1. Short title.
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "West
Virginia Workforce Investment Act."
§5B-2B-2. Definitions.
As used in this article, the following terms have the
following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Commission" means the legislative oversight commission on
workforce investment for economic development created pursuant to
section eight of this article.
(2) "Council" means the West Virginia workforce investment
council.
§5B-2B-3. West Virginia workforce investment council; membership
of board; meetings; quorum requirements.
(a) The West Virginia workforce investment advisory council
established pursuant to executive order 18-01 is hereby continued
and renamed the West Virginia workforce investment council. The
council shall serve as the state's workforce investment board, as
required by the federal Workforce Investment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2801
et seq. The council shall make general recommendations regarding
workforce investment in the state to the governor, or his or her
designee, and the Legislature.
(b) The council may consist of no more than thirty-nine
members, including ex officio members. The majority of the council
is to consist of members appointed by the governor to represent the
private business sector pursuant to subdivision (1), subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The governor shall appoint members to the council
according to the following criteria:
(1) Representatives of business in the state, who:
(A) Are owners of businesses, chief executives or operating
officers of businesses, and other business executives or employers
with optimum policymaking or hiring authority, including members of
local workforce investment boards;
(B) Represent businesses with employment opportunities that
reflect the employment opportunities of the state; and
(C) Are appointed from among individuals nominated by state
business organizations and business trade associations;
(2) Two members who are members of the council for community
and technical college education and who also meet the requirements
of paragraph (A), (B) or (C), subdivision (1) of this section;
(3) Two members who are members of the West Virginia council
for community and economic development and who also meet the
requirements of paragraph (A), (B) or (C), subdivision (1) of this
section;
(4) Two members who are chief elected officials representing
cities and counties;
(5) Two members who represent labor organizations in the state
who have been nominated by state labor federations;
(6) Two members who represent individuals and organizations
having experience in youth activities, including at least one youth
from a post-secondary education institution; and
(7) Two members who represent individuals and organizations
having experience and expertise in the delivery of workforce
investment programs, including one chief executive officer of a
community and technical college and one chief executive officer of
a community-based organization operating in the state.
(d) The following shall serve on the council as ex officio
members:
(1) The governor, or his or her designee;
(2) The chancellor of the higher education policy commission,
or his or designee;
(3) The superintendent of the department of education, or his
or her designee;
(4) The secretary of the department of education and the arts,
or his or her designee: Provided, That the designee has
policy-making authority over a workforce investment program within
the department of education and the arts;
(5) The commissioner of the bureau of commerce, or his or her
designee: Provided, That the designee has policy-making authority
over a workforce investment program within the bureau of commerce;
(6) The director of the division of rehabilitation services,
or his or her designee: Provided, That the designee has
policy-making authority over a workforce investment program within
the division of rehabilitation services;
(7) The commissioner of the bureau of senior services, or his
or her designee: Provided, That the designee has policy-making
authority over a workforce investment program within the bureau of
senior services;
(8) The commissioner of the bureau of employment programs, or
his or her designee: Provided, That the designee has policy-making
authority over a workforce investment program within the bureau of
employment programs;
(9) The director of the division of veterans' affairs, or his
or her designee: Provided, That the designee has policy-making
authority over a workforce investment program within the division
of veteran's affairs;
(10) The executive director of the West Virginia development
office, or his or her designee: Provided, That the designee has policy-making authority over a workforce investment program within
the West Virginia development office; and
(11) The secretary of the department of health and human
resources, or his or her designee: Provided, That the designee has
policy-making authority over a workforce investment program within
the department of health and human resources.
(e) No member of the council may:
(1) Vote on a matter under consideration by the council:
(A) Regarding the provision of services by the member or by an
entity that the member represents; or
(B) That would provide direct financial benefit to the member
or the immediate family of the member; or
(2) Engage in any other activity determined by the governor to
constitute a conflict of interest as specified in the strategic
five-year state workforce investment plan.
(f) The speaker of the House of Delegates shall appoint two
members of the House of Delegates to serve on the council.
(g) The president of the Senate shall appoint two members of
the Senate to serve on the council.
(h) The governor shall appoint a chair and vice-chair for the
council from among the private business sector members appointed pursuant to subdivision (1), subsection (c) of this section.
(i) Initial terms for appointed members of the council are for
up to three years as determined by the governor. All subsequent
terms are for three years.
(j) The council shall meet at least quarterly and appointed
members of the council may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses
incurred within the scope of their service on the council.
(k) A majority of the members of the council constitute a
quorum: Provided, That a majority of the members making the quorum
are members appointed pursuant to subdivision (1), subsection (c)
of this section representing the private business sector.
(l) The council may create subcommittees to carry out any of
its duties. Quorum requirements required by subsection (j) of this
section also apply to subcommittees.
§5B-2B-4. Duties of the workforce investment council.
(a) The council shall assist the governor in the:
(1) Development and revision of a strategic five-year state
workforce investment plan;
(2) Development and continuous improvement of a statewide
system of workforce investment activities including:
(A) Development of linkages in order to assure coordination and nonduplication of services and activities of workforce
investment programs conducted by various entities in the state; and
(B) The review of strategic plans created and submitted by
local workforce investment boards;
(3) Commenting at least annually on the measures taken by the
state pursuant to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied
Technology Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 2323;
(4) Designation and revision of local workforce investment
areas;
(5) Development and revision of allocation formulas for the
distribution of funds for adult employment and training activities
and youth activities to local areas;
(6) Development and continuous improvement of comprehensive
state performance measures, including state adjusted levels of
performance, to assess the effectiveness of the workforce
investment activities in the state;
(7) Preparation of the annual report to the secretary of labor
as required by the Workforce Investment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2871;
(8) Development and continued improvement of a statewide
employment statistics system; and
(9) Development and revision of an application for workforce investment incentive grant.
(b) The council shall make a report to the legislative
oversight commission on workforce investment
for economic
development
on or before the first day of September of each year
detailing: (1) All the publicly funded workforce investment
programs operating in the state, including the amount of federal
and state funds expended by each program, how the funds are spent
and the resulting improvement to the workforce; (2) its
recommendations concerning future use of funds for workforce
investment programs; (3) its analysis of operations of local
workforce investment programs; and (4) any other information the
commission may require.
§5B-2B-5. State agencies.
On or before the first day of August, any state agency that
receives federal or state funding that may be used for workforce
investment activities shall provide to the council a report,
detailing the amount of federal, state or other funds received,
where the funds were appropriated and for what purpose, what
performance measures were used and the results of their use, what
services were provided in each regional workforce investment area
and any other information requested by the council. All reports submitted pursuant to this section are to be in a form approved by
the council.
§5B-2B-6. Administration of council.
(a) The West Virginia development office shall provide
administrative and other services to the council as the council
requires.
(b) The West Virginia development office shall facilitate the
coordination of council activities and local workforce investment
activities, including holding meetings with the executive directors
of each local workforce investment board at least monthly. Any
executive director of a local workforce investment board who
participates in a meeting held pursuant to this subsection shall
report to his or her board and the county commission of each county
represented by the board regarding the meeting.
§5B-2B-7. Legislative oversight commission on workforce investment
for economic development.
(a) There is hereby created a joint commission of the
Legislature known as the legislative oversight commission on
workforce investment for economic development.
(b) The commission is to be composed of four members of the
Senate appointed by the president of the Senate from the members of
the joint commission on economic development and four members of the House of Delegates appointed by the speaker of the House of
Delegates from the members of the joint commission on economic
development. No more than three of the four members appointed by
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Delegates, respectively, may be members of the same political
party. The president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Delegates shall each appoint a chairperson from their respective
houses. The members shall serve until their successors have been
appointed.
(c) Members of the commission may receive compensation and
expenses as provided in article two-a, chapter four of this code.
Expenses, including those incurred in the employment of legal,
technical, investigative, clerical, stenographic, advisory and
other personnel are to be approved by the joint committee on
government and finance and paid from legislative appropriations.
(d) The commission may meet at any time both during sessions
of the Legislature and in the interim or as often as may be
necessary.
§5B-2B-8. Powers and duties of the commission.
(a) The commission shall make a continued investigation, study
and review of the practices, policies and procedures of the workforce investment strategies and programs implemented in the
state.
(b) The commission has the authority to conduct or cause to be
conducted performance audits upon local workforce investment
boards.
(c)
For purposes of carrying out its duties, the commission
is hereby empowered and authorized to examine witnesses and to
subpoena persons, books, records, documents, papers or any other
tangible things it believes should be examined to make a complete
investigation. All witnesses appearing before the commission shall
testify under oath or affirmation, and any member of the commission
may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses. To compel the
attendance of witnesses at hearings or the production of any books,
records, documents, papers or any other tangible thing, the
commission is hereby empowered and authorized to issue subpoenas,
signed by one of the chairpersons, in accordance with section five,
article one, chapter four of this code. Subpoenas are to be served
by any person authorized by law to serve and execute legal process
and service is to be made without charge. Witnesses subpoenaed to
attend hearings are to be allowed the same mileage and per diem as
are allowed witnesses before any petit jury in this state. If any person subpoenaed to appear at any hearing refuses to appear or to
answer inquiries there propounded, or fails or refuses to produce
books, records, documents, papers or other tangible things within
his or her control when they are demanded, the commission shall
report the facts to the circuit court of Kanawha County or any
other court of competent jurisdiction and the court may compel
obedience to the subpoena as though the subpoena had been issued by
the court in the first instance.
§5B-2B-9. Coordination between agencies providing workforce
investment programs, local workforce investment
boards and the executive director of the West
Virginia development office.
(a) Beginning the first day of January, two thousand three, in
order to lawfully continue any workforce investment activities, any
agency subject to the reporting provisions of section six of this
article shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the
executive director of the West Virginia development office and any
local workforce investment board representing an area in which the
agency is engaged in workforce investment activities. To the
extent permitted by federal law, the agreements are to maximize
coordination of workforce investment activities and eliminate
duplication of services on both state and local levels.
(b) No memorandum of understanding may be effective for more
than one year without annual reaffirmation by the parties.
(c) Any state agency entering a memorandum of understanding
shall deliver a copy thereof to both the West Virginia workforce
investment council and legislative oversight commission on
workforce investment for economic development.
NOTE:
The purpose of this bill is to
continue, expand and
rename the Workforce Investment Advisory Council the Workforce
Investment Council.
The article is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.