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REFERENCE TITLE: workforce training; unemployed workers |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-third Legislature Second Regular Session 2018
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HB 2009 |
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Introduced by Representative Cardenas
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AN ACT
amending Title 41, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 6; relating to workforce training.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 41, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 6, to read:
ARTICLE 6. ARIZONA WORKS PROGRAM
41-2031. Definitions
In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Eligible person":
(a) Means an individual who, due to economic conditions, has been laid off, terminated or notified of layoff or termination from employment and who is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation.
(b) Includes an employee of a manufacturer or a metallurgical or mining operation who has received general notice of a facility closure within the past three hundred sixty‑five days.
2. "Eligible school" means an accredited public four‑year college or university or private four‑year degree‑granting college or university.
3. "Eligible training program" means an apprenticeship program or a program offered by a community college or a trade or vocational school.
4. "Tuition waiver scholarship" means exemption from tuition and mandatory fees charged by an eligible school or eligible training program.
41-2032. Arizona works program; tuition waiver scholarships; housing assistance
A. The Arizona works program is established within the department to provide tuition waiver scholarships, housing assistance, on‑the‑job training and apprenticeship programs for eligible persons who have lost employment within ninety days before applying to participate in the program. The department shall administer the Arizona works program and develop application and selection criteria.
B. After verification by the department, an eligible school shall provide an eligible person with a tuition waiver scholarship as follows:
1. A one hundred percent tuition waiver scholarship for an eligible person who enrolls in twelve credit hours or more per semester.
2. A seventy‑five percent tuition waiver scholarship for an eligible person who enrolls in at least nine credit hours but less than twelve credit hours per semester.
3. A fifty percent tuition waiver scholarship for an eligible person who enrolls in at least six credit hours but less than nine credit hours per semester.
4. A twenty‑five percent tuition waiver scholarship for an eligible person who enrolls in at least three credit hours but less than six credit hours per semester.
C. After verification by the department, an eligible training program shall provide an eligible person with a full tuition waiver scholarship for not more than forty‑eight months.
D. The department shall reimburse an eligible school or eligible training program for the cost of the tuition waiver scholarship on notification from the eligible school or eligible training program that an eligible person has enrolled in the eligible school or eligible training program.
E. The department shall provide a housing assistance voucher to an eligible person who receives a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to subsection B of this section as follows:
1. For an eligible person who is enrolled in twelve credit hours or more per semester, one hundred percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends school.
2. For an eligible person who is enrolled in at least nine credit hours but less than twelve credit hours per semester, seventy‑five percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends school.
3. For an eligible person who is enrolled in at least six credit hours but less than nine credit hours per semester, fifty percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends school.
4. For an eligible person who is enrolled in at least three credit hours but less than six credit hours per semester, twenty‑five percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends school.
F. The department shall provide a housing assistance voucher to an eligible person who receives a tuition waiver scholarship pursuant to subsection C of this section as follows:
1. One hundred percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends the eligible training program for the first six months of the program.
2. Eighty percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends the eligible training program for the second six-month period of the program.
3. Sixty percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends the eligible training program for the third six-month period of the program.
4. Forty percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends the eligible training program for the fourth six-month period of the program.
5. Twenty percent of the median monthly rent in the county in which the eligible person attends the eligible training program for the fifth six-month period of the program.
G. If an eligible person receives a tuition waiver scholarship or housing assistance voucher and either:
1. Fails to maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent, or fails to complete the program, the eligible person shall repay the department in full for those credits and the housing assistance.
2. Withdraws from an eligible school or eligible training program or completes a degree or training program, the person is no longer eligible for the tuition waiver scholarship or housing assistance voucher.
H. An eligible person may receive tuition waiver scholarships and housing assistance vouchers for a maximum of forty-eight months.
41-2033. Arizona works program; funding
A. The department may accept grants, donations, contributions, gifts or other assistance from public or private sources to provide tuition waiver scholarships and housing assistance vouchers pursuant to section 41‑2032.
B. The department shall use monies received pursuant to the workforce innovation and opportunity act (P.L. 113‑128; 128 Stat. 1425) to provide tuition waiver scholarships and housing assistance vouchers pursuant to section 41-2032.
41-2034. Program termination
The program established by this article ends on July 1, 2028 pursuant to section 41‑3102.
Sec. 2. Exemption from rulemaking
For the purposes of this act, the department of economic security is exempt from the rulemaking requirements of title 41, chapter 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, for one year after the effective date of this act.
Sec. 3. Legislative intent
It is the intent of the legislature to provide skills training and workforce development benefits to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The legislature recognizes that the global economy is undergoing a phase of restructuring and modernization. As industries either retract or expand, workers must learn and develop new skills in order to successfully compete in the global marketplace.