ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-fifth Legislature

First Regular Session

 

HB 2142: agricultural workforce program; apprentices; appropriation

Sponsor:  Representative Pratt, LD 8

Committee on Appropriations

Overview

Establishes the Agricultural Workforce Development Program (AWDP) beginning in 2022 to provide financial incentives for agricultural apprenticeships. Appropriates $500,000 in fiscal years (FYs) 2022 and 2023 from the state General Fund (GF) to the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) to implement the program.

History

The AZDA is charged with overseeing and protecting Arizona's agriculture, business and public health through licensing, inspections and laboratory testing. Additionally, it coordinates agricultural education efforts to foster an understanding of Arizona's agriculture and to promote a more efficient cooperation and understanding among agricultural educators, producers, dealers, buyers, mass media and the consuming public (A.R.S. § 3-107).

Provisions

1.    Establishes the AWDP to provide incentives to food-producing agricultural organizations to hire apprentices through partial reimbursement of apprenticeship costs. ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note(Sec.1)

2.    Directs the AZDA Director to adopt rules that, at minimum:

a)    Establish qualifications for a food-producing agricultural organization to participate in the AWDP and to provide apprentices with meaningful work experience;

b)    Provide preference to food-producing agricultural organizations owned or operated by farmers and ranchers in rural and tribal areas or who are historically underserved;

c)    Requires participating food-producing agricultural organizations to pay apprentices at least the statutory minimum wage;

d)    Establish criteria for participating food-producing agricultural organizations to select qualified apprentices, including required educational experience and ability to perform meaningful work;

e)    Create a process and time frame for selecting qualified food-producing agricultural organizations and qualified apprentices;

f)     Establish accounting requirements for tracking apprenticeship costs; and

g)    Establish a process for participating food-producing agricultural organizations to seek reimbursement. (Sec. 1)

3.    Authorizes the AZDA, subject to legislative appropriation, to reimburse participating food-producing agricultural organizations up to the actual cost of employing an apprentice.(Sec. 1)

4.    Requires the AZDA Director to determine based on the annual legislative appropriation:

a)    The number of internships to approve;

b)    The amount of reimbursement per internship; and

c)    Whether a participating food-producing agricultural organization may be reimbursed for more than one internship in the same fiscal year. (Sec. 1)

5.    Requires the AZDA to submit an annual report on the program's effectiveness by December 1 to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to provide a copy of the report to the Secretary of State. (Sec. 1)

6.    Defines actual cost, agriculture organization and historically underserved. (Sec. 1)

7.    Terminates the AWDP on July 1, 2027. (Sec. 1)

8.    Becomes effective on January 1, 2022. (Sec. 3)

9.    Appropriates $500,000 from the state GF to the AZDA in FYs 2022 and 2023 and exempts the appropriations from lapsing. (Sec. 2)

 

 

 

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                        HB 2142

Initials PAB/AG           Page 0 Appropriations

 

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