Establishes the retrain and employ unemployed persons program providing grants to community colleges to develop training programs or improve existing workforce development programs for the purposes of training unemployed individuals for jobs in the regions surrounding such community colleges.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1350
SPONSOR: Simon (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the
retrain and employ unemployed persons program
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to establish the retrain and employ unem-
ployed persons program.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Subdivision one of this bill sets forth definitions.
Subdivision 2. Establishes the retrain and employ unemployed persons
program which establishes a grant program for community colleges to
develop or improve existing workforce development programs;
Subdivision 3. Grants shall be awarded in the amount of $500,000 to
community colleges that can demonstrate such programs will provide the
requisite training required for job placement in businesses and indus-
tries within the region that lack the necessary workforce or that are
seeking employees with new skills in an area where job openings current-
ly exist or where job growth is anticipated in the near future;
Subdivision 4. To be eligible to receive grants, such community colleges
shall partner with regional businesses or industries to determine area
of need and shall consult with the Department of Labor to target unem-
ployed individuals who shall be given priority placement into such
training programs;
Subdivision 5. Upon successful placement of participants, local busi-
nesses or industries shall provide 1/3 of the funding required to train
employees;
Subdivision 6. Community colleges may seek to provide on-site training
or may seek to have participants trained on job site;
Subdivision 7. Successful completion of the program shall be signified
by the receipt of a certificate of completion, however, training
programs do not have to lead to degrees or official certifications
provided by the Department of State or the State Education Department;
training programs maybe as long or as short as necessary to provide
competency for a particular need;
Subdivision 8. Community colleges shall be eligible to receive an addi-
tional $50,000 in any year that more than 50 of all program participants
trained become employed;
Subdivision 9. SUNY and CONY Boards of Trustees shall also consult with
regional. BOCES to develop or improve career training programs that may
start as young as 7th or 8th grade, result in high school graduation and
community college enrollment earning degrees or entering training
programs in an industry where job growth is anticipated. A portion of
funding for the BOCES, community college, industry partnerships may be
funded by the participating businesses.
Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill would direct SUNY and CUNY community colleges to work with
local business and industry to develop work force training programs that
target the unemployed and provide the skills necessary for individuals
to obtain jobs in their communities.
Furthermore, this bill would provide funding for the initial creation of
this program and would provide incentive funding in future years for
those community colleges that successfully place trained individuals in
jobs.
With New York's unemployment rate at 6.7%, programs such as this that
can help put people back to work by providing new skills for individuals
in areas where there is industry need and job availability are necessary
for this State.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: A.2242 Simon-referred to higher education
2021-22: A.2280 Simon-referred to higher education
2020-19: A.2984 Simon-referred to higher education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined and pursuant to appropriation.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
this act shall take effect immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1350
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK,
SEAWRIGHT, WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher
Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the
retrain and employ unemployed persons program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6303-b
2 to read as follows:
3 § 6303-b. Retrain and employ unemployed persons program. 1. Defi-
4 nitions. As used in this section the following terms shall have the
5 following meanings.
6 (a) "Grant program" shall mean the retrain and employ unemployed
7 persons program or the RE-UP New York program.
8 (b) "Training program or workforce development program" shall mean the
9 community college programs created or improved pursuant to the grant
10 program.
11 (c) "BOCES" shall mean boards of cooperative educational services as
12 defined in article forty of this chapter.
13 2. By no later than July first, two thousand twenty-six the state
14 university boards of trustees and the city university boards of trustees
15 shall establish a grant program for community colleges to develop train-
16 ing programs or improve existing workforce development programs for the
17 purposes of training unemployed individuals for jobs in the regions
18 surrounding such community colleges.
19 3. Grants shall be awarded pursuant to appropriation in an amount up
20 to five hundred thousand dollars to community colleges that can demon-
21 strate that such training programs or workforce development programs
22 will provide the requisite training required for job placement in busi-
23 nesses and industries within the region that lack the necessary work-
24 force or that are seeking employees with new skills in an area where job
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02749-01-5
A. 1350 2
1 openings currently exist or where job growth is anticipated in the near
2 future.
3 4. To be eligible to receive a grant, a community college must also
4 demonstrate that such community college: (a) has partnered with regional
5 businesses or industries to determine areas where jobs are available or
6 are anticipated to become available and a skilled workforce is needed;
7 and (b) consults with the department of labor to target unemployed indi-
8 viduals who shall be given priority placement into such training
9 programs or workforce development programs.
10 5. Upon successful placement of training program or workforce develop-
11 ment program participants, local businesses or industries partnering
12 with community colleges pursuant to this grant program shall reimburse
13 the community colleges for one-third of the cost of such employee train-
14 ing.
15 6. Community colleges may seek to provide on-site training or may seek
16 to have participants trained on job sites.
17 7. The community college, in consultation with local business or
18 industry, shall determine the length of such training or workforce
19 development program, provided that such program shall provide competency
20 for a particular business or industry need. Successful completion of
21 such programs shall be signified by the receipt of a certificate of
22 completion, however, training or workforce development programs need not
23 lead to degrees or official certifications provided by the department or
24 the department of state.
25 8. Beginning in the year two thousand twenty-seven and thereafter,
26 pursuant to appropriation and based on the availability of funds, commu-
27 nity colleges shall be eligible to receive an additional fifty thousand
28 dollars in any year that more than fifty percent of all grant program
29 participants trained become employed.
30 9. SUNY and CUNY boards of trustees shall also consult with regional
31 BOCES to develop or improve career training programs that will partner
32 with community colleges and business industries to train middle school
33 or high school students. In order to be eligible for a grant under this
34 subdivision, such career training programs shall result in high school
35 graduation and enrollment in a community college or participation in a
36 RE-UP New York training or workforce development program. A portion of
37 the funding for the BOCES, community college and industry partnership
38 may be funded by the participating business or industry.
39 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
