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Bill 4283

                    Current Status

Bill Number:                      4283
Type of Legislation:              General Bill GB
Introducing Body:                 House
Introduced Date:                  20000111
Primary Sponsor:                  J. Brown
All Sponsors:                     J. Brown, Lloyd, Whipper
Drafted Document Number:          l:\council\bills\psd\7006jm00.doc
Residing Body:                    House
Current Committee:                Ways and Means Committee 30 HWM
Subject:                          Job Preparation and Retention Training 
                                  Act, Labor, Employers and Employees, Social 
                                  Services


                        History

Body    Date      Action Description                     Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  ______________________________________ _______ ____________
House   20000111  Introduced, read first time,           30 HWM
                  referred to Committee
House   19991110  Prefiled, referred to Committee        30 HWM


                             Versions of This Bill

TO AMEND TITLE 41, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT, BY ADDING CHAPTER 47 SO AS TO ENACT THE "SOUTH CAROLINA JOB PREPARATION AND RETENTION TRAINING ACT" WHICH ESTABLISHES PROCEDURES FOR PROVIDING SKILLS AND OTHER TRAINING TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WELFARE RECIPIENTS TO MAKE TRANSITIONS TO EMPLOYMENT.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Title 41 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

Section 41-47-10. This chapter may be cited as the 'South Carolina Job Preparation and Retention Training Act'.

Section 41-47-20. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) a need exists for skills training to enable individuals who are welfare recipients to make transitions into unsubsidized employment that provides career potential and enables the individuals to achieve economic self-sufficiency;

(2) current law does not adequately address the tremendously deleterious effect of unfavorable environmental and cultural factors on the ability of such individuals to obtain and retain gainful employment;

(3) a need exists for a commitment to the development of pre-vocational training programs that focus on:

(a) improving the job readiness of individuals who are welfare recipients;

(b) preparing the individuals psychologically and attitudinally for employment;

(c) teaching the individuals learning and other appropriate skills;

(d) placing the individuals:

( i) in permanent unsubsidized employment; or

(ii) in skill training centers and, on completion of the skill training, in permanent unsubsidized employment; and

(4) community-based organizations:

(a) have provided such pre-vocational training programs to disadvantaged populations with demonstrable success; and

(b) should receive assistance to enable the organizations to enhance the ability of the organizations to provide the training programs in communities with large populations of welfare recipients and enable the organizations to provide the training programs to additional welfare recipients.

Section 41-47-30. As used in this chapter:

(1) 'Division' means the Division of Labor administered under the supervision and direction of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation pursuant to Section 41-3-10.

(2) 'Director' means the Director of the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation in accordance with the provisions of Section 41-3-10.

(3) 'Welfare recipient' means an individual receiving assistance under a state program funded under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601).

(4) 'Welfare transition program' means a vocational training program conducted by or at the direction of the State as part of a state program described in item (3) of this section.

Section 41-47-40. (A) The director, through the division, may make grants to community-based organizations to assist these organizations in implementing enhanced pre-vocational training programs for eligible individuals.

(B) The director shall make the grants for periods of one year.

(C) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, the community-based organization shall submit an application to the director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the director and the division may require. At a minimum, the application shall contain:

(1) a plan describing the pre-vocational training programs to be carried out with funds made available through the grant; and

(2) in particular, information describing the manner in which the community-based organization will ensure that it will carry out a pre-vocational training program for incarcerated persons described in Section 41-47-50(D)(2), in accordance with Section 41-47-50(F).

(D) In awarding grants under this section, the director shall take into consideration the needs of economically distressed urban and rural areas in the State, as determined by the director upon the advice of the division and the South Carolina Employment Security Commission.

Section 41-47-50. (A) A community-based organization that receives a grant under this chapter shall use the funds made available through the grant to provide financial assistance to enable the organization to implement the pre-vocational training programs referred to in this chapter.

(B) the director shall make the assistance for periods of one year.

(C) A community-based organization that receives financial assistance under this chapter shall use the assistance to implement a pre-vocational training program, through which the organization shall provide pre-vocational training and placement services to eligible individuals.

(D) To be eligible to receive services through a pre-vocational training program under this chapter, an individual shall:

(1) be a welfare recipient who:

(a) is enrolled in a welfare transition program; or

(b) is eligible to be in, but has not participated in, a welfare transition program; or

(2) be a person who is incarcerated in a federal, state, or local prison and will be released from the prison within a reasonable period, as defined in regulations, promulgated by the division.

(E) An organization selected to implement a pre-vocational training program for eligible individuals described in subsection (D)(1) of this section shall:

(1) provide pre-vocational training, through job training centers, designed to:

(a) as quickly as practicable, enable the individuals to overcome the effects of inadequate educational preparation and unfavorable environmental and cultural factors, in order to prepare the individuals for employment;

(b) improve the job readiness of the individuals;

(c) prepare the individuals psychologically and attitudinally for employment; and

(d) enable the individuals to develop learning skills, communication and computational skills, punctuality, health and personal maintenance skills, job seeking skills (including interviewing skills), basic literacy, skills required for receipt of a secondary school diploma or its equivalent, professionalism, and responsiveness for authority; and

(2) on completion of the pre-vocational training, place the individuals:

(a) in permanent, unsubsidized employment; or

(b) in skill training centers that provide superior skill training for positions that are quickly obtainable and, on completion of the skill training, in permanent, unsubsidized employment.

(F) An organization selected to implement a pre-vocational training program for eligible individuals described in subsection (D)(2) of this section shall provide the pre-vocational training described in subsection (E)(1) in the federal, state, or local prison involved and provide the placement services described in subsection (E)(2)(b).

(G) The organization shall provide not less than two weeks and not more than three months of pre-vocational training to an eligible individual through the program. The organization shall not provide more than one thousand two hundred dollars in services under the program to an eligible individual.

(H) No organization may charge a fee to an eligible individual for services under the program.

(I) A community-based organization providing placement services shall coordinate the services with the efforts of local private sector businesses to create jobs and employment opportunities.

(J) To be eligible to receive financial assistance under this chapter, a community-based organization shall submit an application to the director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the director and the division may require.

Section 41-47-60. The division shall monitor the effectiveness of programs carried out under this chapter by collecting information on:

(1) the percentage of program participants who are placed in employment after that participation;

(2) the percentage of the participants who are retained in employment after that participation; and

(3) the economic impact of the employment of the participants."

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

This web page was last updated on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:28 A.M.