(a) There is created, within the Labor Department, the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission.

(b) The duties and responsibilities of the commission shall include:

(1) Carrying out the duties and responsibilities of a state job training coordinating council pursuant to the federal Job Training Partnership Act, 29 USC 1532, as amended from time to time, a state human resource investment council pursuant to 29 USC 1501 et seq., as amended from time to time, and such other related entities as the Governor may direct;

(2) Reviewing all employment and training programs in the state to determine their success in leading to and obtaining the goal of economic self-sufficiency and to determine if such programs are serving the needs of Connecticut’s workers, employers and economy;

(3) Developing a plan for the coordination of all employment and training programs in the state to avoid duplication and to promote the delivery of comprehensive, individualized employment and training services and the reemployment of workers fifty years of age or older. The plan shall contain the commission’s recommendations for policies and procedures to enhance the coordination and collaboration of all such programs;

(4) Reviewing and commenting on all employment and training programs enacted by the General Assembly;

(5) Implementing the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as amended from time to time. Such implementation shall include (A) developing, in consultation with the regional workforce development boards, a single Connecticut workforce development plan that (i) complies with the provisions of said act and section 31-11p, and (ii) includes comprehensive state performance measures for workforce development activities specified in Title I of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as amended from time to time, which performance measures comply with the requirements of 20 CFR Part 666.100, (B) making recommendations to the General Assembly concerning the allocation of funds received by the state under said act and making recommendations to the regional workforce development boards concerning the use of formulas in allocating such funds to adult employment and job training activities and youth activities, as specified in said act, (C) providing oversight and coordination of the state-wide employment statistics system required by said act, (D) as appropriate, recommending to the Governor that the Governor apply for workforce flexibility plans and waiver authority under said act, after consultation with the regional workforce development boards, (E) developing performance criteria for regional workforce development boards to utilize in creating a list of eligible providers, and (F) on or before December 31, 1999, developing a uniform individual training accounts voucher system that shall be used by the regional workforce development boards to pay for training of eligible workers by eligible providers, as required under said act;

(6) Developing and overseeing a plan for the continuous improvement of the regional workforce development boards established pursuant to section 31-3k;

(7) Developing incumbent worker, and vocational and manpower training programs, including customized job training programs to enhance the productivity of Connecticut businesses and to increase the skills and earnings of underemployed and at-risk workers, and other programs administered by the regional workforce development boards. The Labor Department, in collaboration with the regional workforce development boards, shall implement any incumbent worker and customized job training programs developed by the commission pursuant to this subdivision;

(8) Developing a strategy for providing comprehensive services to eligible youths, which strategy shall include developing youth preapprentice and apprentice programs through, but not limited to, technical education and career schools, and improving linkages between academic and occupational learning and other youth development activities; and

(9) Coordinating an electronic state hiring campaign to encourage the reemployment of workers fifty years of age or older to be administered through the Labor Department’s Internet web site, which shall include testimony from various employers that demonstrates the value of hiring and retaining workers fifty years of age or older. Not later than January 1, 2015, the commission shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to labor on the status of such campaign.

(P.A. 89-292, S. 1, 6; P.A. 94-116, S. 20, 28; P.A. 97-263, S. 1; P.A. 99-195, S. 2, 15; P.A. 00-192, S. 21, 102; P.A. 01-42, S. 1, 3; P.A. 03-19, S. 72; P.A. 06-196, S. 159; P.A. 11-48, S. 92; P.A. 12-116, S. 87; P.A. 14-42, S. 4; 14-225, S. 1; P.A. 16-169, S. 24; 16-170, S. 1; P.A. 17-237, S. 102.)

History: P.A. 94-116 added a reference to state human resource investment council, effective July 1, 1994; (Revisor’s note: In 1997 a reference in Subsec. (a) to “Department of Labor” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Labor Department” for consistency with customary statutory usage); P.A. 97-263 added Subsec. (b)(4) expanding duties to include reviewing and commenting on employment and training programs enacted by the General Assembly; P.A. 99-195 made technical changes, amended Subsec. (b) to expand commission’s duties to include implementation of federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 in new Subdiv. (5), development and overseeing of plan for improving regional workforce development boards in new Subdiv. (6), development of incumbent worker, and vocational and manpower training programs in new Subdiv. (7) and development of strategy for providing comprehensive youth services in new Subdiv. (8) and amended Subsec. (c) to extend the commission’s deadline for submitting its annual progress report and require submission of such report to committees with cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, education, labor and social services, effective June 23, 1999; P.A. 00-192 amended Subsec. (a) by transferring commission from Labor Department to Office of Workforce Competitiveness, effective July 1, 2000 (Revisor’s note: In Subsec. (a), a reference to “section 7 of this act” was deemed by the Revisors to be a reference to section 19 which established the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, and codified accordingly as section “4-124w”, for accuracy); P.A. 01-42 amended Subsec. (b)(5)(B) by changing reference to “on or before said date and annually thereafter” to “annually on January thirty-first”, effective May 31, 2001; P.A. 03-19 made technical changes in Subsec. (b)(5)(A)(ii), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (b)(8), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “Office of Workforce Competitiveness” with “Labor Department”, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 12-116, “regional vocational-technical schools” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “technical high schools” in Subsec. (b)(8), effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 14-42 amended Subsec. (b)(3) by changing plan submittal date from June 1, 2000, to January 31, 2015, effective May 28, 2014; P.A. 14-225 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision re reemployment of workers 50 years of age or older in Subdiv. (3), by adding Subdiv. (9) re coordinating an electronic state hiring campaign to encourage reemployment of workers 50 years of age or older, and making technical changes; pursuant to P.A. 16-169, “Workforce Investment Act of 1998, P.L. 105-220” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128” in Subsec. (b)(5); P.A. 16-170 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting provision re plan to be submitted annually to the Governor in Subdiv. (3) and by deleting former Subpara. (B) re report and redesignating existing Subparas. (C) to (G) as Subparas. (B) to (F) in Subdiv. (5), and deleted former Subsec. (c) re report by Connecticut Employment and Training Commission; P.A. 17-237 amended Subsec. (b)(8) by replacing “technical high schools” with “technical education and career schools”, effective July 1, 2017.