PART IV. COMPREHENSIVE LABOR MARKET

INFORMATION SYSTEM

§71. Legislative intent and public policy

A. The legislature finds and declares that in order for our state government to make better policy decisions in the focus and expenditure of public funds for workforce development, it must have a complete picture of our labor market, including information on the state's present needs, expert projections on future needs, and objective, statistically-based evaluations of programs currently in operation to satisfy such needs. This can best be accomplished by developing an accessible and comprehensive information system on available education and training programs.

B. The legislature also finds and declares that in order for the state's citizens, both businesses and individuals, to make better decisions in the expenditure of their private funds, they must have access to information on the present needs of the labor market, expert projections on future needs, and objective, statistically-based evaluations of programs currently in operation to satisfy such needs. This also can best be accomplished by developing accessible and comprehensive information on available education and training programs.

C. The legislature further finds and declares that it is the state's policy and goal to enable and encourage local workforce development boards to make better policy and assessments, to better coordinate programs, and to better determine whether their programs are fulfilling program requirements and local employment needs.

D. The legislature therefore enacts this Part to create a comprehensive labor market information system to serve the needs of both our policymakers and our citizens in making workforce development and preparation decisions.

Acts 1997, No. 1, §1, eff. April 30, 1997; Acts 2008, No. 743, §2, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2015, No. 426, §2.