Workforce Investment Act (language only)

Item 130 #7c

Language
Page 85, after line 26, insert:
"D1.   It is the intent of the General Assembly that unobligated funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the use of local Workforce Investment Boards and returned to the Commonwealth shall be reallocated by the Governor to the same geographic areas from which the unobligated funds were obtained.  The reallocated funds shall be used for high-priority education programs, including allied health professions, plumbing, tractor-trailer driver training, industrial maintenance, heavy-equipment operator training, automotive technician training, industrial machinist training, and high-skills manufacturing.  The Secretary of Commerce and Trade shall report to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1 of each year on the amounts returned from the local Workforce Investment Boards and uses of the funds reallocated by the Governor.  
2. As part of its current review of workforce training services in Virginia, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall examine the effectiveness of the  state's administration of the Workforce Investment Act and assess whether administration of the program would be improved by transferring responsibility from the Virginia Employment Commission to another state agency."

Explanation
(This amendment reappropriates any unused Workforce Investment Act funds that are returned to the Virginia Employment Commission, to the service areas where the unobligated funds were derived for use in several high priority training programs, and directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, as part of its current state workforce training review, to examine the feasibility of transferring the Workforce Investment Act provision to the Virginia Community College System to improve program effectiveness.)