Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council (language only)

Item 250 #1h

Language
Page 200, after line 32, insert:
"§ ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ADVISORY COUNCIL
A.  The Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council (the Council) is established as an advisory council to the Governor and General Assembly to ensure coordination of services, resources, and requests among agencies and institutions of higher education involved or requesting to be involved in the delivery of education and training to Virginians in the area of advanced manufacturing workforce training.
B.1. The Council shall be comprised of eight members.  Two members shall be appointed annually by the Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) and shall represent industry members of CCAM.  Two members shall be appointed annually by the Chairman, Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) Board and shall be industry members of VMA.  Three members shall be appointed annually by the Council of Presidents one of which shall represent senior institutions and two shall be from a two-year college or higher education center.  The eight member shall represent the Department of Veterans Services and shall be appointed annually by the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Services.
2.  Any operating or capital request related to advanced manufacturing workforce training from an institution or agency of higher education shall be submitted for review by the Council prior to submission to the Governor or General Assembly.
3. The Council shall review all requests to determine if they advance the efforts of the Commonwealth to create the technical workforce needed to fill the demands for medium- and high-skilled jobs.
C.  The Council shall also make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on how to use the special knowledge and skills of veterans to expedite them through whatever credentialing process is developed to ensure a sufficient stream of qualified workers in advanced manufacturing jobs.
D. 1.
The Treasurer shall advance a loan of $25,000,000 to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) for the development of an Advanced Manufacturing Apprentice Academy Center as well as four Regional Centers of Excellence. These funds shall be advanced to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership in the form of a short-term Treasury Loan, with no interest, and shall be matched with like amounts from both federal grants and local or other grants.
2. The VEDP shall report annually to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees on allocations of this loan for the items noted in paragraph D. 1."

Explanation
(This amendment provides for an Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council to assist the Governor and General Assembly in moving Virginia forward in the advanced manufacturing area. The amendment also requests a Treasury loan as matching funds for the development of an apprentice academy and regional centers of excellence. A companion amendment is also in Part IV of this act.)