§ 42-102-6 — § 42-102-6. Powers and duties.

§ 42-102-6. Powers and duties.

(a) Strategic statewide employment-and-training plan.

(1) The board shall meet with other entities involved with career and technical education, workforce development, and career training and shall be responsible for the development of a comprehensive and cohesive, statewide employment-and-training plan. The strategic, statewide employment-and-training plan shall include goals and objectives for serving the state's existing and emerging workforce utilizing all state and federal workforce development programs. The board shall take into consideration the needs of all segments of the state's citizenry in establishing goals and training objectives, including the workforce needs of the state's employers.

(2) The strategic, statewide employment-and-training plan shall be developed biennially and shall cover the subsequent, two (2) fiscal years. Said biennial plans shall be submitted on November 15. The biennial plan shall outline goals and objectives of the coordinated programs system, major priorities needed for the next two-year (2) period, and policies and requirements necessary to meet those priorities. The board shall provide a funding plan necessary to achieve system priorities and serve the anticipated number of participants and shall identify the general revenue funds necessary to meet program needs, taking into account anticipated federal, private, and other sources of funds. The biennial plan shall incorporate the annual, unified workforce development system report required pursuant to subsection (f) in those years in which both reports are due.

(3) The board shall develop and maintain a comprehensive inventory and analysis of workforce development activities in the state to support the biennial, statewide employment-and-training plan. The analysis shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of the populations being served across the different employment and training and adult education programs across the state; the number of participants being served by these programs; the type of services provided; and the eligibility requirements of each of these programs. The analysis shall also identify the funding sources (all sources) used in these programs; the service providers within the state; as well as the range of services provided. The analysis shall also examine the employer role in workforce development activities, including, but not limited to, how employer needs are assessed; benefits employers receive for partnering with workforce development organizations; and the role employers play in developing programs and providing training.

(4) The board shall establish and convene an advisory group to assist in the development of this comprehensive inventory and analysis that consists of stakeholders and organizations with specific knowledge and expertise in the area of workforce development.

(5) All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish advice and information, documentary or otherwise, to the board and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable by the board to facilitate the purposes of the board, including the development of the statewide employment and training plan.

(6) Elements of the statewide employment and training plan established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section may inform the development of the state workforce investment plan required pursuant to subsection (d)(2)(i) of this section.

(b) Performance management and coordination of employment and training programs.

(1) The board shall establish statewide policies, definitions, objectives, goals, and guidelines for the coordination of all employment and training programs and related services and programs within the state, including:

(i) The state department of labor and training programs, sponsored under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Wagner-Peyser Act, 29 U.S.C. § 49 et seq., the Trade Act of 2002, and any other employment-related educational program administered by the state department of labor and training;

(ii) The state department of human services training programs, sponsored under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Title IV of the Social Security Act; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Program; Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and any other employment and training and related services and employment-related educational programs administered by the state's department of human services;

(iii) Employment and training programs sponsored under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq., the Federal Adult Education Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and any other employment-related educational programs administered by the board of education;

(iv) The state department of corrections training programs for ex-offenders to help them reintegrate into the community and re-enter employment;

(v) Projects and services funded through the job development fund pursuant to subsection (e) of this section;

(vi) All other employment and training and related services and employment-related educational programs, either presently existing or hereinafter established, that are administered by any state agencies, departments, or councils; and

(vii) Programs included within subsections (b)(1)(i) through (b)(1)(vi) shall be referred herein collectively as "the coordinated programs system.�

(2) With respect to plans for employment and training programs sponsored under the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq., and any other employment-related educational programs administered by the board of education, the workforce board and board of education shall establish a process for the development and preparation of all these plans and the board of education shall approve the plan subject to review and comment by the workforce board; provided, however, that the responsibilities and duties of the board of education, as set forth in the general laws, shall not be abridged.

(3) With respect to plans for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program, SNAP Employment and Training Program, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and any other employment and training and related programs administered by the state's department of human services, the authority and responsibilities of the department as the single state agency under Titles IV-A, 42 U.S.C. §§ 601 through 617, and IV-F, 42 U.S.C. §§ 681 through 687 [repealed], of the Federal Social Security Act shall not be abridged.

(4) With respect to plans for training ex-offenders to help them reintegrate into the community and re-enter employment, and any other employment and training programs administered by the state's department of corrections, the responsibilities and duties of the department, as set forth in the general laws, shall not be abridged.

(5) The board shall review, comment on, or approve as appropriate all plans for employment and training within the coordinated programs system. The board shall establish policies and performance goals for the coordinated programs system. These policies and goals shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) Establishing and communicating uniform policies and consistent terms and definitions;

(ii) Gathering and distributing information from, and to, all agencies, departments, and councils within the coordinated programs system;

(iii) Standardizing and coordinating program planning, evaluation, budgeting, and funding processes;

(iv) Recommending structural and procedural changes;

(v) Establishing performance goals and measurements for monitoring the effectiveness of the programs provided through the coordinated programs system; and

(vi) Reconciling diverse agency, departmental, or council goals and developing priorities among those goals.

(c) Comprehensive system-improvement plan.

(1) The 2015 unified workforce development system report required pursuant to subsection (f) of this section and due on November 15, 2015, shall include an additional, comprehensive system-improvement plan to facilitate the seamless and coordinated delivery of workforce services in this state, consistent with the goals and objectives of the board's statewide employment and training plan. In developing the comprehensive system-improvement plan, the board shall review the roles, responsibilities, and functions of all state employment and training programs. The study shall identify any gaps in the services provided by those programs; any barriers to integration and cooperation of these programs; and any other matters that adversely affect the seamless delivery of workforce development systems in the state.

(2) The board shall include in the comprehensive system-improvement plan:

(i) A list of specific barriers, whether structural, regulatory, or statutory, that adversely affect the seamless and coordinated delivery of workforce development programs and services in this state, as well as recommendations to overcome or eliminate these barriers; and

(ii) Recommendations for providing, at a minimum, board comment and review of all state employment and training programs, to ensure such programs are consistent with the board's statewide employment and training plan, and meet the current and projected workforce demands of this state, including programs that, pursuant to state or federal law or regulation, must remain autonomous.

(3) The recommendations developed by the board under subsection (c)(1) must identify the state agency or department that is responsible for implementing each recommendation and include a time frame for the implementation of each recommendation. The governor may include such recommendations in the governor's proposed budget the following fiscal year.

(d) Workforce investment act responsibilities.

(1) The board shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the state workforce investment board established pursuant to Executive Order 05-18 dated September 22, 2005, as outlined in subsection (d)(2).

(2) The board shall assist the governor and the general assembly in:

(i) Developing a state workforce investment plan for the purposes of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act;

(ii) Actively promoting and coordinating private-sector involvement in the workforce investment system through the development of partnerships among state agencies, the business community, and the board;

(iii) Ensuring that the current and projected workforce needs of Rhode Island employers inform and advise Rhode Island's education and workforce development system;

(iv) Providing oversight of local workforce investment boards, whose primary role in the workforce investment system is to deliver employment, training, and related education services in their respective local area; and

(v) Developing a statewide system of activities that are funded under the WIA or carried out through the one-stop delivery system, including:

(A) Assuring coordination and non-duplication among the programs and activities carried out by one-stop partners;

(B) Reviewing local workforce investment plans;

(C) Designating local workforce investment areas in accordance with federal law;

(D) Developing allocation formulas for the distribution of funds for adult employment and training activities, youth activities to local areas, and creating and expanding job and career opportunities for individuals with intellectual, developmental, or other significant disabilities;

(E) Developing comprehensive, state performance measures as prescribed by federal law, including state-adjusted levels of performance, to assess the effectiveness of the workforce investment activities in the state;

(F) Preparing the annual report to the Secretary of Labor described in WIA;

(G) Developing the statewide employment statistics system;

(H) Developing an application for incentive grants;

(I) Carrying out the responsibilities of a local board as outlined in WIA; and

(J) Addressing any other issue requiring input from the board under the provisions of WIA.

(e) Job development fund responsibilities. The board shall allocate monies from the job development fund for projects to implement the recommendations of the board consistent with the statewide employment and training plan established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(f) Unified workforce development system report.

(1) The board shall produce and submit an annual, unified workforce development system report to the governor, the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, and the secretary of state. The report shall be submitted annually on November 15. The report shall cover activity having taken place the preceding fiscal year ending June 30 and shall include:

(i) A fiscal and programmatic report for the governor's workforce board covering the previous fiscal year, including:

(A) A summary of the board's activities and accomplishments during the previous fiscal year;

(B) A summary of clerical, administrative, professional, or technical reports received by the board during the previous fiscal year, if applicable;

(C) A briefing on anticipated activities in the upcoming fiscal year;

(D) A consolidated financial statement of all funds received, and expended, by the board, including the source of funds, during the previous fiscal year;

(E) A listing of any staff supported by these funds;

(ii) A unified, expenditure-and-program report for statewide employment and training programs and related services, including:

(A) Expenditures by agencies for programs included in subsection (b)(1) of this section, including information regarding the number of individuals served by each program; demographic information by gender, race, and ethnicity; outcome and program-specific performance information as determined by the board; and such other information as may be determined by the board, including, but not limited to, the attainment of credentials;

(2) Beginning November 15, 2015, program expenditures included in the unified workforce development system report shall be categorized as administrative, program delivery, or other costs; the report shall further include information on the cost per individual served within each program, through a manner determined by the board;

(3) All state and local agencies, departments, or council, or similar organizations within the coordinated programs system, shall be required to provide the board with the information necessary to produce the unified workforce development system report.

Legislative History

P.L. 1992, ch. 133, art. 68, § 4; P.L. 1996, ch. 100, art. 46, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 595, art. 12, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 261, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 98, § 2; P.L. 2013, ch. 489, § 4; P.L. 2013, ch. 492, § 4; P.L. 2014, ch. 500, § 4; P.L. 2014, ch. 528, § 61; P.L. 2014, ch. 551, § 4; P.L. 2016, ch. 176, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 197, § 1; P.L. 2024, ch. 403, art. 1, § 16, effective December 31, 2024.