Bill Text: NY A00437 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates the women and high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs grant program; encourages and assists women to enter high-wage, high-demand occupations including but not limited to trades, science, technology, engineering, and math; makes an appropriation therefor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to labor [A00437 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A00437-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 437 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to creating the women and high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs grant program; and making an appropriation therefor The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 206-d to 2 read as follows: 3 § 206-d. Women and high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs grant 4 program. 1. Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following 5 terms have the meanings given. 6 (a) "Eligible organization" includes, but is not limited to : 7 (1) community-based organizations experienced in serving women; 8 (2) employers; 9 (3) business and trade associations; 10 (4) labor unions and employee organizations; 11 (5) registered apprenticeship programs; 12 (6) secondary and postsecondary education institutions located in New 13 York; and 14 (7) workforce and economic development agencies. 15 (b) "High-wage, high-demand" means occupations that represent at least 16 0.1 percent of total employment in the base year, have an annual median 17 salary which is higher than the average for the current year, and are 18 projected to have more total openings as a share of employment than the 19 average. 20 (c) "Low-income" means income less than two hundred percent of the 21 federal poverty guideline adjusted for a family size of four. 22 (d) "Nontraditional occupations" means those occupations in which 23 women make up less than twenty-five percent of the workforce as defined 24 under United States Code, title 20, section 2302. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01784-01-7A. 437 2 1 (e) "Registered apprenticeship program" means a program registered 2 under United States Code, title 29, section 50. 3 2. Grant program. The commissioner shall establish the women and high- 4 wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs grant program to increase the 5 number of women in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations. 6 The commissioner shall make grants to eligible organizations for 7 programs that encourage and assist women to enter high-wage, high-de- 8 mand, nontraditional occupations including but not limited to those in 9 the skilled trades, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) 10 occupations. 11 3. Use of funds. (a) Grant funds awarded under this section may be 12 used for: 13 (1) recruitment, preparation, placement, and retention of women, 14 including low-income women and women over fifty years old, in registered 15 apprenticeships, postsecondary education programs, on-the-job training, 16 and permanent employment in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occu- 17 pations; 18 (2) secondary or postsecondary education or other training to prepare 19 women to succeed in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations. 20 Activities under this subparagraph may be conducted by the grantee or in 21 collaboration with another institution, including but not limited to a 22 public or private secondary or postsecondary school; 23 (3) innovative, hands-on, best practices that stimulate interest in 24 high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations among girls, increase 25 awareness among girls about opportunities in high-wage, high-demand, 26 nontraditional occupations, or increase access to secondary programming 27 leading to jobs in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations. 28 Best practices include but are not limited to mentoring, internships, or 29 apprenticeships for girls in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional 30 occupations; 31 (4) training and other staff development for job seeker counselors and 32 social services caseworkers on opportunities in high-wage, high-demand, 33 nontraditional occupations; 34 (5) incentives for employers and sponsors of registered apprenticeship 35 programs to retain women in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occu- 36 pations for more than one year; 37 (6) training and technical assistance for employers to create a safe 38 and healthy workplace environment designed to retain and advance women, 39 including best practices for addressing sexual harassment, and to over- 40 come gender inequity among employers and registered apprenticeship 41 programs; 42 (7) public education and outreach activities to overcome stereotypes 43 about women in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations, 44 including the development of educational and marketing materials; and 45 (8) support for women in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occu- 46 pations including but not limited to assistance with workplace issues 47 resolution and access to advocacy assistance and services. 48 (b) Grant applications shall include detailed information about how 49 the applicant plans to: 50 (1) increase women's participation in high-wage, high-demand occupa- 51 tions in which women are currently underrepresented in the workforce; 52 (2) comply with the requirements of this subdivision; and 53 (3) use grant funds in conjunction with funding from other public or 54 private sources. 55 (c) In awarding grants under this subdivision, the commissioner shall 56 give priority to eligible organizations:A. 437 3 1 (1) with demonstrated success in recruiting and preparing women, espe- 2 cially low-income women and women over fifty years old, for high-wage, 3 high-demand, nontraditional occupations; and 4 (2) that leverage additional public and private resources. 5 (d) At least fifty percent of total grant funds must be awarded to 6 programs providing services and activities targeted to low-income women. 7 (e) The commissioner in conjunction with the state comptroller shall 8 monitor the use of funds under this section, collect and compile infor- 9 mation on the activities of other state agencies and public or private 10 entities that have purposes similar to those under this section, and 11 identify other public and private funding available for these purposes. 12 § 2. The sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000), or so much 13 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of 14 labor out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the 15 credit of the women and high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional jobs 16 grant program, not otherwise appropriated, and made immediately avail- 17 able, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such 18 moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on 19 vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of labor in the 20 manner prescribed by law. 21 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 22 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 23 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 24 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 25 completed on or before such effective date.
