Bill Text: NY A01925 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program to assist in the identification of target industry clusters and employers for creation of new local sector partnerships and to provide grants to emerging and existing local sector partnerships and to community colleges seeking to establish local sector partnerships for recruitment activities; makes an appropriation therefor.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 6-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-14 - referred to economic development [A01925 Detail]
Download: New_York-2025-A01925-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1925 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MAHER, E. BROWN, DeSTEFANO, BRABENEC, McDONOUGH, BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Devel- opment AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish- ing the sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement 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 economic development law is amended by adding a new 2 article 28 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 28 4 SECTOR PARTNERSHIP ENHANCEMENT AND REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM 5 Section 500. Short title. 6 501. Definitions. 7 502. Sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program. 8 503. Local sector partnership duties and responsibilities. 9 504. Local sector partnership formation grant. 10 505. Local sector partnership enhancement grant. 11 506. Community college sector partnership exploration grant. 12 § 500. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as 13 the "sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program act". 14 § 501. Definitions. For the purposes of this article: 15 1. "Community college" means a college established and operated pursu- 16 ant to the provisions of article one hundred twenty-six of the education 17 law which provides two-year postsecondary programs in general and 18 receives financial assistance from the state. 19 2. "Local sector partnership" means a workforce collaborative, within 20 an economic development region as established by the department pursuant 21 to article eleven of this chapter, focused on achieving the goal of 22 meeting shared human resources needs and consisting of multiple employ- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04992-01-5A. 1925 2 1 ers within an industry sector, in combination with representatives of 2 one or more of the following: 3 (a) a labor organization, where appropriate; 4 (b) a local workforce development board; 5 (c) a postsecondary education institution; 6 (d) a community college; 7 (e) an adult basic education provider; 8 (f) a school district; 9 (g) the state or a local government; 10 (h) a chamber of commerce or other economic development organization; 11 (i) a community based organization or other not-for-profit organiza- 12 tion; or 13 (j) any other entity as determined eligible by the department. 14 § 502. Sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program. The 15 department, in consultation with the department of labor, the state 16 education department, the New York state higher education services 17 corporation, the New York state workforce investment board, and repre- 18 sentatives of local workforce development boards, shall establish a 19 sector partnership enhancement and reinforcement program, the purpose of 20 which shall be to: 21 1. upon request, assist in the identification of target industry clus- 22 ters and employers for creation of new local sector partnerships 23 throughout the state; 24 2. support and encourage contact and cooperation between local sector 25 partnerships already in existence and those looking to create a new 26 local sector partnership; 27 3. serve as a coordinator or convener pursuant to subdivision one of 28 section five hundred three of this article on behalf of employers within 29 an industry sector and the appropriate state and local agencies or not- 30 for-profit organizations to facilitate the creation and support of local 31 sector partnerships; 32 4. provide technical assistance, including counseling and direction 33 from department staff in forming and sustaining a local sector partner- 34 ship, professional development opportunities for members of a local 35 sector partnership, customized labor market and economic data upon 36 request, and similar assistance as to be determined by the department to 37 local sector partnerships; and 38 5. provide and administer grants pursuant to sections five hundred 39 four, five hundred five, and five hundred six of this article to new and 40 existing local sector partnerships. 41 § 503. Local sector partnership duties and responsibilities. A local 42 sector partnership shall: 43 1. designate one of the member entities or a representative from the 44 department as the convener of the local partnership. The convener shall 45 assume responsibility for recruiting membership to a local sector part- 46 nership, organizing meetings, fulfilling required reporting requirements 47 pursuant to subdivision two of this section, and for designating a 48 fiscal agent to oversee grant funds received pursuant to sections five 49 hundred four, five hundred five, and five hundred six of this article. 50 The convener may perform additional duties as determined by the local 51 sector partnership; 52 2. report performance information as determined by the department, 53 including an annual financial statement prepared according to generally 54 accepted accounting principles, to the department by December first of 55 each year;A. 1925 3 1 3. develop a comprehensive plan for addressing any identified skills 2 gap in the sector in order to be eligible for a grant pursuant to 3 section five hundred four, section five hundred five, or section five 4 hundred six of this article; and 5 4. perform additional duties and responsibilities as determined by the 6 department. 7 § 504. Local sector partnership formation grant. 1. The department 8 shall award grants to emerging local sector partnerships, or local 9 sector partnerships created within the last five years of the effective 10 date of this article, to fund planning activities including, but not 11 limited to, building and promoting membership in a local sector partner- 12 ship, initial costs related to research identifying sector skill gaps 13 and factors contributing to such gaps, and developing a plan to close 14 any existing skills gap as identified by the local sector partnership. 15 2. Local sector partnership formation grants shall not be less than 16 fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed one hundred thousand 17 dollars. 18 3. The first fifty percent of the total grant amount shall be made 19 available immediately upon notification of such grant award. The remain- 20 ing fifty percent of the grant shall be available to a local sector 21 partnership as a two-to-one match for funds raised. 22 4. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds include, but are not 23 limited to: cash funds raised; equipment costs, including computers, 24 training equipment, software, subscriptions, and other items directly 25 related to partnership operations; and facility costs, including acqui- 26 sition, rent, utilities, and other costs incurred directly related to 27 partnership operations. 28 5. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds shall not include: 29 salaries and fringe benefits provided in-kind by the lead applicant, 30 fiscal agent, or partnership member organizations; salaries and fringe 31 benefits paid by the lead applicant, fiscal agent, or partnership member 32 organizations to training or educational program participants; and fund- 33 ing granted through other programs administered by the department. 34 § 505. Local sector partnership enhancement grant. 1. The department 35 shall award grants to local sector partnerships which have already 36 completed planning activities as identified by the department for imple- 37 mentation activities including, but not limited to: skills training; 38 establishing a secondary to postsecondary education workforce pipeline; 39 establishing career pathways for adults; creating industry-based certif- 40 ication programs; developing curriculum; promoting participation in any 41 workforce training or education program; and other activities that 42 prepare or assist in providing workers for the industry sector. 43 2. Local sector partnership enhancement grants shall not be less than 44 fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand 45 dollars. 46 3. Grants pursuant to this section shall be available to a local 47 sector partnership as a two-to-one match for funds raised by the local 48 sector partnership. 49 4. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds include, but are not 50 limited to: cash funds raised; equipment costs, including computers, 51 training equipment, software, subscriptions, and other items directly 52 related to partnership operations; and facility costs, including acqui- 53 sition, rent, utilities, and other costs incurred directly related to 54 partnership operations. 55 5. For the purposes of this grant, matching funds shall not include: 56 salaries and fringe benefits provided in-kind by the lead applicant,A. 1925 4 1 fiscal agent, or partnership member organizations; salaries and fringe 2 benefits paid by the lead applicant, fiscal agent, or partnership member 3 organizations to training or educational program participants; and fund- 4 ing granted through other programs administered by the department. 5 § 506. Community college sector partnership exploration grant. 1. The 6 department shall award grants to community colleges seeking to establish 7 local sector partnerships for recruitment activities including, but not 8 limited to: developing a plan for creating and convening a local sector 9 partnership with employers in targeted industry clusters; related 10 marketing costs for advertising the potential creation of sector part- 11 nerships; financial incentives for recruiting employers in targeted 12 industry clusters to join a new local sector partnership; and other 13 activities that assist in the creation of a new local sector partner- 14 ship. 15 2. Community college sector partnership exploration grants shall not 16 be less than fifty thousand dollars and shall not exceed five hundred 17 thousand dollars. 18 3. Grants pursuant to this section shall be made available immediately 19 upon notification of such grant award. 20 § 2. The sum of up to fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), is hereby 21 appropriated to the department of economic development for the purpose 22 of carrying out the provisions of this act to be funded by grants under 23 the workforce investment act, federal Public Law 105-220, and the work- 24 force innovation and opportunity act, federal Public Law 113-128. Such 25 moneys shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on 26 vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of the department of 27 economic development in the manner prescribed by law. 28 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
