An Act To Attract, Educate and Retain New Mainers To Strengthen the Workforce
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§18-F is enacted to read:
Education | Office of New Mainers Advisory Committee | Not Authorized | 5 MRSA §25002 |
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA Pt. 31 is enacted to read:
PART 31
IMMIGRANTS AND IMMIGRATION
CHAPTER 631
OFFICE OF NEW MAINERS
§ 25001. Office of New Mainers
(1) The Department of Labor to identify business employment needs and mobilize public sector resources to support immigrant workforce training and job placement;
(2) The Department of Education and other public and private educational institutions to develop an educated and trained immigrant workforce;
(3) The Department of Health and Human Services and other public and private social service and affordable housing agencies to provide necessary support to immigrants to prepare for, seek and enter employment in the State;
(4) The Department of Economic and Community Development to identify municipal, community and business needs that may be met by or matched to an educated or trained immigrant workforce; and
(5) The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation to provide assistance in licensing and credentialing immigrants in trades and occupations;
§ 25002. Office of New Mainers Advisory Committee
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §8613 is enacted to read:
§ 8613. Welcome Center Initiative
The Welcome Center Initiative, referred to in this section as "the initiative," is established and administered by the department's office of adult education and family literacy in collaboration with the Office of New Mainers established in Title 5, section 25001, referred to in this section as "the office."
Sec. 4. Department of Education to establish a welcome center in the City of Lewiston under the Welcome Center Initiative. The Department of Education shall establish a welcome center within the City of Lewiston adult education program pursuant to the Welcome Center Initiative under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 8613.
Sec. 5. Vocation-specific English-language acquisition and workforce training program. A vocation-specific English-language acquisition and workforce training program for immigrants in the State, referred to in this section as "the program," is established.
1. Program requirements. The Department of Education's office of adult education and family literacy, referred to in this section as "the office," shall administer the program in collaboration with the Office of New Mainers established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 25001. The program must prepare immigrants for identified workforce needs of employers in the State to accelerate entry into livable wage employment for the immigrants and enhance employer retention of the immigrants by combining vocation-specific English-language acquisition with training in the specific vocational areas required by the employers. Training must be conducted pursuant to a grant process under subsection 2.
2. Training grants. The office shall establish a statewide competitive grant process to carry out the purposes of subsection 1. The amount of a grant under this subsection is determined by the office based upon the needs of the area to be served and the availability of funding. The office shall consider grants to cover all areas of the State with emphasis on areas with large immigrant populations or where there is a need for skilled workers that training under this section may provide. A proposal for a grant under this subsection must include:
The office shall give special consideration to proposals for grants under this subsection that provide incentives for immigrants to participate in the training, such as agreements with employers to provide time and space for on-site training or to pay an employee the employee's hourly rate to attend the training.
3. Criteria for applicants. An applicant for a training grant under subsection 2 must have demonstrated expertise and experience in the following:
4. Rules. The office shall adopt routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to carry out the purposes of this section.
5. Report. The office shall prepare a report on the training that includes:
By November 4, 2020, the office shall submit the report along with any recommended legislation to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs. The joint standing committee may report out a bill based upon the report to the 129th Legislature.
Sec. 6. Department of Education to provide grants for English-language acquisition instruction for adult education programs. The Department of Education's office of adult education and family literacy shall develop and implement a grant process to provide funding on a competitive basis to adult education programs in communities experiencing an increase in immigrant populations to reduce the waiting list for English-language acquisition classes and to increase the level of English-language acquisition instruction offered as needed by the communities receiving the grants. The department shall award grants under this section to eligible communities in a number and amount determined by available funding. The department shall adopt routine technical rules as defined by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to carry out the purposes of this section.
Sec. 7. Local community planning support program. The Department of Education's office of adult education and family literacy, referred to in this section as "the office," shall establish a local community planning support program, referred to in this section as "the program."
1. Local community planning support program. The office in collaboration with the Office of New Mainers established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 25001 shall implement the program to assist communities within the State to manage new immigrant populations that have settled in the communities or to attract immigrant populations to address depopulation or workforce shortages in the communities.
2. Program elements. The office shall establish by rule the elements of the program. The program must provide a planning process for communities to provide English-language acquisition and training in vocational skills, identify employers or areas that would benefit from immigrant residency or employment and cultivate community support to integrate immigrants into the communities and local workforce.
3. Funding. The office shall consider applications from governmental entities located in or containing communities that are affected by or wish to attract immigrant populations and provide grants to those communities in a number and amount determined by available funding. An application for funding under this subsection may be made by one governmental entity or a combination of 2 or more governmental entities and may include a partnership by the governmental entity with a private or nonprofit organization. For purposes of this subsection, "governmental entity" includes a county, municipality or school administrative unit.
4. Rules. The office shall adopt routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to carry out the purposes of this section.
5. Report. The office shall prepare a report on the program that includes every governmental entity receiving a grant, the amount of the grant and an evaluation of the outcomes and effectiveness of the grant on the target communities. By December 5, 2018, the department shall submit the report along with any recommended legislation to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs. The joint standing committee may report out a bill based upon the report to the 129th Legislature.
Sec. 8. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
Adult Education
Initiative: Provides funds for expansion of the Welcome Center Initiative within the City of Lewiston's adult education program to attract, educate and retain foreign-trained workers residing in Androscoggin County.
GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
All Other
|
$75,000 | $75,000 |
GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $75,000 | $75,000 |
Vocation-specific English-language acquisition and workforce training program
Initiative: Provides funds for grants to service providers to provide English-language instruction, vocational training and placement of immigrant populations in the State with employers of the State, serving 400 participants in fiscal year 2017-18 and 500 participants in fiscal year 2018-19.
GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
All Other
|
$320,000 | $400,000 |
GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $320,000 | $400,000 |
Adult Education
Initiative: Provides funds for grants to adult education programs to increase English-language acquisition instruction in communities experiencing an increase in immigrant populations, serving 400 participants in both fiscal years of the biennium.
GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
All Other
|
$200,000 | $200,000 |
GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $200,000 | $200,000 |
Local community planning support program
Initiative: Provides funds to provide to counties, municipalities and school administrative units to manage new immigrant populations who have settled within the counties, municipalities and school administrative units or to attract immigrant populations to address depopulation or workforce shortages within the counties, municipalities and school administrative units.
GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
All Other
|
$150,000 | $150,000 |
GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $150,000 | $150,000 |
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF | ||
DEPARTMENT TOTALS | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
GENERAL FUND
|
$745,000 | $825,000 |
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS | $745,000 | $825,000 |
summary
This bill creates various programs to attract, educate and retain in the State's workforce immigrant populations in the following ways:
1. It creates the Office of New Mainers and the Office of New Mainers Advisory Committee to coordinate among various departments by developing a comprehensive plan to educate and train immigrant populations to fill needed positions of employers throughout the State;
2. It establishes the Welcome Center Initiative to operate welcome centers in adult education programs to attract, educate and retain in employment foreign-trained workers in municipalities or regions of the State that have immigrant populations or that have industries that are experiencing a shortage of trained workers, patterned after the New Mainers Welcome Center operated by the City of Portland adult education program through a pilot program created by the 126th Legislature;
3. It establishes 3 grant programs to:
4. It expands the Welcome Center Initiative to the City of Lewiston's adult education program to attract, educate and retain in employment foreign-trained workers residing in Androscoggin County, patterned after the New Mainers Welcome Center in Portland.