Establishes the retrain and employ unemployed persons program providing grants to community colleges to develop training programs or improve existing workforce development programs for the purposes of training unemployed individuals for jobs in the regions surrounding such community colleges.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1350
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK,
SEAWRIGHT, WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher
Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the
retrain and employ unemployed persons program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6303-b
2 to read as follows:
3 § 6303-b. Retrain and employ unemployed persons program. 1. Defi-
4 nitions. As used in this section the following terms shall have the
5 following meanings.
6 (a) "Grant program" shall mean the retrain and employ unemployed
7 persons program or the RE-UP New York program.
8 (b) "Training program or workforce development program" shall mean the
9 community college programs created or improved pursuant to the grant
10 program.
11 (c) "BOCES" shall mean boards of cooperative educational services as
12 defined in article forty of this chapter.
13 2. By no later than July first, two thousand twenty-six the state
14 university boards of trustees and the city university boards of trustees
15 shall establish a grant program for community colleges to develop train-
16 ing programs or improve existing workforce development programs for the
17 purposes of training unemployed individuals for jobs in the regions
18 surrounding such community colleges.
19 3. Grants shall be awarded pursuant to appropriation in an amount up
20 to five hundred thousand dollars to community colleges that can demon-
21 strate that such training programs or workforce development programs
22 will provide the requisite training required for job placement in busi-
23 nesses and industries within the region that lack the necessary work-
24 force or that are seeking employees with new skills in an area where job
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02749-01-5
A. 1350 2
1 openings currently exist or where job growth is anticipated in the near
2 future.
3 4. To be eligible to receive a grant, a community college must also
4 demonstrate that such community college: (a) has partnered with regional
5 businesses or industries to determine areas where jobs are available or
6 are anticipated to become available and a skilled workforce is needed;
7 and (b) consults with the department of labor to target unemployed indi-
8 viduals who shall be given priority placement into such training
9 programs or workforce development programs.
10 5. Upon successful placement of training program or workforce develop-
11 ment program participants, local businesses or industries partnering
12 with community colleges pursuant to this grant program shall reimburse
13 the community colleges for one-third of the cost of such employee train-
14 ing.
15 6. Community colleges may seek to provide on-site training or may seek
16 to have participants trained on job sites.
17 7. The community college, in consultation with local business or
18 industry, shall determine the length of such training or workforce
19 development program, provided that such program shall provide competency
20 for a particular business or industry need. Successful completion of
21 such programs shall be signified by the receipt of a certificate of
22 completion, however, training or workforce development programs need not
23 lead to degrees or official certifications provided by the department or
24 the department of state.
25 8. Beginning in the year two thousand twenty-seven and thereafter,
26 pursuant to appropriation and based on the availability of funds, commu-
27 nity colleges shall be eligible to receive an additional fifty thousand
28 dollars in any year that more than fifty percent of all grant program
29 participants trained become employed.
30 9. SUNY and CUNY boards of trustees shall also consult with regional
31 BOCES to develop or improve career training programs that will partner
32 with community colleges and business industries to train middle school
33 or high school students. In order to be eligible for a grant under this
34 subdivision, such career training programs shall result in high school
35 graduation and enrollment in a community college or participation in a
36 RE-UP New York training or workforce development program. A portion of
37 the funding for the BOCES, community college and industry partnership
38 may be funded by the participating business or industry.
39 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
