DATE: August 20, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Blake Konczal, Executive Director
Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board
SUBJECT: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Local Plan Program Year 2017-2021, Two Year Modification
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act biennial updates to the Local Plan for Program Years 2017-2021.
REPORT
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no alternative action. If this item is not approved, Fresno County will be out of compliance with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requirements, and could lose funding for WIOA activities that benefit the residents of Fresno County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the Recommended Action. The Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB) is 100% funded by non-County sources. These are primarily from the United States Department of Labor, and are supplemented by other federal and State of California grants.
DISCUSSION:
On June 18, 2019, your Board approved the biennial updates to the Regional and Local Plans for program years 2017-2021. Subsequently, the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board discovered that the document forwarded to the Local Chief Elected Official (your Board’s Chairman) for the June 18th agenda item did not include the Local Plan biennial updates. Therefore, this item is before your Board to approve and execute the Local Plan.
WIOA Sections 106 and 107 and California UI Code Sections 14221-14222 require that local boards submit a comprehensive four (4) year regional and local plan to the California Workforce Development Board (state board). Under WIOA, a biennial update of regional and local plans is required in order to ensure plans remain current, and account for “changes in labor market and economic conditions or in other factors affecting the implementation of the local plan” (29 U.S. Code § 3123). The state board has also made changes to the State Plan, which requires that the Local Boards update their plans to keep them consistent with the policy direction of the State Plan. Modifications required to align the Local Plan with the state plan include the following areas:
1) Department of Social Services CalFresh programs;
2) Local Child Support Agencies to provide workforce services to unemployed, underemployed, and payment-delinquent non-custodial parents;
3) Programs that serve individuals with disabilities, including detail on strategies to implement Competitive Integrated Employment;
4) Requirements pertaining to services for English Language Learners, the Foreign Born, and Refugees; and
5) Other changes to the local plan made pursuant to change in labor market and economic conditions or in other factors affecting the implementation of the local plan are submitted as modifications to the regional or local plan they propose to modify.
The directive mandates that each local board hold public meetings for stakeholders to ensure opportunities to participate in and provide feedback on the local and regional plans as part of the initial development of the plan modifications. These meetings were held in October and November 2018, and attendees included the following:
1) Organizations providing services to the re-entry population,
2) English learners, as well as adult education partners, refugee resettlement agencies, immigration services providers,
3) Human Service program leads and providers,
4) Community college and other education partners, and
5) Disability organizations associated with the Department of Rehabilitation.
WIOA mandates that the draft plan be released for a 30-day public comment period. To meet this requirement, Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board staff released the draft plans for a 30-day public comment period on February 1, 2019. Comments were due no later than March 4, 2019. There were no comments in disagreement with the draft plans received during the public comment period, and there were no comments received that resulted in significant changes to the initial draft plan.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Fresno Regional Develop Board Executive Committee
Fresno City Council
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #33, June 18, 2019
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - WIOA Local Plan Biennial Modification
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander