Bill > HB2585

This bill modifies provisions related to workforce training programs in Missouri by establishing the "Missouri Workforce Development Board," formerly known as the Missouri workforce investment board, which will now be referred to as "the board." The board's purpose is to enhance employment, earnings, and occupational skills through statewide and local workforce investment systems, aligning with the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill outlines the board's composition, appointment process, term lengths, and reimbursement for expenses, ensuring compliance with WIOA requirements. It also clarifies that the board will not directly operate programs but will focus on planning, coordinating, and monitoring them, with provisions to prevent conflicts of interest for board members. The Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, specifically the office of workforce development, will provide staff support for the board, which can also promulgate necessary rules. A new section, 173.2573, defines "eligible workforce training programs," "high-skill industry sectors or occupations," "high-wage industry sectors or occupations," and "in-demand industry sectors or occupations." This section empowers the governor, in consultation with the board, to approve eligible workforce training programs for participation in the federal workforce Pell Grant Program if they meet criteria related to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand sectors, as well as other federal eligibility requirements. The bill also mandates coordination with other state and federal workforce programs and requires the coordinating board for higher education to establish a process for program approval and data reporting on outcomes like completion rates, job placement, and earnings, all while ensuring consistency with federal rules governing the workforce Pell Grant Program.