STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Addiego
SYNOPSIS
Concerns free access to certain job training courses for employees affected by plant closings, mass layoffs or transfer of operations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning access to certain job training courses and amending P.L.1983, c.469 and P.L.1983, c.470.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.1983, c.469 (C.18A:64-13.2) is amended to read as follows:
2. Each public institution of higher education shall permit a person who has been in the labor market for at least two years and is unemployed or has received a layoff notice as a result of a factory or plant closing or transfer, or mass layoff to enroll without payment of tuition in a job training course, provided that the person is not eligible for any available State or federal student financial aid and that available classroom space permits and that tuition paying students constitute the minimum number required for the course. In the case of an employee of an employer who is required to provide notification to the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2007, c.212 (C.34:21-2), that person shall be permitted to enroll without payment of tuition in a job training course regardless of any classroom restriction in space. Nothing herein shall preclude a public institution of higher education from requiring a registration fee not to exceed $20.00 per academic term.
(cf: P.L.1992, c.45, s.2)
2. Section 2 of P.L.1983, c.470 (C.18A:64A-23.2) is amended to read as follows:
2. Each county college shall permit a person who has been in the labor market for at least two years and is unemployed or has received a layoff notice as a result of a factory or plant closing or transfer, or mass layoff to enroll without payment of tuition in a job training course, provided that the person is not eligible for any available State or federal student financial aid and that available classroom space permits and that tuition paying students constitute the minimum number required for the course. In the case of an employee of an employer who is required to provide notification to the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development pursuant to subsection a. of section 2 of P.L.2007, c.212 (C.34:21-2), that person shall be permitted to enroll without payment of tuition in a job training course regardless of any restriction in classroom space. Nothing herein shall preclude a county college from requiring a registration fee not to exceed $20.00 per academic term.
(cf: P.L.1992, c.45, s.4)
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would amend current law to provide employees of employers subject to the “Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act,” P.L.2007, c.212 (C.34:21-1 et seq.), with increased opportunities to participate in job training at all public and county colleges in the State.
The “Millville Dallas Airmotive Plant Job Loss Notification Act,” requires prenotification, of at least 60 days, for certain anticipated plant closings and mass layoffs in order to provide the time needed to avoid closings of viable plants, and, if a closing is unavoidable, to help workers to utilize effectively the services needed to make a timely transition to new employment or occupations.
Among the retraining options available to these workers are programs that provide for tuition or grants to pay for training such as vocational technical education or community college. The “tuition waiver program” currently restricts the number of available class slots for participants. This legislation seeks to end this limitation for those individuals affected by a plant closing, transfer of operations or mass layoff.