SENATE, No. 1745

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 19, 1996

By Senators RICE, LITTELL, Girgenti, Sacco, Codey, Lipman, Baer, Lesniak, Lynch, LaRossa, Singer, Casey, Adler and McGreevey

An Act concerning education and training programs for welfare recipients and supplementing Title 44 of the Revised Statutes.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. a. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs and the Commissioner of Labor, shall establish a program for providing a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program, established pursuant to P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 36 of 1996), with education or training as part of that recipient's individual responsibility plan pursuant to section 8 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 36 of 1996). The program shall be conducted by the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard at armories located throughout the State.

    b. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commission on Higher Education and the Commissioner of Labor, shall establish a program for providing a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program, established pursuant to P.L. ,

c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 36 of 1996), with education or training as part of that recipient's individual responsibility plan pursuant to section 8 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill No. 36 of 1996). The program shall be conducted by community colleges located throughout the State.

    c. A program conducted by the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard or by a community college, pursuant to this section, shall be given priority for the purposes of referral, over a private entity providing education or training to a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program.

    d. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor, shall adopt regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), governing education or training programs provided to a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program, which shall include, but not be limited to, certification of a private entity seeking to provide education or training, setting standards for operation of an education or training program, and annual review of the success of an education or training program in preparing a recipient for employment.

    e. A private entity offering an education or training program to a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program shall not advertise or promote the availability of a student loan to a recipient of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program.

    2. This act shall take effect 60 days after enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides for the establishment of education and job training programs for recipients of benefits under the Work First New Jersey program which would be conducted by the Army and Air National Guards at armories and by community colleges located throughout the State. These programs would be efficient in providing needed education and training to Work First New Jersey program recipients and thus would be given priority for the purposes of referral, over private entities providing education and training.

    Under the provisions of the bill, the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs and the Commissioner of Labor, would establish a program for providing a Work First New Jersey program recipient with education or training. Similarly, the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commission on Higher Education and the Commissioner of Labor, would establish a program for providing a Work First New Jersey program recipient with education or training at community colleges.

    Also, the bill provides that the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor, would adopt regulations governing a training or education program provided to a recipient of Work First New Jersey program benefits, which would include, but not be limited to, certification of private entities providing training or education, setting standards for operation of a training or education program, and annual review of a training or education program.

    Lastly, in an effort to discourage recipients from assuming debt for an education or training program that might not meet recipients' needs for employment, the bill prohibits a private entity offering training or

education programs from advertising or promoting the availability of a student loan.

Provides for education and training programs for welfare recipients by community colleges and the National Guard.