Broward Workforce Development Board
2013 State Legislative Agenda
May 24, 2013
A. Senate Bill 222, “Reemployment Assistance,” seeks to transfer the functions of the
Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission to the Department of Economic
Opportunity. This would require the Department of Economic Opportunity to create a
regional appeals office at each regional workforce board.
We believe having a local Reemployment Appeals Commission would promote quicker turnaround time for resolution. We also appreciate the compliment that the local workforce
development boards can do the job, but we do not advocate the boards’ involvement for the
following reasons:
 The bill suggests that volunteer staff conduct local appeals in the areas of mediation,
dispute resolution, etc. It is the Broward Workforce Development Board’s (BWDB) belief
that well trained staff is needed for such a regional appeals office to be effective; however,
it’s impractical to task volunteers with these skill sets.
 This will put WF1 in a difficult position between our dual customers (the unemployed
jobseekers and employers) we serve. Businesses pay into “Re-Employment Assistance”
while jobseekers benefit from it, posing an inherent conflict of interest for the BWDB. Thus,
the regional boards should not be managing it.
Update: On May 3, 2013, this proposed bill died in the Appropriations Subcommittee on
Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development.
B. Senate Bill 1076, “Education”; cited as the "Career and Professional Education (CAPE)
Act."
This legislation revises educational programs and creates certain funding incentives to increase
the likelihood that educational programs in Florida’s public schools, colleges, and universities
will better prepare students for future occupations and careers. The bill fosters students’
development of technology skills in prekindergarten through grade 12 and increases
opportunities for students to earn industry certifications in high school and college. The bill
designates three areas for university performance funding: computer and information
technology; high-demand programs as identified by the Board of Governors (BOG) using a gap
analysis; and cloud virtualization and related large data management.
The BWDB would support this legislation as a step in further erasing the traditional lower
division versus higher division distinctions and focusing on a competency-based curriculum that
responds both to critical thinking skills as well as industry needs.
Update: This bill was passed by the legislature and on April 22, 2013, it was approved by the
Governor.
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C.
The Governor unveiled a set of incentive proposals to various economic development
partners, which include the workforce boards. If, by the end of 2014, the state’s
unemployment rate is two percentage points below the national average, each Regional
Workforce Board will receive a funding award, minimum of $250,000 and maximum of
$500,000, based on population or other criteria.
The BWDB is not in favor of this incentive because there are many factors affecting the
unemployment rate that workforce boards can not control. Having an incentive imposed, which
we cannot control, could set workforce boards up for perceived failure or reward us for things
we cannot control.
Update: The Governor’s incentive proposal involving regional workforce boards, which was tied
to the unemployment rate, fell under the Economic Incentives Budget and was not approved as
part of the 2013-2014 Florida budget by the House or Senate.
D.
We support having a comprehensive talent pool by requiring students in publicly funded
schools, colleges, and universities to post their resumes on the Employ Florida
Marketplace (EFM) website.
All Florida post-secondary graduates through doctoral level, who are without a job offer, should
list their skills and certifications in Employ Florida Marketplace (EFM) so that employers can find
them.
Update: The Governor launched a state-wide, one-month initiative to help Florida’s graduates
connect to jobs via a special web portal, HireFloridaGrads.com, serving as a lead generator and
temporary database for workforce boards to refer when matching work-ready graduates to
potential employment opportunities. On this portal, students will also have the option of creating
a full profile of their education and work experience in EFM.
E.
Support the 2013 Broward Days Workforce Education Legislative Positions
The Broward Days Workforce Education Team released its 2013 legislative positions, which we
support, involving establishing permanent co-enrolled options for students seeking to participate
in Adult Education Programs for credit recovery, reconciling class utilization rates with FLDOE
recommendations, developing an adult general education residency policy, endorsing the
Governor’s budget for workforce education, and endorsing the school district technical and adult
education centers in offering college developmental/remediation classes.
Update:
Position #1: Permanently establish co-enrolled options for students seeking to participate in
Adult Education Programs for credit recovery.
Outcome: Passed
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Co-Enrollment and Workforce Education
Rational fits language approving co-enrollment which has been under siege for the past two
legislative sessions. Co-enrollment allows a high school student to enroll in an adult course to
recover a required credit in a core academic subject and graduate on time with his/her
classmates.
There is more good news on the workforce education front. Broward schools received an
additional $672,390 for this program for Career and Technical Education dual enrollment for
high school students. While other urban districts lost funding, for the first time, Broward's
funding for its Career and Technical Programs makes it the number one provider of these
programs in the state. Broward schools will receive more than $3.1 million from a special
Targeted Career and Technical Education Industry Certification fund to be used to expand,
enhance, or develop program offerings that will lead to industry certification in the specific
occupations.
Position #2: Year after year, extraordinary students, who live in Florida for reasons beyond their
control, graduate from Florida high schools and decide not to attend Florida colleges or take
fewer college courses because they have to pay the cost of out-of-state tuition, which is three
times the cost of in-state tuition.
Outcome: Recent bills HB11, HB17 and HB29 that had been presented, died on the last day of
the legislative session in Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee.
Position #3: Require students in publically funded schools to post their resumes on Employee
Florida Marketplace.com (EFM)
Outcome: Per Section D., the Governor launched a statewide initiative, called Hire Florida
Grads, involving a special web portal for Florida’s graduates to post their resume with an option
to create a profile in EFM.
Position #4: Develop an Adult General Education Residency Policy.
Outcome: Failed; will revisit in 2014
Position #5: Support the Governor’s budget for Workforce Education.
Outcome: $672,000 increase in funding to be allocated to the earning for the expansion or
addition of programs that train for industry credentials in one of the targeted areas including:
Welding, cyber security, cloud virtualization, advanced manufacturing, automotive service
technology or for industry certifications for Federal Aviation Administration airframe mechanics,
and power plant mechanics, pharmacy technicians, and heating ventilation and air conditioning
technicians.
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F.
Florida’s local workforce system supports strengthening economic development’s job
creation abilities.
We support efforts to create and retain jobs in Florida through speed in process and having
strong tools that foster a business friendly environment, which is essential to effective job
creation. Further, we support transparency in government process and funding, along with
efforts to establish an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for attracting, retaining, and growing jobs in
Florida and, thus, endorse the funding of state incentives to increase access to capital needed
for growth for small businesses.
Update: Governor Rick Scott did not get the $279 million in economic incentives he requested
as part of the state’s 2013-2014 budget. Rather, Florida’s House and Senate approved a total
of $71 million in economic incentives to entice businesses to move to the state. Incentives can
include cash, tax refunds for jobs created and workforce training. Some incentives are paid
upfront or through the Governor's discretionary fund, while others are tax refunds paid after job
creation or retention targets are met. In addition, the approved legislative budget provides $12
million for Quick Response Training (CRT) grants for employers throughout Florida. To receive
the grants, the employers “must produce an exportable good or service, create new, full-time
jobs in targeted industries, and require customized skills training and meet certain wage
requirements.”
G.
Healthcare Workforce Initiatives
We support initiatives to fund the training and placement of needed healthcare professionals, as
part of South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association’s (SFHHA) 2013 Legislative Positions
and Priorities “Healthcare Workforce Shortage,” bullet 2.
Update: The recently passed 2013 Florida State Budget allocates $74 million to the Florida
College System, $393 million to the State University System, and $100 million to State
University STEM facilities, which satisfies South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association’s
(SFHHA) legislative position (bullet 2 under Healthcare Workforce Shortage) to help with
training and placement of healthcare professionals.
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