Legislature(2013 - 2014)BARNES 124
02/12/2014 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Department of Labor & Workforce Development by Commissioner Dianne Blumer | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
February 12, 2014
3:26 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Kurt Olson, Chair
Representative Mike Chenault
Representative Bob Herron
Representative Dan Saddler
Representative Andy Josephson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Lora Reinbold, Vice Chair
Representative Charisse Millett
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BY
COMMISSIONER DIANNE BLUMER
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
DIANNE BLUMER, Commissioner
Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DLWD)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the Department of Labor &
Workforce Development overview.
JAMES HARVEY, Director
Central Office
Division of Employment Security
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of the
Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
FRED ESPOSITO, Director
Division of AVTEC - Alaska's Institute of Technology (AVTEC)
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Seward, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of the
Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
WANETTA AYERS, Director
Division of Business Partnership
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of the
Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
NANCY DAHLSTROM, Director
Alaska Workforce Investment Board (AWIB)
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified and answered questions during the
overview of the Department of Labor & Workforce Development
(DLWD).
GREY MITCHELL, Acting Assistant Commissioner;
Director, Division of Labor Standards & Safety
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of the
Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
CHERYL WALSH, Director
Statewide Programs
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of the
Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
MIKE MONAGLE, Director
Central Office
Division of Workers' Compensation
Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the overview of Department
of Labor & Workforce Development.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:26:14 PM
CHAIR KURT OLSON called the House Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:26 p.m. Representatives
Josephson, Herron, Saddler, and Olson were present at the call
to order. Representative Chenault arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
^Overview: Department of Labor & Workforce Development by
Commissioner Dianne Blumer
Overview: Department of Labor & Workforce Development by
Commissioner Dianne Blumer
3:26:31 PM
CHAIR OLSON announced that the only order of business would be
an Overview: Department of Labor & Workforce Development by
Commissioner Dianne Blumer.
3:26:44 PM
DIANNE BLUMER, Commissioner, Department of Labor & Workforce
Development (DLWD), began her presentation. She stated that the
DLWD's mission is to provide safe and legal working conditions
to advance the opportunity for employment. The department
primarily provides three core services: protects Alaskan
workers, provides income replacement, and oversees workforce
development.
3:29:06 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER briefly reviewed the department's
organization chart [slide 2]. The dark blue areas on the chart
represent the areas that provide departmental oversight - the
commissioner's office and administration services division. The
light blue areas on the chart represent workforce development
functions. The Division of Business Partnerships reaches out to
businesses and industry to provide assistance in design and
implementation of training and workforce development plans. The
Employment Security Division has two components, [Unemployment
Insurance and Workers' Compensation Division] and provides a
public labor exchange. The Alaska Workforce Investment Board
provides policy oversight of state and federal funded jobs and
job training. The Alaska Vocational Technical Center is an
adult vocational training school in Seward. The Vocational
Rehabilitation Division provides two components of core
services, including workforce development in which staff assists
individuals with disabilities to enter the workforce. Referring
to the brown boxes on the chart, she identified the Labor
Standards and Safety Division as the division that provides
enforcement and training, and monitors labor laws, occupational
safety, and health. The Alaska Labor Relations Agency
administers the Public Employment Relations Act. The green
areas on the chart relate to income replacement for those not
able to work. The Employment Security Division oversees
unemployment insurance and the Workers' Compensation Division
administers the state's Workers' Compensation Act, she said.
3:31:23 PM
CHAIR OLSON thanked Mike Monagle, Director of the Division of
Workers' Compensation, who has been extremely helpful and
responsive to constituents in his district.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER pointed out that the disability
determination is the other component of the Vocational
Rehabilitation Division.
3:31:56 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER, referring to a map, reviewed the DLWD's
services by location [slide 3]. The red dots represent the 21
job service centers, of which 3 are located in Anchorage, the
blue areas represent vocational rehabilitation service
locations, and the green dots represent all other program
service locations such as worker protection and administrative
services. The AVTEC has two locations - one located in Seward
and the other in Anchorage.
3:32:40 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER said the Alaska Labor Relations Agency
highlights two items [slide 4]. The agency provided training at
no cost to the state for a summer law intern program through a
"Study Law in Alaska" program sponsored by the University of
Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and the Seattle University School of Law.
The agency has worked to resolve more cases through resolution
without using a formal hearing process, which saves everyone
time and money, she said.
3:33:23 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER said Nancy Dahlstrom is the new executive
director of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board (AWIB). She
highlighted three accomplishments. First, the AWIB completed
two job center certifications required for federal Workforce
Investment funding, which ensures universal standards through
the "one-stop" centers. Second, the AWIB participated heavily in
revision of the oil and gas plan with the Division of Business
Partnerships and industry. She explained the plan updates what
was formerly known as the AGIA plan. She related the department
is rolling out a new plan that is more in line with the current
proposed gasline. Third, the AWIB has conducted more outreach
emphasizing it is not possible to have workforce development
without industry input. The department took the AWIB to
targeted communities that appeared to struggle with economic
development and workforce development. For example, the board
went to the Kenai and Ketchikan and invited industry to
participate in panel discussions. Across the board, the
department heard employers indicate the need for soft skills for
youth, which "boils down to" work ethics. The department
identified areas of importance, including how to pass a
background check, hold a driver's license, pass a drug test, and
job punctuality. Thus, the AWIB has been focused on how to make
a difference. She recapped that the board has been conducting
outreach that will reap benefits in the next few years.
3:36:04 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER stated that the Alaska Vocational Technical
Center (AVTEC) has new dorms. She indicated the AVTEC's
director will review its accomplishments, Ms. Ayers will discuss
the Business Partnerships, and the new director of the Division
of Employment Security will highlight the Employment Security
Division.
3:38:08 PM
JAMES HARVEY, Director, Central Office, Division of Employment
Security, Department of Labor & Workforce Development (DLWD),
reviewed the division's accomplishments. The division recorded
a 22 percent lower unemployment insurance rate for 2014, which
was essentially the result of passage of HB 76 last year. This
allowed the solvency tax adjustment to fall to the calculated
difference rather than just three-tenths. The unemployment
insurance program exceeded all of the federal UI management
acceptable level of performance goals for core measures. This
means that the division is doing its job well. He related that
from July 1 until the current time, the division has experienced
over 150,406 job center visits exceeding the number of visits in
2013. In response to a question, he clarified that these
figures pertain to physical visits to the 23 job center
locations statewide.
MR. HARVEY stated that in FY 13 the division had 1,840,000
visits to the online labor exchange. He emphasized that since
July 1, 2013, the division helped 1,635 general educational
development (GED) students graduate, which exceeds last year's
figures of 1,600 graduates. He surmised this has been due to
changes made to the GED test.
CHAIR OLSON remarked that these are significant accomplishments.
3:41:05 PM
FRED ESPOSITO, Director, Division of AVTEC - Alaska's Institute
of Technology, Department of Labor & Workforce Development,
stated that AVTEC has had a long history of providing workforce
development and training in Alaska. He reported that AVTEC
graduated 366 students in long-term programs and 758 in short-
term programs in FY 13. He said the AVTEC is proud of its
graduation rates, including its 87 percent completion rate and
92 percent training-related job placement rate for FY 12. He
pointed out that the AVTEC follows its students one year after
graduation and reports these statistics. The dorm, which opened
to students January 4, 2014, was completed on time and on budget
this year.
MR. ESPOSITO related that the AVTEC's Alaska Maritime Training
Center implemented the first-ever U.S. Coast Guard approved ice
navigation course. He emphasized that this has put the AVTEC
maritime program on an international status of providing
training to meet the International Maritime Organization's (IMO)
Polar Code, necessary for artic work. The AVTEC's programs have
been embraced by industry, particularly, with respect to the
maritime field. The AVTEC uses up to date maritime technology
and understands regulations and innovations used on ships. He
outlined a few maritime contract programs including working with
ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. polar tankers, Norton Sound Economic
Development Corporation and others to provide contract training
to specifically meet industry needs. He characterized the
AVTEC's maritime programs as being "area specific, vessel
specific, and company specific." In FY 13, the AVTEC enjoyed
partner and corporate support of more than $350,000.
3:44:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON referred to the 92 percent training-
related job placement rate and asked about the one-year follow-
up figures.
MR. ESPOSITO clarified that in FY 12, the AVTEC experienced an
87 percent program completion and 92 percent employment.
3:45:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for the measurable analysis on
whether the new dorms improve retention or graduation rates.
MR. ESPOSITO responded that the new dorm replaced an aging
facility. He anticipated more students will be living on
campuses and will have a better experience, which may lead to
improved completion rates. Further, the AVTEC hopes the new
dorm will increase enrollment by attracting more students.
3:47:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether students pay for
residential costs.
MR. ESPOSITO answered yes. He said the AVTEC's program is
funded the same way as for any other college campus.
3:47:45 PM
WANETTA AYERS, Director, Division of Business Partnership,
Department of Labor & Workforce Development, stated that the
Division of Business Partnership's role is to manage the state's
investments in workforce development [slide 7]. In FY 13 the
division's efforts resulted in training over 5,500 Alaskan
workers and the delivery of career awareness, guidance or work
experience to 21,000 students. The division has listened to
employers, training providers, and other grantees and has
rebuilt its grant making process. This allows the division to
operate a combined solicitation for its competitive grant, which
is currently "on the street." This will enable awardees to
develop their programs and optimize grant funds. Finally, the
division has been working with the oil and gas industry on
development of workforce development plan, which she hoped would
be finalized the next 30 to 35 days. In response to a question,
she deferred to Mr. Harvey to answer efforts the department has
been taking with the announcement of the Flint Hills refinery
closure.
3:50:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON, referring to slide 5, which read,
"Completed 2 job center certifications required for federal
Workforce Investment Act funding." He asked whether the state
needs to certify more job centers.
NANCY DAHLSTROM, Director, Alaska Workforce Investment Board
(AWIB), Department of Labor & Workforce Development, answered
that every job center is certified in a timely basis. At
present the department is current on certifications.
3:50:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether the AWIB is regionally
balanced.
MS. DAHLSTROM answered that currently the board does not have
representation from Bethel. She acknowledged that as seats
become open that the department has worked to ensure adequate
representation from all areas of the state. She said the board
is interested in having someone from the Bethel region apply to
serve on the board.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON pointed out he also represents Unalaska
and asked whether anyone from the Aleutians serves on the AWIB.
MS. DAHLSTROM answered no.
3:52:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether the administration has a
current position on the allocation of Alaska Technical
Vocational Education Program grant fund dollars.
MS. DAHLSTROM answered that AVTEC has applied for some of the
grant funds so she couldn't comment on the allocation. She
hoped the information AVTEC has provided will help the
legislature determine fund allocation.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON suggested that it might mean that entities
get "a smaller slice of the pie."
3:53:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked how the department defines success,
noting that some entities do well and others under perform.
MS. DAHLSTRON answered that AWIB has been reviewing the
definitions and is working with Ms. Ayer's group to ensure a
means exists to measure performance. For example, not everyone
has access to the same centers or facilities so it isn't
possible to do a straight rating across the board, she said.
3:54:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER noticed [on slide 5], that AWIB assisted
in revising the oil and gas plan. He asked for any trends or
directions in employment in the oil and gas industry.
MS. DAHLSTROM said she does not have information on any new
directions but she recalled Ms. Ayers mentioning the report
should be ready in 30 to 35 days.
3:56:20 PM
MR. HARVEY stated that the division has dedicated staff response
specialists, similar to the ones who assisted the Kenai
Peninsula area when Agrium, Inc. closed its plant. He reported
that the division's staff has reached out specifically to the
Flint Hills refinery in an effort to inform employees about the
services the job center provides with respect to unemployment
insurance and hoped it would coincide with the warning notices.
CHAIR OLSON lauded the Division of Employment Security's staff.
He said he was extremely grateful for the division's assistance
on the Kenai Peninsula with the Agrium plant closure.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER added that the administration has reached
out to work with the [Alaska Support] Industry Alliance and the
Resource Development Council to assist those who may be facing
layoffs.
3:57:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON asked for further clarification.
MR. HARVEY answered that employers with more than 15 employees
must file a warning notice within 60 days in advance of a
layoff.
3:58:16 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER, in response to a question by Representative
Herron, stated that the department welcomes applications from
his region and that she has been seeking applicants from Bethel,
Barrow, and Unalaska.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON offered to advise the Aleutian region and
the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area.
3:59:11 PM
GREY MITCHELL, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Director, Division
of Labor Standards & Safety, DLWD, highlighted the components,
noting that the wage and hour administrative staff handles
enforcement of all the wage and hour laws. This group has
focused effort on employers, noting that staff conducted over
12,000 employer briefings. He said the briefings help employers
understand the laws since most employers want to do the right
thing, but laws can be confusing. The division takes a
proactive effort to ensure that employers are aware of the
rules. The department notices the correlation between this
effort and the reduction in the number of wage claims filed.
4:00:29 PM
MR. MITCHELL stated that the mechanical inspection component
inspected over 5,000 boilers, 557 elevators, and 1,577
electrical/plumbing inspections. One outcome has been to
achieve the goal of 90 percent timeliness. He reported that the
division increased worksite inspections, performing 15 percent
more inspections, with 60 percent resulting in consultations and
40 percent enforcement actions, typically due to an accident or
a complaint. He emphasized significant results last year in the
occupational safety and health category. The division observed
a 7 percent reduction in the overall "lost time and injury
rate," which is the second lowest rate ever experienced. He
reported that in two focus areas, construction and
transportation warehousing, that the rates dropped 24 percent
and 17 percent, respectively.
4:02:28 PM
MR. MITCHELL stated that the Governor's Safety and Health
Conference is scheduled on March 4-6 at Anchorage's Dena'ina
Center. He welcomed legislators attending or dropping by. He
explained that the conference is a tremendous outpouring of
educational information. The youth outreach effort is "growing
exponentially." The division has been working with the King
Career Center to expose youth to occupational safety and health.
This year West High School has joined the effort and will be
busing students from throughout the Anchorage School District.
He anticipated that approximately 2,000 students will be given
seminars in workplace safety and health awareness.
4:03:53 PM
COMMISSIONER BLUMER reviewed the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation highlights. The DVR's counselors are trained to
address the unique employment barriers faced by individuals with
disabilities and conviction histories. The department as a
whole has been working closely with the Department of
Corrections for recidivism reduction. Consequently the
department has been focused on assisting those released into the
communities overcome barriers and become employed.
CHAIR OLSON asked whether the program has been in existence to
give any figures.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER answered that 20.8 percent of the population
has been served. After consulting with staff, she answered that
21 percent of the case load have prior convictions.
4:05:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON recalled the Bethel region faces similar
issues in tribal health. He compared a teen with a shoplifting
conviction to more serious convictions of crimes. He asked
whether the legislature should revisit barrier crimes.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER answered that the Criminal Justice Working
Group is currently considering this and has identified many
barrier crimes, not only in Alaska, but nationally. The group
has been interested in ensuring that a nexus is applied to the
barrier.
4:06:57 PM
CHERYL WALSH, Director, Statewide Programs, Division of
Vocational Rehabilitation, DLWD, stated the division has found
an increasing number of people have misdemeanor and felony
convictions. The division develops unique relationships with
employers, who will often give these clients a chance, so the
barrier doesn't become a lifelong issue once the person has
served time.
CHAIR OLSON asked whether the crimes fall under misdemeanor
nonviolent criminal acts.
4:07:51 PM
MR. WALSH answered that the division covers the whole spectrum.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON asked whether she had a timeframe for
completion.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER answered that she was unsure, but she
offered to report back to the committee. In response to a
question, she said was unsure if the report would be done during
the legislative session.
4:08:50 PM
MR. WALSH explained that the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation has established a "business team" of counselors
to assist employers hire qualified employees with disabilities
or criminal history. The division assisted 598 individuals with
disabilities find employment. The division has collaborated
with the Department of Administration to increase the knowledge
of the provisional hiring program. This program allows people
with disabilities to have access to state jobs, with an
additional four months of provisional hire. The competitive
interview process is difficult for the disabled, plus the
process doesn't indicate how well they can perform once hired.
She pointed out the statute has been underutilized. The DOA has
been working with hiring managers, for example, managers must
fill out a checklist indicating whether they have considered the
provisional hire program to raise awareness.
4:11:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON asked whether the division could
provide an executive summary on employment barriers rather than
providing a full report. He's primarily interested in the crime
and the employment barriers. For example, a theft conviction
would understandably prevent a person from working in a bank,
but the person may be able to work in another field.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER recalled that when the department started
the process approximately 435 barriers exist in statute. The
department strives to pare that number down and do a "crosswalk"
to specific jobs and specific crimes.
4:13:04 PM
MIKE MONAGLE, Director, Central Office, Division of Workers'
Compensation, DLWD, stated that last year, the Workers'
Compensation Board formed a working group consisting of labor
and industry who conducted "listening sessions" to obtain a
sense of the employee and employer issues. He characterized
this effort as being instructive, noting the group received good
feedback. It's been so successful that the division made the
working group a permanent subcommittee of the board. This year,
the division rolled out a new computer case management system
that improves data capture but also allows the division to take
advantage of electronic data interchange. That interchange
allows insurance companies, claims administrators, employers,
and self-insured employers the ability to report information to
the division electronically. He described the changes as being
a simplified process which eliminates paperwork.
MR. MONAGLE reported that the division has a special
investigations unit that ensures compliance with the insurance
requirements of the workers' compensation act. He further
reported that an employer who fails to carry insurance is
subject to fairly steep civil penalties. The division has been
working to be more proactive and has held employer education
workshops statewide since employers are often not aware of the
legal requirements or are misinformed about independent
contractors or employee labor. The division would rather
educate people "upfront" to ensure compliance than to assess
large civil penalties. In response to a question, he agreed
that employee claims can trigger investigative actions.
4:15:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON recalled learning that some trades,
such as dry wall, carpentry, or roofing, have experienced
rampant workers' compensation issues since some employees are
being treated as employees for tax purposes only.
MR. MONAGLE acknowledged that it is common in the construction
industry to treat employees as independent contractors rather
than as employees, which is not appropriate. He pointed out the
division receives complaints from industry, a specific employer,
or an employee. He related that the division has a Memorandum
of Understanding with the Division of Insurance (DOI) with
respect to procedures for handling this. For example, if the
employer doesn't have any insurance, it becomes a workers'
compensation issue as an uninsured employer. However, if the
employer has an insurance policy, the matter is handled by the
DOI, who treats it as a misclassification or premium fraud. To
recap, the workers' compensation division does follow up on
complaints, he said.
4:18:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON asked whether the statutes are adequate
for enforcement.
MR. MONAGLE offered his belief that the workers' compensation
laws are adequate. He said this as a "hot topic country wide"
and not unique to Alaska. Many states have adopted statutory
language specific to independent contractors to the extent that
people must register with the state as an independent
contractor. He said he doesn't think the state is interested in
more bureaucracy; however, the workers' compensation has a well-
defined litmus test to differentiate between employees and
independent contractors. Thus, the workers' compensation board
has a "fact set" to make the correct determination.
4:19:22 PM
CHAIR OLSON offered his belief that this problem likely will
arise when someone is consistently the low bidder on projects
since the company doesn't have the labor burden.
MR. MONAGLE answered that lots of people "play by the rules" but
they must compete with those that don't. The division receives
complaints when companies consistently underbid since they have
12 independent contractors working for them.
4:19:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON recalled that people appreciated the
Division of Workers' Compensation "listening." He asked for the
top two complaints the division has heard.
MR. MONAGLE answered that the number one complaint employers
raised was the cost of the premiums and medical costs.
Additionally, some injured workers complained about the amount
of time it takes to settle disputes since it can take up to 8-10
years to complete the process. He characterized this as being
horrific, that people need solutions faster, and the outcome -
either a denial or an award - must happen more quickly. The
workers' compensation does mediations which has cut time. Last
year the division conducted 60 mediations. He remarked that
what is nice about this is that the mediations result in about
90 percent resolution; however, the process is voluntary.
Finally, the division receives complaints about the re-
employment process. For example, if a person is hurt and can't
perform the same work, the division has a statutory process for
retraining, which includes a cash stipend. He reported the
success rate in retraining people is about eight percent with
only 10-13 people become retrained annually. Most people just
take the cash and settle out. In those instances the division
is not really assisting the injured worker in getting back into
gainful employment.
4:22:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON recalled Ms. Dahlstrom indicated the
department is working on success definition under ATVEP. He
understood several vocational education schools want to take
advantage of ATVEP dollars. He said the "800 pound gorilla" is
that the UA receives a substantial amount of this funding. He
asked whether the UA will be held to the same standards as "all
the little guys" including AVTEC. He asked whether the
legislature should be working in concert with the DLWD to define
the success definition. Secondly, he asked whether instead of
making the slice smaller for the "little guys" shouldn't some be
sliced from the university.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER answered that the ATVEP fund has 10
recipients, with 50 percent going to the university.
Additionally, funds go directly to the organizations and do not
pass through the department. The rest of the grants are
administered through the department and the department provides
the legislature with a report. She offered her belief that the
legislature should have received that report recently. However,
the department does not have any authority to garner all the
information required by statute. She suggested that a slight
adjustment needs to occur, which is outlined in the governor's
bill, which requires an articulation agreement. She said each
ATVEP recipient must have at least one articulation agreement
encouraging them to work with youth and the school districts to
provide a "running start" for students graduating from high
school. Secondly, another component in the governor's bill is
the authority to reduce funding by 20 percent the following
year, if those measurements are not met and provided to the
department. She further said she thinks that should be
sufficient to assist the department in gathering that
information and providing it to the legislature.
COMMISSIONER BLUMER, in terms of cuts, responded that the
department is very neutral on formula funding. The department
will provide the information needed in terms of performance
measures but it is up to the legislature to make the
determination.
4:26:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON acknowledged that the legislature has the
purse strings. He wondered whether the legislature should work
in concert on the "success definition" since it's important to
think about what a "success definition" and the legislature
should be part of the debate "before we trot it out into the
world."
COMMISSIONER BLUMER agreed. She highlighted that three strong
measurement components exist: the participant rate, the
employment after completion, and the wage component. She
acknowledged that the other two components are difficult to get,
such as measuring participant satisfaction and employer
satisfaction. She said, "That's hard information to get
sometimes, frankly."
ADJOURNMENT
4:27:29 PM
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at
4:27 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DOLWD Interim Progress Report 02-12-2014.pdf |
HL&C 2/12/2014 3:15:00 PM |
Dept of Labor presentation |