VOTE: NO
Signed into law by Gov Brown on 3-17-22
Declared an emergency
Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Measures/Overview/SB1545
Establishes equity grant programs in Higher Education Coordinating Commission to prioritize funding for workforce development activities to increase access for priority populations to training opportunities in construction, health care and manufacturing and to workforce development services and benefits.
Personal Choice and Responsibility
This bill is not equal under the law when you prioritize one person or group over another. Priority populations are: communities of color, women, low-income communities, rural and frontier communities, veterans, participants in offender reentry programs. Amendment B added LGBTQ+ community.
Fiscal Responsibility
Total appropriations to General Fund is $65,919,794 to grow Higher Education Commission (HECC) and fund priority populations to be employable. Where are these funds coming from mid-biennium? If there are that much reserves, why were kicker funds taken from taxpayers and taxes increased?
Appropriates $15 million from General Fund to HECC for the Prosperity 10,000 Program establishing goals for services to priority population to provide career coaching, training and placement with 75% earning $17 per hour. General funds of $79,932 for Department of Human Services (DHS). Additionally, limited to $20 million from American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (ARPA).
Appropriates $123,335 for DHS for intellectual/development disabilities programs for federal matching under Prosperity 10,000 Program. Added $79,426 for state assessments and enterprise-wide costs. Added $159,358 for shared services.
Appropriates $164,314 for OHA to carry out Prosperity 10,000 Program .
Establishes and appropriates $18,900,000 of the General Fund for a grant program to be administered by the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) to provide financial support for development, expansion, and implementation of registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship training programs in health care and manufacturing and for preapprenticeship training programs in construction. Also appropriates $1.1 million for maximum federal match.
Establishes and appropriates $3,313,429 of the General Fund for a youth workforce program administered by the Youth Development Division that delivers workforce readiness services to specified youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 24 in priority populations. Also appropriates $7 million to maximize federal match.
Limited Government
The bill provides service and grants specific to “priority populations” which are communities of color, women, low-income, rural and frontier communities, veterans, participants in offender reentry programs, and LGBTQ+ community. “Workforce programs” means programs that have a primary mission of helping individuals become employed, retain employment, increase wages and progress along career pathways and that are responsible for outcomes related to the primary mission. Targeting specific groups is discriminatory and because of the wealth redistribution, it is a socialist program. Many of these programs are run by non-profits with help from local governments and it includes helping homeless find employment. We should leave this work to non-profits and support them.
Local Control
Takes away local control and centralizes another program under state government.
This bill is unconstitutional not to mention racist. Kate already lost lawsuits for allocating funds from Covid for small businesses to black businesses only. Oregon Dems keep pushing these programs at the black community to buy votes.