BYLINE: States News Service
DATELINE: CONCORD, NH
The following information was released by the office of the governor of New Hampshire:
Gov. John Lynch today applauded the House supporting legislation to restore the Job Training Fund, which will help New Hampshire workers and employers better compete in the changing economy.
The House today passed Senate Bill 97, which dedicates up to $1 million a year from the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund toward job training. The bill will now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Senate unanimously passed the legislation.
"By restoring the Job Training Fund we will allow our workers - and the companies that employ them - to continually master the new skills and new technologies they need to compete globally. By reestablishing this fund, the state can partner with our businesses and to help their employees get the training they need. The Job Training Fund will allow companies to grow and will help us keep jobs right here in New Hampshire," Gov. Lynch said.
New Hampshire first established the Job Training Fund in 2001, and the first grants were approved in January 2002. In 19 months, 169 grants were awarded to more than 100 different companies and nearly 5,400 workers were trained.
Senate Bill 97 will restore funding to the Job Training program by removing a link to the amount of money in the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. Instead, the bill provides funding for job training from the administrative portion of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. It does not require any general fund dollars, nor does it affect the fund that pays for unemployment benefits for workers. Companies are required to provide an equal match for any grant they receive.
The Business and Industry Association, several labor unions, the Departments of Resources and Economic Development, Labor and Employment Security, the New Hampshire Community Technical College System and the Workforce Opportunity Council, all support this important piece of legislation.
The bill is sponsored by Sens. David Gottesman, Martha Fuller Clark, Maggie Hassan, Harold Janeway and Sylvia Larsen.