House Bill 845

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRAINING ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL BE USED BY THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WITH THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY ACTING AS THE FISCAL AGENT, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING SUPPORT TO COMMUNITY AND JUNIOR COLLEGES FOR THE TRAINING NEEDS THAT MAY ARISE WHEN NEW BUSINESSES LOCATE IN MISSISSIPPI; TO PROVIDE THE CONDITIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR A GRANT; TO PROVIDE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ABOUT THE PROGRAM FOR THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Mississippi New Economic Development Training Assistance Grant Program to be administered by the Office of Workforce Development. The grant program shall be used by the Office of Workforce Development, with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security acting as the fiscal agent, for the purpose of providing support to community and junior colleges for the training needs that may arise when new businesses locate in Mississippi. The grant program shall be funded from monies appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose.

(2) The Office of Workforce Development shall prescribe the terms and conditions of grants awarded under the program. In order to receive a grant under the program, a community or junior college must provide the following information to the Office of Workforce Development:

(a) The total amount of funds that will be required;

(b) How the funds will be used by the community or junior college to support the training needs of the new business; and

(3) The Office of Workforce Development may use a maximum of five percent (5%) of funds appropriated for the program for the administration of the program.

(4) The Office of Workforce Development shall submit a quarterly report on the grant program to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the House Workforce Development Committee and the Chair of the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The report shall contain a detailed explanation of how the funds appropriated for the program were awarded, how those grants were used by the community or junior college to support the training needs of the new business, and whether more funds are needed for the program. The community or junior college that received grants from the program shall assist the office in completing the reporting requirement.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.