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Senate Bill No. 383
Public Act No. 26-85
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
OFFICE OF WORKFORCE STRATEGY RELATED TO HIGHER
EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 4 -124xx of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026):
[(a) The Chief Workforce Officer, appointed pursuant to section 4 -
124w, in consultation with the Labor Commissioner, the Commissioners
of Social Services, Developmental Disabilities, Public Health, Higher
Education and Aging and Disability Services, the Governor's Workforce
Council, the Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Autism
Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council and regional workforce
development boards, shall establish a Human Services Career Pipeline
program to ensure a sufficient number of trained providers are available
to serve the needs of persons in the state with an intellectual disability,
other developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, cognitive
impairment or mental illness and elderly persons. Such pipeline shall
include training and certification for cardiopulmonary resuscitation,
first aid, medication administration, job placement and incentives for
retention in the human services labor sector upon successful completion
of the program.]
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[(b)] (a) The Chief Workforce Officer , appointed pursuant to section
4-124w, shall consult with the Labor Commissioner and the
Commissioners of Aging and Disability Services, Developmental
Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services , Public Health and
Social Services, the Council on Developmental Disabilities and the
Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council to determine: (1) The
greatest needs for human services providers to serve the needs of
persons in the state with an intellectual disability, a deve lopmental
disability, a physical disability, a cognitive impairment or a behavioral
health disorder and elderly persons in the state, and (2) barriers to hiring
and retaining qualified providers. The Chief Workforce Officer shall
assist local and regional boards of education in enhancing existing
partnerships or establishing new partnerships with providers of human
services and higher education institutions to provide a pathway to a
diploma, credential, certificate or license and a job providing human
services.
[(c)] (b) The Chief Workforce Officer, in consultation with the Labor
Commissioner, shall develop a plan for the Human Services Career
Pipeline program that includes, but shall not be limited to: (1) A strategy
to increase the number of state residents pursuing care ers in human
services, (2) recommended salary and working conditions necessary to
retain an adequate number of human services providers to serve state
residents, and (3) estimated funding needed to support the Human
Services Career Pipeline program. Not later than July 1, [2024] 2026, the
Chief Workforce Officer shall submit a report on the plan, in accordance
with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to
appropriations, aging, higher education and employment advancement,
human services, labor and public health. The report shall include the
Chief Workforce Officer's recommendations for establishing the career
pipeline and estimates of funding needed to implement the pipeline.
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[(d) The Chief Workforce Officer shall, within available
appropriations, establish such career pipeline and, if such pipeline is
established, submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of
section 11 -4a, not later than January 1, 2026, and annually there after,
regarding the development and implementation of the pipeline to the
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to appropriations, aging, higher education and
employment advancement, human services, labor and public health. For
purposes of this section, "human services labor sector" means persons
trained to provide services to persons with an intellectual disability;
other developmental disabilities, including, but not limited to, autism
spectrum disorder; physical disabilities; cognitive impairment or mental
illness; and elderly persons.]
Sec. 2. Section 4 -124mm of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established an account known as the Connecticut Career
Accelerator Program Account that is within the Office of Workforce
Strategy for the purpose of supporting commercial driver's license
training and training for careers identified by the Office of Workf orce
Strategy, pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section,
within the CareerConneCT workforce training program. The account
shall contain any moneys required by law to be deposited therein and
such moneys shall be held in such account. T he account may accept
gifts, grants or donations from public or private sources. Any balance
remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried
forward in the account for the fiscal year next succeeding. The account
may be used for the purposes of the program described in subsection (b)
of this section.
(b) (1) Not later than July 1, 2024 , the Office of Workforce Strategy
shall design a program to support individuals pursuing training to
obtain a commercial driver's license, including through the use of
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income share agreements or equivalent financial instruments. The
Office of Workforce Strategy may competitively procure a consultant to
support the design and implementation of the program. The program
shall be implemented not later than January 1, [2025] 2027.
(2) Not later than July 1, 2025, the Office of Workforce Strategy shall
identify (A) additional training opportunities [, for careers requiring not
more than one year of training, ] to expand the program designed
pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, and (B) training providers
to use for such additional training opportunities. Such additional
training opportunities may be added to or removed from such program,
subject to the approval of the Chief Workforce Officer.
(c) The design of the program under subsection (b) of this section
shall take into consideration: (1) Developing metrics for identifying
qualified training providers, (2) developing incentive -based payments
for training providers, such as paying a trainer eighty p er cent of a
student's tuition prior to providing any training and paying the trainer
the remaining tuition upon placement of the student in a job, and (3)
developing a method for targeting potential students for the program.
The program shall include term s and conditions for the payment
obligations undertaken by individuals who obtain tuition assistance
from the account. The program shall require an individual who receives
a direct tuition payment from the account to repay such payment if such
individual i s placed in a job after receiving training through the
program that provides the individual with a higher income than such
individual received prior to participating in such training. No interest
shall be charged on any tuition repayment obligation. The program shall
also consider offering wrap -around supports, such as stipends, child
care services, counseling and other supports identified by the Office of
Workforce Strategy. An individual who receives such supports shall not
be required to repay the account for such supports.
(d) The Office of Workforce Strategy shall develop a marketing plan
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to attract individuals who fit the eligibility criteria for participation in
the program, specifically targeted at recruiting individuals who are
underserved, disadvantaged, unemployed, underemployed, dislocated
workers, receiving temporary assistance for needy families,
supplemental nutrition assistance program or any other public
assistance benefits, formerly incarcerated or veterans of the armed
services. The marketing plan shall include outreach to various state
agencies, the regional workforce investment boards, transit authorities,
housing authorities, the Office of Early Childhood and other partners as
identified by the Office of Workforce Strategy.
[(e) (1) Not later than July 1, 2025 , the Office of Workforce Strategy
shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a,
on the design and implementation of the commercial driver's license
training program established under this section to the joint standing
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, commerce,
education, finance, revenue and bonding, higher education and
employment advancement and labor and public employees.
(2) Not later than July 1, 2026, the Office of Workforce Strategy shall
submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11 -4a,
regarding the identification of additional training opportunities and
training providers pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this
section to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state
agencies, commerce, education, finance, revenue and bonding, higher
education and employment advancement, and labor and public
employees.]
[(f)] (e) Not later than [July 1, 2026] October 1, 2027 , and annually
thereafter, the Office of Workforce Strategy shall [submit a report, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11 -4a, on the commercial
driver's license training program established under this section to the
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Governor and to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly
having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets
of state agencies, commerce, education, finance, revenue and bonding,
higher education and employment advancement and labor and public
employees] include, as part of the annual report required pursuant to
subsection (f) of section 4 -124w, a report on the program for training
opportunities established pursuant to this section . Such report may
include information on the (1) program completion and job placement
rate of individuals participating in the program; (2) starting wages,
wage gains and wage growth of individuals employed after
participating in the program; (3) funds used as payment obligations,
grants and wraparo und services for individuals participating in the
program; (4) percentage of program participants in compliance with
repayment obligations; and (5) total repayments received.
Sec. 3. Section 10-265s of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective July
1, 2026)