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2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 680
BY REPRESENTATIVES WYBLE, BAMBURG, BAYHAM, BERAULT, BILLINGS,
BRAUD, BRYANT, BUTLER, CARVER, CHENEVERT, COATES, CREWS,
DEWITT, DOMANGUE, ECHOLS, FREIBERG, GLORIOSO, HEBERT,
KERNER, KNOX, LAFLEUR, LYONS, MCMAKIN, MELERINE, OWEN, RISER,
SAWYER, SCHAMERHORN, WALTERS, WRIGHT, AND ZERINGUE
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 23:20, 33, 2041, 2056, 2061(2), 2062(2) and (4), 2063(A)(1),
3 2065(A)(4), (7), and (8), 2091, and 2191, to enact R.S. 23:2062(5) and (6) and R.S.
4 23:2065.1, and to repeal R.S. 23:2054, 2063(A)(2) and (3), 2065(A)(9), and 2192
5 through 2195, relative to workforce development; to provide legislative intent; to
6 provide a workforce system planning process; to provide for administration funding;
7 to provide for executive organization; to provide for the goals, duties, and functions
8 of the Workforce Investment Council; to require an annual parish-level workforce
9 outcomes report to the legislature; to provide for the transfer of state advisory
10 council responsibilities; to provide for workforce development boards; to provide
11 definitions; to provide for a Transition Advisory Team; to provide for effectiveness;
12 and to provide for related matters.
13 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
14 Section 1. R.S. 23:20, 33, 2041, 2056, 2061(2), 2062(2) and (4), 2063(A)(1),
15 2065(A)(4), (7), and (8), 2091, and 2191 are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
16 23:2062(5) and (6) and 2065.1 are hereby enacted to read as follows:
17 §20. State and local planning process; local workforce development boards;
18 Transition Advisory Team
19 A. The secretary shall design and implement a state and local planning
20 process for workforce training and services, including the certification of
21 business/career solution centers and the chartering of local workforce development
22 boards, provided through the programs under the jurisdiction of the office of
23 workforce development workforce system planning process consistent with the
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1 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq., and to
2 the extent allowed by federal law or approved federal waiver. The planning process
3 may include statewide, regional, or other governance or service delivery structures
4 as designated by the governor, including the certification of one-stop centers and,
5 when applicable, the establishment, oversight, consolidation, or restructuring of local
6 workforce development boards or successor governance entities. The planning
7 process shall require meaningful consultation with and participation from local
8 workforce development partners and employers, chief elected officials, and regional
9 stakeholders in the development, implementation, and modification of such plans.
10 B.(1) There is hereby created a Transition Advisory Team herein referred to
11 as the "team", which shall advise Louisiana Works throughout the planning process.
12 (2) The team shall be comprised of the following members:
13 (a) The secretary of Louisiana Works.
14 (b) Two local elected officials appointed by the Police Jury Association of
15 Louisiana.
16 (c) Two employers appointed by the secretary of Louisiana Works.
17 (d) An appointee of the Louisiana Community and Technical College
18 System.
19 (e) An appointee of Louisiana Economic Development.
20 (f) An appointee from the Louisiana AFL-CIO.
21 (g) Workforce Stakeholder appointed by the secretary of Louisiana Works.
22 §33. Administration funding
23 A. Unless superseded by federal law, the commission may use an amount not
24 to exceed twenty percent of the amount of funds available to the commission for
25 workforce training and services to implement state-level responsibilities, including
26 administration, research and planning, system design and development, and training
27 and technical assistance. Unless otherwise provided by federal law, Louisiana
28 Works may reserve and expend funds for state-level administration, planning,
29 research, system design and development, performance management, oversight,
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1 technical assistance, and other statewide workforce system responsibilities in
2 amounts consistent with federal requirements and approved waivers.
3 B. The governor may designate Louisiana Works to act as the fiscal agent
4 for grant funds associated with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of
5 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq., and to the extent allowed by federal law or approved
6 federal waiver.
7 C. In the allocation and expenditure of workforce funds, Louisiana Works
8 shall establish a formal process for meaningful consultation with local workforce
9 partners and employers to ensure that funding decisions reflect regional labor market
10 conditions, employer needs, and workforce priorities.
11 D. It is the intent of the legislature that any modernization of the workforce
12 development system preserves meaningful local input, regional responsiveness, and
13 the engagement of local workforce development partners and employers, chief
14 elected officials, and community stakeholders in decisionmaking processes.
15 * * *
16 §2041. Legislative declaration; intent
17 A. The legislature hereby declares:
18 (1) That the existing vocational, technical, basic and remedial education,
19 support services, employment, and job training programs systems lack statewide
20 coordination and that this lack of statewide coordination makes it difficult to
21 ascertain duplication of services and program impact, and more importantly, does not
22 allow for a serious analysis to determine the responsiveness of the system in meeting
23 the needs of both employers and individuals in need of program services.
24 (2) That global economics and technological forces are creating a new
25 knowledge-intensive economy that requires a highly adaptable and better educated
26 workforce. Yet, too many Louisiana citizens are not prepared for the skill
27 requirements of the workplace. Too many problems persist among our human
28 resources that suggest a growing gap between the skills employers need and the
29 skills both new and experienced workers bring to the labor market. These problems
30 include an unacceptable number of high school drop-outs, high school graduates who
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1 show serious skill deficiencies, and adults who are unemployed, are underemployed,
2 or face dislocation in the future because of illiteracy or inadequate basic skills.
3 (3) That the education and skill level of our human resources are the
4 foundation of our economic prosperity and a means by which we can increase
5 productivity, raise our standard of living, and lift our poor out of poverty.
6 B. The legislature hereby finds all of the following:
7 (1) That this state is experiencing sustained economic growth and increased
8 demand for skilled workers across multiple industries, and, as such, requires a
9 workforce development system that is capable of operating at scale and responding
10 quickly to labor market needs.
11 (2) Act No. 330 of the 2024 Regular Session of the Legislature strengthened
12 workforce governance by reinforcing Louisiana Works' role in statewide strategic
13 planning, regional coordination, and system alignment, while promoting greater
14 accountability and performance across workforce programs.
15 (3) The current structure of multiple local workforce development areas
16 results in duplicative administrative costs, fragmented customer service, reduced
17 oversight, and lower investments in direct training and employment services.
18 (4) Federal law permits states to request waivers and administrative
19 flexibilities pursuant to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to improve
20 efficiency, accountability, and outcomes for workers and employers.
21 C. It is the intent of the legislature to authorize and require Louisiana Works
22 to pursue federal waivers and administrative flexibilities necessary to modernize the
23 state's workforce development system, reduce unnecessary administrative overhead,
24 maximize the share of workforce resources dedicated to direct services and
25 employer-driven strategies, and implement a unified, statewide planning,
26 performance, and accountability framework that prioritizes measurable employment
27 outcomes, employer engagement, and responsible stewardship of federal and state
28 workforce development funds.
29 * * *
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1 §2056. Executive organization
2 For the purposes of executive branch organization, the council is placed
3 within the executive office of the secretary office of management and finance under
4 the purview of the secretary of Louisiana Works pursuant to R.S. 36:301(C)(1).
5 §2061. Definitions
6 As used in this Chapter, the following terms have the meaning herein
7 ascribed to them:
8 * * *
9 (2)(a) "Board" means a local the entity designated by the governor to carry
10 out workforce development board as described in functions pursuant to the
11 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq. or such
12 successor entity as may be established by or pursuant to federal law, which may
13 include a local workforce development board, the state workforce development
14 board, a regional body, or another entity authorized to perform such functions.
15 (b) Any alternative entity designed by the governor shall include
16 representation from local workforce development partners and employers, or their
17 successors. However, such representation shall not eliminate required local
18 stakeholder participation.
19 * * *
20 §2062. Goals
21 The goals of the council are:
22 * * *
23 (2) To advocate for the development of an integrated workforce development
24 delivery system that provides competitive quality services addressing the needs of
25 businesses and workers in Louisiana To establish a unified statewide planning,
26 performance, and accountability framework to ensure consistent service delivery and
27 standards across regions.
28 * * *
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1 (4) To ensure the equitable distribution of quality education, training, and
2 employment services statewide, especially to distressed and rural areas and areas
3 serving the economically disadvantaged citizens of this state To allocate and
4 administer workforce funds in order to prioritize measurable employment outcomes,
5 employment engagement, and efficient use of state and federal resources while
6 preserving meaningful regional input.
7 (5) To establish a unified and statewide planning, performance, and
8 accountability framework that incorporates formal input from local workforce
9 development partners and employers and regional stakeholders.
10 (6) To allocate and administer workforce funds while ensuring ongoing
11 meaningful consultation with local workforce development partners and employers
12 and preserving meaningful regional input and decisionmaking authority.
13 §2063. Strategic plan
14 A.(1) The council shall develop, prepare, adopt, and submit to the governor
15 a comprehensive state combined plan that establishes strategic goals, objectives, and
16 measures that provide direction for the provision of services and coordination of
17 resources by the state's workforce development delivery system. The plan shall
18 establish benchmarks for each measure and shall provide recommended strategies
19 for implementation by state agencies and private entities, and shall include
20 documented meaningful input from local workforce development partners and
21 employers, including regional plans, priorities, and performance data. The combined
22 plan shall be updated on a biennial basis. The state plan, which shall also serve as
23 the regional plan, shall be developed and updated in accordance with the Workforce
24 Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101, et. seq., and applicable
25 federal regulations.
26 * * *
27 §2065. Council duties and functions
28 A. The council shall:
29 * * *
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1 (4) Recommend to the governor the geographic designation, redesignation,
2 consolidation, or restructuring of workforce development areas, planning regions, or
3 other governance or service delivery structures for the delivery administration of
4 workforce development services funded through the federal Workforce Innovation
5 and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.
6 * * *
7 (7) Assist the department in requesting developing and submitting requests
8 for federal waivers allowed under authorized pursuant to the federal Workforce
9 Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq, and applicable
10 federal regulations, for the purpose of modernizing and improving the administration
11 of the state's workforce development system, including but not limited to waivers
12 that would do any of the following:
13 (a) Authorize the Workforce Investment Council to carry out a coordinated,
14 statewide workforce system with state directed strategy, reduction of administrative
15 duplication, fiscal oversight, and a single statewide one-stop operation framework
16 which shall be delivered by local workforce development partners and employers.
17 (b) Eliminate unnecessary administrative layers, duplicative governance
18 structures, and prescriptive requirements that impede coordination, efficiency, or
19 integrated service delivery.
20 (c) Establish consistent performance expectations across regions to improve
21 accountability of workforce-related programs.
22 (d) Provide flexibility in the allocation, consolidation, reallocation, or
23 administration of workforce development funds in order to maximize the proportion
24 of resources directed to training, employment services, work-based learning, layoff
25 aversion, and employer-focused activities.
26 (e) Streamline planning, infrastructure funding, procurement, and service
27 delivery requirements to support a unified statewide workforce system consistent
28 with federal law.
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1 (8) Perform all duties required by the federal Workforce Innovation and
2 Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq., and applicable federal regulations,
3 for the state workforce development board, and, when authorized by federal law or
4 approved waiver authority, perform the duties otherwise assigned to local workforce
5 development boards or related governance entities. The council shall also carry out
6 including carrying out the federally and state-mandated duties and responsibilities
7 for all advisory councils, committees, or successor bodies established by under
8 applicable federal and state workforce development programs.
9 * * *
10 §2065.1. Annual workforce outcomes report; disaggregation by parish
11 A. No later than February fifteenth of each year, Louisiana Works, in
12 coordination with the Workforce Investment Council, shall prepare and submit a
13 comprehensive Annual Workforce Outcomes Report to the governor, the president
14 of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Committee on
15 Labor and Industrial Relations, the House Committee on Labor and Industrial
16 Relations, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and the legislative auditor.
17 The first report required by this Section shall be submitted no later than February 15,
18 2027, and shall cover fiscal year 2025-2026.
19 B. The report shall include, at a minimum, all of the following data, reported
20 both statewide and disaggregated by parish of the participant's residence at the time
21 of program entry:
22 (1) The number of individuals who received workforce development services
23 funded in whole or in part with state or federal workforce funds, reported separately
24 for adults, dislocated workers, and youth.
25 (2) The number and percentage of program participants in unsubsidized
26 employment during the second and fourth quarters after program exit.
27 (3) Median earnings of program participants during the second quarter after
28 program exit.
29 (4) The number and percentage of participants who obtained a recognized
30 postsecondary credential, industry-recognized certification, or secondary school
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1 diploma, or its recognized equivalent, during participation or within one year after
2 program exit.
3 (5) Measurable skill gains achieved by participants in education or training
4 programs leading to a recognized credential or employment.
5 (6) The effectiveness of services to employers, including employer
6 penetration rate, repeat employer engagement rate, and the number of work-based
7 learning opportunities created, including apprenticeships, on-the-job training,
8 internships, and incumbent worker training.
9 (7) Total state and federal workforce development funds expended,
10 categorized by direct training, direct participant services, employer-focused
11 activities, supportive services, and administration.
12 (8) Cost per participant and cost per credential attained.
13 (9) Outcomes for participants residing in rural parishes, economically
14 distressed parishes, and parishes with unemployment rates exceeding the state
15 average, identified separately.
16 C. The report shall also include year-over-year comparisons for the
17 preceding five fiscal years where data are available, a narrative assessment of any
18 significant disparities in outcomes between parishes or regions, and a description of
19 corrective actions undertaken or recommended to address identified disparities.
20 D. Louisiana Works shall publish the annual report on its official website in
21 both a machine-readable, open data format suitable for secondary analysis and a
22 summary format suitable for general public review. The underlying parish-level data
23 shall be published concurrently with the report and shall remain publicly accessible
24 for no less than ten years.
25 E. Not later than March fifteenth of each year following submission of the
26 report, the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations and the House
27 Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations shall each convene a public hearing to
28 review the report and receive testimony from Louisiana Works, local workforce
29 development partners and employers, chief elected officials, and the public.
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1 F. Parish-level data required by this Section shall be de-identified and
2 aggregated as necessary to protect the confidentiality of individual participants,
3 consistent with applicable state and federal privacy laws. Where small cell sizes
4 would risk re-identification, data may be suppressed or combined, provided that the
5 report clearly identifies each instance of suppression and the reason therefor.
6 G. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to duplicate or replace
7 reporting required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29
8 U.S.C. 3101 et seq., or applicable federal regulations. Louisiana Works may
9 incorporate data elements from federal reporting to satisfy the requirements of this
10 Section, provided that the parish-level disaggregation required under Subsection B
11 of this Section is fulfilled.
12 H. Louisiana Works shall bear sole responsibility for compiling, analyzing,
13 and publishing the data required by this Section. Louisiana Works shall use data
14 already collected through the statewide workforce information system, participant
15 case management system, unemployment insurance wage records, and federal
16 reporting required under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29
17 U.S.C. 3101 et seq. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to impose on any local
18 workforce development board, local workforce development partner, chief elected
19 official, parish, or municipality any new data collection, compilation, or reporting
20 obligation beyond that already required under applicable federal or state law.
21 Louisiana Works shall not condition the receipt of workforce development funds on
22 the submission of data or reports that duplicate information otherwise available to
23 Louisiana Works through existing systems.
24 * * *
25 §2091. Transfer of state advisory council responsibilities
26 A. The council shall perform the responsibilities assigned to the state
27 advisory council under the following federal laws:
28 (1) The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101
29 et seq.
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1 (2) The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act
2 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
3 (3) The Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.).
4 (4) The Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.).
5 (5) The employment program established under Section 6(d)(4), Food Stamp
6 Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)).
7 (6) The National Literacy Act of 1991 (20 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.).
8 B. The council shall assume the responsibilities formerly exercised by the
9 following state advisory councils:
10 (1) The Louisiana Employment and Training Council.
11 (2) The State Council on Vocational Education.
12 (3) The State Occupational Information Coordinating Council.
13 (4) The Adult Education Advisory Council.
14 (5) The State Apprenticeship Council.
15 (6) The Governor's School-to-Work Council.
16 (7) The Louisiana Employment Security Advisory Council.
17 (8) Such other state advisory commissions or councils as the council
18 recommends and the governor approves.
19 C. Upon approval of the governor, the council may, by administrative rule,
20 assume the responsibilities of other state advisory councils or commissions and
21 perform all duties and responsibilities related to them.
22 * * *
23 §2191. Workforce development boards
24 A. There shall be a local workforce development board for every workforce
25 development area The governor may designate workforce development areas,
26 planning regions, or other governance or service delivery structures in accordance
27 with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et
28 seq., and applicable federal law. The governor may designate one or more local
29 workforce development boards, authorize the state to operate as a single statewide
30 local workforce development area, or assign such duties to the Workforce Investment
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1 Council or another entity as permitted by federal law or approved waivers. Pursuant
2 to federal law, approved federal waiver authority, or an approved state plan
3 modification, the governor may designate the Workforce Investment Council to
4 perform any or all duties otherwise assigned to local workforce development boards.
5 B. In making designations, redesignations, consolidations, or structural
6 modifications, the The governor shall designate local areas within the state after
7 consulting consult with the state Workforce Investment Council, chief elected
8 officials, and local boards, and after and provide an opportunity for public comments
9 from businesses, labor organizations, institutions of higher education, local officials,
10 including meaningful formal input from local workforce development partners and
11 employers, which shall be documented and considered prior to final designation
12 decisions, and other primary stakeholders, and the general public.
13 Section 2. R.S. 23:2054, 2063(A)(2) and (3), 2065(A)(9), and 2192 through 2195
14 are hereby repealed in their entirety.
15 Section 3. The Transition Advisory Team as required by the provisions of R.S.
16 23:20(B) as enacted by Section 1 of this Act shall terminate operations eighteen months after
17 the effective date of this Act.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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