Establishes workforce development training program for advanced transmission technology.

A1065

ASSEMBLY, No. 1065

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman WAYNE P. DEANGELO

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes workforce development training program
for advanced transmission technology.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning workforce development for advanced transmission
technologies and supplementing P.L.1992, c.43 (C.34:15D-1 et seq.).

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� There is
established, in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Advanced
Transmission Technologies Workforce Development Program, or �ATT Program.�� The
purpose of the program is to equip electrical engineers and utility workers
with skills specific to installing and managing advanced transmission
technologies systems to ensure a skilled workforce that is able to support
rapid and effective deployment, reducing delays related to technical capacity.

���� b.��� To achieve its goals,
the department shall focus the ATT Program on developing the workforce for
advanced transmission technologies systems by :

���� (1) creating and retaining
jobs and stimulating economic activity in the State;

���� (2) embedding workforce
training and employment services in infrastructure investments so that services
more directly connect to the jobs created;

���� (3) the use of community
benefit agreements, community workforce agreements, and project labor
agreements that connect workforce services and job training directly to jobs
impacted or jobs created;

���� (4) preparing the State�s
students with relevant career technical education that responds to business and
industry demands;

���� (5) developing worker
retraining programs to assist the existing workforce with the necessary tools
to upgrade their skills;

���� (6) responding to the job
creation and workforce needs of the State�s new and emerging industries; and

���� (7) identifying and leveraging
State and federal funding resources to implement the recommendations made in
the report required pursuant to subsection d. of this section and consistent
with the regulatory purposes of this section,.

���� c.��� The department is
authorized to obtain, accept and utilize resources for the ATT program as may
be, or may become, available from appropriate State, federal and
non-governmental sources of funding for employment, training, and educational
purposes, including the Workforce Development Partnership Fund created pursuant
to section 9 of P.L.1992, c.43 (C.34:15D-9), the "Supplemental Workforce
Fund for Basic Skills" established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2001, c.152
(C.34:15D-21), or funds available pursuant to the "Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act," (29 U.S.C. s.3101 et seq.).

���� d.��� The department shall
prepare and submit an annual evaluation report to the Governor and the
Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) on the
progress of ATT Program.� The department shall prepare and submit an evaluation
report to the Governor and the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), which shall include, but not be limited to, information
on the effectiveness of the ATT Program, the status of ATT Program
participants, and recommendations on program administration at the State and
local level.� The report shall also include an analysis of the strengths and
weaknesses of the ATT Program and how it can be improved in the following year.
The Department shall submit the first evaluation report by July 1, 2027, and
subsequent annual reports by July 1 of each year thereafter.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes, in the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Advanced Transmission
Technologies Workforce Development Program, or �ATT Program.�� The purpose of
the program is to equip electrical engineers and utility workers with skills
specific to installing and managing advanced transmission technologies systems
to ensure a skilled workforce that is able to support rapid and effective
deployment, reducing delays related to technical capacity.

���� To achieve its goals, the
department will focus the ATT Program on developing the workforce for advanced
transmission technologies systems by :

���� (1) creating and retaining
jobs and stimulating economic activity in the State;

���� (2) embedding workforce
training and employment services in infrastructure investments so that services
more directly connect to the jobs created;

���� (3) the use of community
benefit agreements, community workforce agreements, and project labor
agreements that connect workforce services and job training directly to jobs
impacted or jobs created;

���� (4) preparing the State�s
students with relevant career technical education that responds to business and
industry demands;

���� (5) developing worker
retraining programs to assist the existing workforce with the necessary tools
to upgrade their skills;

���� (6) responding to the job
creation and workforce needs of the State�s new and emerging industries; and

���� (7) identifying and leveraging
State and federal funding resources to implement the program.

���� The bill provides that the
department is authorized to obtain, accept, and utilize resources for the ATT
program as may be, or may become, available from appropriate State, federal,
and non-governmental sources of funding for employment, training, and
educational purposes.

���� Finally, the bill requires the
department to prepare and submit an annual evaluation report to the Governor
and the Legislature.