103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1551

 

Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Terri Bryant

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 730/5-5
20 ILCS 730/5-20
20 ILCS 730/5-25

    Amends the Energy Transition Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall create a network of 15 (rather than 13) Program delivery Hub Sites, including one Hub Site located in or near Nashville and Ina. Provides that the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program and the Clean Jobs Curriculum shall include a focus on digital infrastructure, including broadband and fiber optic infrastructure jobs. Provides that quarterly reports on Program performance metrics shall include demographic data on Program applicants and the acceptance rates across these demographics. Provides that the Clean Jobs Curriculum Provides that the definition of "equity focused populations" includes spouses and significant others of displaced energy workers. Effective immediately.


LRB103 30564 SPS 56998 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1551LRB103 30564 SPS 56998 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Energy Transition Act is amended by
5changing Sections 5-5, 5-20, 5-25, and 5-35 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 730/5-5)
7    (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)
8    Sec. 5-5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
9    "Apprentice" means a participant in an apprenticeship
10program approved by and registered with the United States
11Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.
12    "Apprenticeship program" means an apprenticeship and
13training program approved by and registered with the United
14States Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and
15Training.
16    "Black, indigenous, and people of color" or "BIPOC" means
17people who are members of the groups described in
18subparagraphs (a) through (e) of paragraph (A) of subsection
19(1) of Section 2 of the Business Enterprise for Minorities,
20Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act.
21    "Community-based organizations" means an organization
22that: (1) provides employment, skill development, or related
23services to members of the community; (2) includes community

 

 

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1colleges, nonprofits, and local governments; (3) has at least
2one main operating office in the community or region it
3serves; and (4) demonstrates relationships with local
4residents and other organizations serving the community.
5    "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
6Opportunity, unless the text solely specifies a particular
7Department.
8    "Director" means the Director of Commerce and Economic
9Opportunity.
10    "Equity eligible contractor" or "eligible contractor"
11means:
12        (1) a business that is majority-owned by equity
13    investment eligible individuals or persons who are or have
14    been participants in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network
15    Program, Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program,
16    Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training Program, Illinois
17    Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program, or Clean Energy
18    Primes Contractor Accelerator Program;
19        (2) a nonprofit or cooperative that is
20    majority-governed by equity investment eligible
21    individuals or persons who are or have been participants
22    in the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, Clean Energy
23    Contractor Incubator Program, Returning Residents Clean
24    Jobs Training Program, Illinois Climate Works
25    Preapprenticeship Program, or Clean Energy Primes
26    Contractor Accelerator Program; or

 

 

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1        (3) an equity investment eligible person or an
2    individual who is or has been a participant in the Clean
3    Jobs Workforce Network Program, Clean Energy Contractor
4    Incubator Program, Returning Residents Clean Jobs Training
5    Program, Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program,
6    or Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program and
7    who is offering personal services as an independent
8    contractor.
9    "Equity focused populations" means (i) low-income persons;
10(ii) persons residing in equity investment eligible
11communities; (iii) persons who identify as black, indigenous,
12and people of color; (iv) formerly convicted persons; (v)
13persons who are or were in the child welfare system; (vi)
14energy workers; (vii) dependents of displaced energy workers;
15(viii) women; (ix) LGBTQ+, transgender, or gender
16nonconforming persons; (x) persons with disabilities; and (xi)
17members of any of these groups who are also youth; and (xii)
18spouses and significant others of displaced energy workers.
19    "Equity investment eligible community" and "eligible
20community" are synonymous and mean the geographic areas
21throughout Illinois which would most benefit from equitable
22investments by the State designed to combat discrimination and
23foster sustainable economic growth. Specifically, the eligible
24community means the following areas:
25        (1) R3 Areas as established pursuant to Section 10-40
26    of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, where residents

 

 

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1    have historically been excluded from economic
2    opportunities, including opportunities in the energy
3    sector; and
4        (2) Environmental justice communities, as defined by
5    the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to the Illinois Power
6    Agency Act, but excluding racial and ethnic indicators,
7    where residents have historically been subject to
8    disproportionate burdens of pollution, including pollution
9    from the energy sector.
10    "Equity investment eligible person" and "eligible person"
11are synonymous and mean the persons who would most benefit
12from equitable investments by the State designed to combat
13discrimination and foster sustainable economic growth.
14Specifically, eligible persons means the following people:
15        (1) persons whose primary residence is in an equity
16    investment eligible community;
17        (2) persons who are graduates of or currently enrolled
18    in the foster care system; or
19        (3) persons who were formerly incarcerated.
20    "Climate Works Hub" means a nonprofit organization
21selected by the Department to act as a workforce intermediary
22and to participate in the Illinois Climate Works
23Preapprenticeship Program. To qualify as a Climate Works Hub,
24the organization must demonstrate the following:
25        (1) the ability to effectively serve diverse and
26    underrepresented populations, including by providing

 

 

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1    employment services to such populations;
2        (2) experience with the construction and building
3    trades;
4        (3) the ability to recruit, prescreen, and provide
5    preapprenticeship training to prepare workers for
6    employment in the construction and building trades; and
7        (4) a plan to provide the following:
8            (A) preparatory classes;
9            (B) workplace readiness skills, such as resume
10        preparation and interviewing techniques;
11            (C) strategies for overcoming barriers to entry
12        and completion of an apprenticeship program; and
13            (D) any prerequisites for acceptance into an
14        apprenticeship program.
15(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)
 
16    (20 ILCS 730/5-20)
17    (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)
18    Sec. 5-20. Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program.
19    (a) As used in this Section, "Program" means the Clean
20Jobs Workforce Network Program.
21    (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall develop
22and, through Regional Administrators, administer the Clean
23Jobs Workforce Network Program to create a network of 15 13
24Program delivery Hub Sites with program elements delivered by
25community-based organizations and their subcontractors

 

 

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1geographically distributed across the State including at least
2one Hub Site located in or near each of the following areas:
3Chicago (South Side), Chicago (Southwest and West Sides),
4Waukegan, Rockford, Aurora, Joliet, Peoria, Champaign,
5Danville, Decatur, Carbondale, East St. Louis, and Alton,
6Nashville, and Ina.
7    (c) In admitting program participants, for each workforce
8Hub Site, the Regional Administrators shall:
9        (1) in each Hub Site where the applicant pool allows:
10            (A) dedicate at least one-third of program
11        placements to applicants who reside in a geographic
12        area that is impacted by economic and environmental
13        challenges, defined as an area that is both (i) an R3
14        Area, as defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the
15        Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, and (ii) an
16        environmental justice community, as defined by the
17        Illinois Power Agency, excluding any racial or ethnic
18        indicators used by the agency unless and until the
19        constitutional basis for their inclusion in
20        determining program admissions is established. Among
21        applicants that satisfy these criteria, preference
22        shall be given to applicants who face barriers to
23        employment, such as low educational attainment, prior
24        involvement with the criminal legal system, and
25        language barriers; and applicants that are graduates
26        of or currently enrolled in the foster care system;

 

 

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1        and
2            (B) dedicate at least two-thirds of program
3        placements to applicants that satisfy the criteria in
4        paragraph (1) or who reside in a geographic area that
5        is impacted by economic or environmental challenges,
6        defined as an area that is either (i) an R3 Area, as
7        defined pursuant to Section 10-40 of the Cannabis
8        Regulation and Tax Act, or (ii) an environmental
9        justice community, as defined by the Illinois Power
10        Agency, excluding any racial or ethnic indicators used
11        by the agency unless and until the constitutional
12        basis for their inclusion in determining program
13        admissions is established. Among applicants that
14        satisfy these criteria, preference shall be given to
15        applicants who face barriers to employment, such as
16        low educational attainment, prior involvement with the
17        criminal legal system, and language barriers; and
18        applicants that are graduates of or currently enrolled
19        in the foster care system; and
20        (2) prioritize the remaining program placements for:
21    applicants who are displaced energy workers as defined in
22    the Energy Community Reinvestment Act; persons who face
23    barriers to employment, including low educational
24    attainment, prior involvement with the criminal legal
25    system, and language barriers; and applicants who are
26    graduates of or currently enrolled in the foster care

 

 

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1    system, regardless of the applicant's area of residence.
2    The Department and Regional Administrators shall protect
3the confidentiality of any personal information provided by
4program applicants regarding the applicant's status as a
5formerly incarcerated person or foster care recipient;
6however, the Department or Regional Administrators may publish
7aggregated data on the number of participants that were
8formerly incarcerated or foster care recipients so long as
9that publication protects the identities of those persons.
10    Any person who applies to the program may elect not to
11share with the Department or Regional Administrators whether
12he or she is a graduate or currently enrolled in the foster
13care system or was formerly convicted.
14    (d) Program elements for each Hub Site shall be provided
15by a community-based organization. The Department shall
16initially select a community-based organization in each Hub
17Site and shall subsequently select a community-based
18organization in each Hub Site every 3 years. Community-based
19organizations delivering program elements outlined in
20subsection (e) may provide all elements required or may
21subcontract to other entities for provision of portions of
22program elements, including, but not limited to,
23administrative soft and hard skills for program participants,
24delivery of specific training in the core curriculum, or
25provision of other support functions for program delivery
26compliance.

 

 

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1    (e) The Clean Jobs Workforce Hubs Network shall:
2        (1) coordinate with Energy Transition Navigators: (i)
3    to increase participation in the Clean Jobs Workforce
4    Network Program and clean energy, broadband and fiber
5    optic infrastructure, and related sector workforce and
6    training opportunities; (ii) coordinate recruitment,
7    communications, and ongoing engagement with potential
8    employers, including, but not limited to, activities such
9    as job matchmaking initiatives, hosting events such as job
10    fairs, and collaborating with other Hub Sites to identify
11    and implement best practices for employer engagement; and
12    (iii) leverage community-based organizations, educational
13    institutions, and community-based and labor-based training
14    providers to ensure program-eligible individuals across
15    the State have dedicated and sustained support to enter
16    and complete the career pipeline for clean energy,
17    broadband and fiber optic infrastructure, and related
18    sector jobs;
19        (2) develop formal partnerships, including formal
20    sector partnerships between community-based organizations
21    and entities that provide clean energy and broadband and
22    fiber optic infrastructure jobs, including businesses,
23    nonprofit organizations, and worker-owned cooperatives, to
24    ensure that Program participants have priority access to
25    employment training and hiring opportunities; and
26        (3) implement the Clean Jobs and Digital

 

 

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1    Infrastructure Curriculum to provide, including, but not
2    limited to, training, certification preparation, job
3    readiness, and skill development, including soft skills,
4    math skills, technical skills, certification test
5    preparation, and other development needed, to Program
6    participants.
7    (f) Funding for the Program is subject to appropriation
8from the Energy Transition Assistance Fund.
9    (g) The Department shall require submission of quarterly
10reports, including program performance metrics by each Hub
11Site to the Regional Administrator of their Program Delivery
12Area. Program performance metrics include, but are not limited
13to:
14        (1) demographic data, including racial, gender,
15    residency in eligible communities, and geographic
16    distribution data, on Program trainees entering and
17    graduating the Program;
18        (2) demographic data, including racial, gender,
19    residency in eligible communities, and geographic
20    distribution data, on Program trainees who are placed in
21    employment, including the percentages of trainees by race,
22    gender, and geographic categories in each individual job
23    type or category and whether employment is union,
24    nonunion, or nonunion via temporary agency;
25        (3) trainee job acquisition and retention statistics,
26    including the duration of employment (start and end dates

 

 

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1    of hires) by race, gender, and geography;
2        (4) hourly wages, including hourly overtime pay rate,
3    and benefits of trainees placed into employment by race,
4    gender, and geography;
5        (5) percentage of jobs by race, gender, and geography
6    held by Program trainees or graduates that are full-time
7    equivalent positions, meaning that the position held is
8    full-time, direct, and permanent based on 2,080 hours
9    worked per year (paid directly by the employer, whose
10    activities, schedule, and manner of work the employer
11    controls, and receives pay and benefits in the same manner
12    as permanent employees); and
13        (6) qualitative data consisting of open-ended
14    reporting on pertinent issues, including, but not limited
15    to, qualitative descriptions accompanying metrics or
16    identifying key successes and challenges; and .
17        (7) demographic data on Program applicants and the
18    acceptance rates across these demographics.
19    (h) Within 3 years after the effective date of this Act,
20the Department shall select an independent evaluator to review
21and prepare a report on the performance of the Program and
22Regional Administrators.
23(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)
 
24    (20 ILCS 730/5-25)
25    (Section scheduled to be repealed on September 15, 2045)

 

 

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1    Sec. 5-25. Clean Jobs and Digital Infrastructure
2Curriculum.
3    (a) As used in this Section, "clean energy and digital
4infrastructure jobs", subject to administrative rules, means
5jobs in the solar energy, wind energy, energy efficiency,
6energy storage, solar thermal, green hydrogen, geothermal,
7electric vehicle industries, other renewable energy
8industries, industries achieving emission reductions,
9broadband and fiber optics industries, and other related
10sectors including related industries that manufacture,
11develop, build, maintain, or provide ancillary services to
12renewable energy resources or energy efficiency products or
13services, including the manufacture and installation of
14healthier building materials that contain fewer hazardous
15chemicals. "Clean energy and digital infrastructure jobs"
16includes administrative, sales, other support functions within
17these industries and other related sector industries.
18    (b) The Department shall convene a comprehensive
19stakeholder process that includes representatives from the
20State Board of Education, the Illinois Community College
21Board, the Department of Labor, community-based organizations,
22workforce development providers, labor unions, building
23trades, educational institutions, residents of BIPOC and
24low-income communities, residents of environmental justice
25communities, clean energy businesses, nonprofit organizations,
26worker-owned cooperatives, representatives of Connect Illinois

 

 

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1other groups that provide clean energy and digital
2infrastructure jobs opportunities, groups that provide
3construction and building trades job opportunities, and other
4participants to identify the career pathways and training
5curriculum needed for participants to be skilled, work ready,
6and able to enter clean and digital infrastructure energy
7jobs. The curriculum shall:
8        (1) identify the core training curricular competency
9    areas needed to prepare workers to enter clean energy and
10    related sector jobs;
11        (2) identify a set of required core cross-training
12    competencies provided in each training area for clean
13    energy and digital infrastructure jobs with the goal of
14    enabling any trainee to receive a standard set of skills
15    common to multiple training areas that would provide a
16    foundation for pursuing a career composed of multiple
17    clean energy job types;
18        (3) include approaches to integrate broad occupational
19    training to provide career entry into the general
20    construction and building trades sector and any remedial
21    education and work readiness support necessary to achieve
22    educational and professional eligibility thresholds; and
23        (4) identify on-the-job training formats, where
24    relevant, and identify suggested trainer certification
25    standards, where relevant.
26    (c) The Department shall publish a report that includes

 

 

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1the findings, recommendations, and core curriculum identified
2by the stakeholder group and shall post a copy of the report on
3its public website. The Department shall convene the process
4described to update and modify the recommended curriculum
5every 3 years to ensure the curriculum contents are current to
6the evolving clean energy industries, practices, and
7technologies.
8    (d) Organizations that receive funding to provide training
9under the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, including, but
10not limited to, community-based and labor-based training
11providers, and educational institutions must use the core
12curriculum that is developed under this Section.
13(Source: P.A. 102-662, eff. 9-15-21.)
 
14    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
15becoming law.