GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1093*

Short Title:  Displaced Homemaker Program Funds.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Seymour; Marshall, Tally, Winner of Mecklenburg, Gunter, Perdue, Cochrane, and Martin of Guilford.
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Referred to:  State Personnel and State Government.
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May 10, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO FUND A PROGRAM TO HELP DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS.
Whereas, displaced homemakers are exceptionally vulnerable to poverty and frequently are without traditional means of financial support; and
Whereas, displaced homemakers often possess limited marketable skills or work history; and
Whereas, North Carolina has approximately 366,000 displaced homemakers; and
Whereas, financial distress of displaced homemakers can be overcome with appropriate job training; and
Whereas, displaced homemakers frequently need assistance to gain access to appropriate support services and access to available resources in the North Carolina educational system; and
Whereas, the Council for Women has an historic record of serving displaced homemakers effectively and is knowledgeable about integrating women into our economy and society; and
Whereas, the General Assembly finds a need for State funds to supplement existing sources of support for the economic self-sufficiency of displaced homemakers, but not to replace funds already earmarked for this purpose by local governments; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  Part 10B of Article 9 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 143B-394.15.  Program to Help Displaced Homemakers Train for Jobs and Financial Self-Sufficiency.
(a)	There is established the Program to Help Displaced Homemakers Train for Jobs and Financial Self-Sufficiency in the Department of Administration.  This program shall provide funds to allocate to selected innovative community-based organizations through the Council for Women for provision of outreach, orientation, counseling, life-skills development, job training, literacy training, employment preparation, and supportive services such as tuition, transportation allowance, instructional materials, legal assistance, dependent care, job development/placement, and program management.  The displaced homemakers will train for jobs for which the employment outlook is favorable and wages are competitive.
The Council for Women is designated as the agency of the State responsible for administering State funds appropriated for this program.  The Council shall:
(1)	Develop appropriate procedures regarding the distribution and use of these funds and adopt rules to implement these procedures;
(2)	Monitor the number of displaced homemakers, and document their success in obtaining work resulting from this program for the purposes of reporting to the General Assembly and the Governor;
(3)	Create a liaison between public and private services with which displaced homemakers normally come in contact;
(4)	Be an information clearinghouse on all aspects of displaced homemakers;
(5)	Be available to aid and advise displaced homemaker programs on operational and functional problems; and
(6)	Develop and coordinate a public education program for the State of North Carolina on the phenomenon of displaced homemakers.
(b)	The Coordinator of Services for Displaced Homemakers is created to supervise the administration of this section.  The salary shall be commensurate with State government pay schedules for the duties of this office.  Necessary travel allowance or reimbursement for expenses shall be authorized for the State Coordinator.  Sufficient clerical staff shall be provided under the direction of the Council for Women.
(c)	The Program shall fund operating expenses in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to the Displaced Homemakers Network of North Carolina.
(d)	An advisory committee shall be established to guide and assist the Council on Women to develop and implement the Program to Help Displaced Homemakers Train for Jobs and Financial Self-Sufficiency.  The Advisory Committee shall consist of 15 members.  The Governor will appoint five, the Displaced Homemakers Network - NC will appoint five, and the Council for Women Task Force on Displaced Homemakers will appoint five.  The chair and vice-chair roles will be rotated annually among the three appointive groups.
(e)	For purposes of this section 'displaced homemaker' is defined as an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home and who:
(1)	Is unemployed or underemployed and experiencing difficulty in obtaining employment; and
(2)	Has been dependent either:
a.	On the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income; or
b.	On public assistance, but whose youngest child is within two years of losing eligibility under Part A of the Social Security Act.
(f)	All funds appropriated to the Council for this program are intended to expand the number of North Carolina displaced homemakers who can be helped with training and special counseling at the local level through community-based organizations and to expand services to those populations who have had difficulty in obtaining access to the educational/employment/training establishment."
Sec. 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Council for Women the sum of three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($375,000) each for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($375,000) for the 1994-95 fiscal year to provide for the North Carolina Program to Help Displaced Homemakers Train for Jobs and Financial Self-Sufficiency.
Sec. 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.