A JOINT RESOLUTION expressing the opinion of the general assembly that the local provision of workforce investment act services should be streamlined by realigning local workforce development areas with the boundaries of councils of governments established pursuant to g.s. 160a‑470, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE PROGRAM EVALUATION DIVISION AND ENDORSED BY THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM  EVALUATION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
Whereas, North Carolina and the federal government have been engaged in workforce development activities for nearly 80 years; and
Whereas, workforce development programs established by the State and the federal government were designed to help address the high unemployment rate and skills gap between unemployed workers and available positions, while spurring business growth and competitiveness in a global economy; and
Whereas, the program established pursuant to the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) is a central component of North Carolina's workforce development system; and
Whereas, a key feature of the WIA is the local workforce development areas, which oversee the JobLink Career Centers that are a service delivery mechanism designed to be one‑stop shops for workforce development services; and
Whereas, the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee (JLPEOC) directed the Program Evaluation Division (PED) to complete a full review of the workforce development system and present recommendations regarding its appropriate organization and administration to foster the most efficient and effective system for North Carolina; and
Whereas, the PED, in its March 28, 2012, report to the JLPEOC titled "State and Local Improvement Needed for Workforce Development System Integration and Accountability," found that North Carolina's local workforce development areas are based on criteria that were established through federal employment and training programs from almost 40 years ago, and the areas are not strategically aligned with economic development activities in the State, and this structure compromises effectiveness; and
Whereas, the report found that, although maintaining a local focus is required to meet State and federal rules, reducing the number of local workforce development areas has the advantage of increasing resources available to job seekers because population partly determines area funding. The larger the area, the more funding it receives, and increased funding allows local workforce development areas to have more programs or use their money more effectively by having more types of programs; and
Whereas, the report recommends aligning local workforce development areas with the boundaries of councils of governments (COG) established pursuant to G.S. 160A‑470. Currently, COGs are the administrative entity for 13 of the 23 local workforce development areas, and all COGs already have an administrative structure in place to manage aging, transportation planning, Housing and Urban Development grants, and several other state and federal programs; and
Whereas, the report found that realigning local workforce development areas using COG regions would reduce the number of local workforce development areas from 23 to 16 and would change the current structure by disbanding nine areas, including the six single‑county areas. Under this structure, the number of counties for local workforce development areas would increase in range from three to 12 counties, and the area population would range from 172,000 to 2,000,000; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly finds that the large number of and variability among local workforce development areas compromise the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce development system.
SECTION 2.  It is the opinion of the General Assembly that the local provision of WIA services should be streamlined by realigning the local workforce areas with the boundaries of the COGs established pursuant to G.S. 160A‑470.
SECTION 3.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.