HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 66        FILED ON: 1/6/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1851

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Josh S. Cutler and Kate Lipper-Garabedian

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to workforce training.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 66        FILED ON: 1/6/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1851

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 4922 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

An Act relative to workforce training.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2QQQQQ the following section:-

Section 2RRRRR. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund known as the Blockchain Labor Force Career Training Trust Fund, hereinafter called the fund. The fund shall be administered by the department of career services which shall contract with the Commonwealth Corporation to administer the fund. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources, including, but not limited to, economic development initiatives to foster the blockchain-based industries in Massachusetts, and other gifts, grants and donations for the establishment and expansion of labor and workforce training and development initiatives to support the blockchain technology industry. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.

(b) The Commonwealth Corporation shall make expenditures from the fund for the purposes of:

(i) providing grants to employers, employer associations, one-stop career centers, local workforce development entities, vocational technical schools, and institutions of higher education for the adoption of programs in basic technical training and industry-recognized accreditation in blockchain labor technology occupations;

(ii) providing grants to institutions of higher education for the development, expansion and promotion of blockchain technology professional certificate programs and courses tailored to careers in the blockchain technology industry for students in associate and baccalaureate degree programs;

(iii) providing grants to employers, employer associations, one-stop career centers, local workforce development entities, vocational technical schools, and institutions of higher education for the sponsorship of award, scholarship and paid internship programs to support the education and training of individuals seeking careers in the blockchain technology industry; provided, however, that the Commonwealth Corporation shall prioritize the promotion of blockchain labor careers in occupations that it identifies as high need;

(iv) providing grants to regional employment boards to develop a regional strategy to support the development of the blockchain technology industry and to publish their findings as an addendum to their workforce development blueprints; and

(v) leveraging funds to secure future federal funding to support workforce development within the blockchain technology industry in the commonwealth.

(c) The director of career services shall annually, not later than December 31, report to the secretary of administration and finance, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on labor and workforce development on the status of grants awarded under this section, including the number of educational and eligible service providers receiving grants; the number of participants receiving services; the number of participants placed in employment; the salary and benefits that participants receive after placement; the cost per participant; relevant demographic information about said participants, including but not limited to sex, gender identity, race, and ethnicity and job retention or promotion rates year after training ends.

SECTION 2. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of labor and workforce development, in consultation with the department of career services, the executive office of economic development, the Commonwealth Corporation, and other stakeholders as the executive office may determine, shall develop a comprehensive strategic plan for creating education and training programs specializing in uses of blockchain technology and matching those programs with employment opportunities with blockchain technology companies across the commonwealth. This new comprehensive strategic plan shall include but not be limited to strategies, programs, initiatives, and new state funding addressing the following:

(i) improving awareness of the range of blockchain career opportunities in educational and work settings, and other opportunities for career advancement;

(ii) workforce development entities and institutions of higher education with the technology, facilities, teachers, and staff able to support workforce training in blockchain technologies;

(iii) expansion of alternative education programs, including but not limited to more flexible scheduling, stackable credentialing programs and work-based apprenticeships; and

(iv) more coordination between employer-based training and any new and existing worker training initiatives conducted by the executive office of labor and workforce development and by any other state agencies and subcontracted organizations.

(b) Not later than one year after passage of this Act, the executive office shall prepare and distribute a final report detailing the elements of the comprehensive strategic plan and offering findings and recommendations for subsequent legislative, regulatory or other state action to the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies, the joint committee on advanced information technology, the internet and cybersecurity, and to the house and senate committees on ways and means.

SECTION 3. (a) The executive office of labor and workforce development shall, within one year of the effective date of this Act, establish, fund and implement a Blockchain Technology Workforce Development Pilot Program to demonstrate the impact of a work-based learning program that offers paid training of new workers with limited or no prior experience in blockchain technology occupations. Such Pilot shall include state funding or subsidies that offset employer’s cost of providing this training and that shall be utilized to offer paid training opportunities.

(b) There shall be a Blockchain Technology Workforce Development Pilot Program Advisory Committee. The secretary of labor and workforce development or designee shall appoint such advisory committee to represent significant constituencies, beneficiaries and stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the department of business development, the department of higher education, the Boston Blockchain Association, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other stakeholders as the executive office may determine. The executive office of labor and workforce development shall administer the program.

(c) The advisory committee shall advise the executive office on matters and policies affecting the Blockchain Technology Workforce Development Pilot Program. The committee shall supply constituent-focused labor market information, review general programmatic parameters and guidelines, and assist with the identification of issues and barriers to the Pilot’s efficiency and effectiveness. The committee shall meet from time to time, but at least quarterly.

(d) Not later than 2 years after the implementation of the Pilot, the executive office shall provide a final report detailing the results of the Pilot and offering findings and recommendations for subsequent state action to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on labor and workforce development.