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Committee advances technical bill moving vocational rehabilitation functions into the Labor Cabinet
Summary
Senate Bill 178 formalizes a prior administrative transfer of an office from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the Education and Labor Cabinet, renames a division and adjusts internal structure; presenters said employees and funding have already moved and the bill aligns statute with practice.
Senate Bill 178, presented to the Senate standing committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor, seeks to place an office and related divisions into statute after an administrative reorganization already moved staff and funds from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services into the Education and Labor Cabinet.
Senator Nemes (identified in committee as representing District 38) said the bill primarily codifies the office of vocational rehabilitation and a divisional program called policy support within the Education and Labor Cabinet after the program was moved administratively from CHFS. Leslie Bridal, HR executive for the Education and Labor Cabinet, and Jake Fouts, assistant director of fiscal management for the cabinet, appeared as guests to confirm that the employees and money already have been transferred.
“The whole department has moved, so we're putting it in statute,” Nemes said. The bill also renames a division formerly called Business and Apprenticeship to Industry and Apprenticeship and places a “Workforce Talent” division under that structure; the sponsor said the drafters intended a small technical amendment that will be made in committee as a formal amendment.
Committee members asked procedural questions about the drafting and about the committee substitute; Senator Nemes said a further amendment (a “4 amendment” mentioned in committee) would be filed to remove language on page 3, line 25 that the sponsors did not intend to include.
The committee voted to advance the bill with a favorable recommendation. Committee members recorded their votes on the roll call during the meeting.
Provenance: Discussion of SB 178 begins when Senator Nemes introduced herself and the cabinet staff (transcript segment near 362.14 seconds) and ends when the clerk finishes the roll call and Senator Thomas later registers his votes on SB 178 (segment near 895.28 seconds).
