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Sen. Bass advances bill to retool incumbent worker training program
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Summary
The Senate committee adopted an amendment to SB 383 that moves unemployment insurance trust-fund triggers to free up $15 million for a reimagined Incumbent Worker Training Program; sponsors say the change is revenue-neutral for employers and requires no general-fund dollars.
Sen. Bass introduced Senate Bill 383, a proposal to reconfigure the state’s incumbent worker training program (IWTP) and adjust unemployment insurance trust-fund triggers to fund the changes without raising employer costs. The committee adopted an amendment to lower the fund-balance thresholds that trigger assessments, and then reported the bill as amended.
The bill repositions the IWTP as a business-facing program to upskill current employees, Sen. Bass told the committee, and would require participating businesses to have been in Louisiana for two years. Sponsor comments and an agency handout described moving two funding “triggers” down to the $1,150,000,000 balance level in the unemployment insurance trust fund so the program could access an additional $15,000,000 while enabling a simultaneous UI-tax discount for employers.
"Please indulge us by interpreting that pig as a piggy bank to show how carefully we are saving our pennies and deploying them in a way that has no cost to the state or to our employers," Susie Shaw, secretary of LA Works, said while describing the funding mechanics and the intended business-facing unit that would manage the dollars. Shaw said the funds could sit within a proposed Louisiana Talent Accelerator unit should separate legislation creating that entity pass.
Industry groups voiced support. "Workforce is an issue," Brian Landry of the Louisiana Chemical Association said, praising the bill’s flexibility for customized employer training tied to new equipment and automation. Adam Knapp of Leaders for a Better Louisiana called the IWTP a long-standing program and argued its purchasing power has declined substantially, saying the changes would allow more targeted employer grants without a general-fund request.
Committee action followed. Senator Pressley moved to report SB 383 as amended; hearing no objection, the committee reported the bill as amended. Multiple organizations filed green cards in support, including business and labor groups and health-industry representatives.
Next steps: SB 383 was reported out of the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations as amended and will proceed to the next legislative stage for scheduling and further consideration.
