SB 24-050

Senate Bill 24-050 establishes a pilot program called the Colorado Workforce Demonstration Grants Program. This program provides grants to workforce training providers who offer proven or evidence-informed training programs to help Coloradans get better job skills and find employment. The bill prioritizes funding for those who can show their programs work well, especially if they plan to evaluate their effectiveness further. It requires the office overseeing this program to report annually on how these grants are helping participants earn more money over time. This program will end in 2029, with any leftover funds going back to the state's general fund. Since it has been signed into law, the next steps involve implementing and funding the program as outlined.

Official Summary

The bill creates the Colorado workforce demonstration grants pilot program (pilot program) in the office of economic development (office) to provide grants to eligible workforce training providers in order to facilitate workforce training for eligible participants. The office administers the pilot program and awards grants from the Colorado workforce demonstration grants pilot program cash fund (fund), which is created in the bill. In awarding grants, the office must: Give first priority to eligible workforce training providers that implement a proven program or practice; Give second priority to eligible workforce training providers that implement an evidence-informed program or practice; and Allocate one-third of the money appropriated to the fund to eligible workforce training providers that are qualified intermediaries, so long as at least one eligible workforce training provider that is a qualified intermediary selected to participate includes in its application a plan to conduct an evaluation that, once completed, will demonstrate that the qualified intermediary is offering a proven program or practice. An eligible workforce training provider that receives a grant from the pilot program must report to the office certain information concerning the proven programs or practices and the evidence-informed programs or practices that it provides or facilitates with the grant money. The office must conduct an evaluation of long-term wage outcomes for eligible participants served by eligible workforce training providers under the pilot program. The evaluation must anonymize personal data, aggregate data by each eligible workforce training provider, and be consolidated into a single annual report. The office must submit an annual summarized report to the legislative subject matter committees concerned with labor and employment. The pilot program is repealed, effective July 1, 2029. Any unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the fund is transferred to the general fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)