The bill, Substitute House Bill No. 6956, amends the allocation methodology for youth employment and training funds distributed by the Connecticut Department of Labor to regional workforce development boards. The current law specifies fixed percentages for each board's funding, which are being replaced by a new system that allocates funds based on the percentage of disadvantaged youth in each region, as defined by federal law and determined using census data. This change aims to ensure that funding is more equitably distributed according to the needs of disadvantaged youth, who are defined as individuals aged 16 to 21 from families with incomes below certain thresholds.

Additionally, the bill includes a provision to protect regional boards from significant funding reductions. If a board's allocation decreases by more than 15% compared to the previous fiscal year due to the new allocation method, the other boards' allocations will be proportionally reduced to limit the affected board's reduction to 15%. This legislation is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and is expected to have no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 31-3mm
LAB Joint Favorable: 31-3mm
File No. 193: 31-3mm