This bill focuses on enhancing workforce training, unemployment insurance, and adult education in Iowa by making several key amendments. It adds the RefugeeRISE AmeriCorps program to the list of Iowa national service corps programs and removes certain employment safety and labor standards duties from the Department of Workforce Development. The bill also establishes standing committees within the Workforce Development Board and repeals outdated programs, such as the Iowa conservation corps and the nursing workforce data clearinghouse. Additionally, it transfers the responsibility for compiling annual workforce training reports from the Department to the College Student Aid Commission.

Significantly, the bill modifies the definition of taxable wages for unemployment insurance, specifying that only wages paid in Iowa will be considered. It introduces an Iowa student internship program that provides financial assistance to employers hiring Iowa students for internships, particularly in STEM fields, while removing the component that connected students with small and medium-sized firms. An appropriation of $1,039,425 from the general fund is allocated to support this internship fund. Furthermore, the bill revises the responsibilities for adult education and literacy programs, removing the requirement for community colleges to set standards and assigning these duties solely to the Department of Workforce Development.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 15H.9, 15H.5, 84A.1A, 84A.1B, 84A.3, 84A.5, 84A.6, 97B.1A, 256.228, 256.229, 84A.7, 84A.21, 12C.7, 84A.19