1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2 1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
3 HOUSE BILL 1582 By: Dollens
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6 AS INTRODUCED
7 An Act relating to soldiers and sailors; creating the
Oklahoma Military to Machinists Act; defining terms;
8 directing the Governor's Council for Workforce and
Economic Development to develop the Military to
9 Machinists Program for Veterans; specifying purpose
of program; mandating designation of employees as
10 liaisons; prescribing duties of liaisons; specifying
how the program shall operate; requiring distribution
11 of promotional materials for the program; providing
for annual report of program; specifying contents and
12 recipients of report; directing Council to create a
Veterans Platform to Employment Program; describing
13 purpose of program; specifying where program will be
operated; requiring annual report of program; listing
14 contents and recipients of report; defining term;
directing certain state entities to identify and
15 distribute materials related to common veteran mental
health conditions; providing for codification; and
16 providing an effective date.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
20 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
21 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 501 of Title 72, unless there is
22 created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
23 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oklahoma
24 Military to Machinists Act".
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1 B. As used in the Oklahoma Military to Machinists Act:
2 1. "Advanced manufacturing" means a manufacturing process that
3 makes extensive use of computer, high-precision or information
4 technologies integrated with a high-performance work force in a
5 production system capable of furnishing a heterogeneous mix of
6 products in small or large volumes with either the efficiency of
7 mass production or the flexibility of custom manufacturing in order
8 to respond quickly to customer demands. Advanced manufacturing
9 includes newly developed methods to manufacture existing products
10 and the manufacture of new products emerging from new advanced
11 technologies;
12 2. "Eligible business" means a business that:
13 a. has operations in Oklahoma,
14 b. has been registered with the Secretary of State to
15 conduct business in the state for not less than twelve
16 (12) months, and
17 c. is in good standing with the Oklahoma Tax Commission
18 as to the payment of all state and local taxes.
19 Eligible business shall not include the state or any political
20 subdivision of the state;
21 3. "Private vocational school" means any private school as
22 defined in Section 21-101 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and
23 licensed by the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools;
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1 4. "Public institution of higher education" means any of the
2 state educational institutions within The Oklahoma State System of
3 Higher Education identified in Section 3201 of Title 70 of the
4 Oklahoma Statutes;
5 5. "Qualifying advanced manufacturing certificate program"
6 means a for-credit or noncredit sub-baccalaureate advanced
7 manufacturing certificate program offered by a public institution of
8 higher education or a private vocational school in which at least
9 seventy-five percent (75%) of the graduates of such certificate
10 program are employed in a field related to or requiring such
11 certificate in the year following graduation; and
12 6. "Veteran" means any person who served on active duty in the
13 Armed Forces of the United States or in the Oklahoma National Guard
14 on federal active duty under Title 10 of the United States Code, and
15 was discharged or released from that service under conditions other
16 than dishonorable.
17 C. Not later than January 1, 2022, the Governor's Council for
18 Workforce and Economic Development shall develop and operate a pilot
19 program with selected Local Workforce Development Boards to be known
20 as the Military to Machinists Program for Veterans. The pilot
21 program shall assist any veteran in:
22 1. Earning an advanced manufacturing certificate from a
23 qualifying advanced manufacturing certificate program; and
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1 2. Securing employment in the field of advanced manufacturing
2 with an eligible business after the veteran has obtained an advanced
3 manufacturing certificate.
4 D. 1. The Council shall designate an appropriate number of
5 employees, as determined by the Council, to act as liaisons, and
6 each liaison shall provide the assistance described in subsection C
7 of this section on behalf of the program.
8 2. In providing the assistance described in paragraph 1 of
9 subsection C of this section, each liaison designated pursuant to
10 this subsection shall also assist a veteran served by the program to
11 obtain funding for the cost of attending a qualifying advanced
12 manufacturing certificate program. Such funding may include, but
13 need not be limited to, tuition and fee waivers and expenditures
14 from the Council.
15 3. In providing the assistance described in paragraph 2 of
16 subsection C of this section, each liaison designated pursuant to
17 this subsection shall also assist any eligible business to apply for
18 grants and tax credits, if applicable.
19 E. The Council shall operate the pilot program within its
20 selected Local Workforce Development Boards. The Council may expand
21 the program in other Local Workforce Development Boards in the
22 state.
23 F. Not later than July 1, 2022, the Council shall develop or
24 approve promotional materials describing the pilot program and the
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1 various opportunities and benefits that the program may provide for
2 veterans in the state. The Council shall distribute such materials
3 to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of
4 Labor, Local Workforce Development Boards, qualified veterans'
5 charitable organizations and educational institutions. The Council
6 shall revise and redistribute the materials as the Council deems
7 appropriate.
8 G. Not later than July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter until
9 the pilot program is terminated, the Council shall report on the
10 operation of the pilot program and its recommendation to continue,
11 discontinue or expand the program. Such report shall include
12 measures of the effectiveness of the program, including, but not
13 limited to, data on the:
14 1. Number of veterans served by the pilot program;
15 2. Number of veterans pursuing or earning advanced
16 manufacturing certificates through the program and the type and
17 amount of funding assistance received by the veterans;
18 3. Number of veterans securing employment in the field of
19 advanced manufacturing with an eligible business through the
20 program;
21 4. The salaries earned by such veterans;
22 5. The number of such veterans retaining employment in advanced
23 manufacturing over time; and
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1 6. The number and amount of grants and tax credits received by
2 eligible businesses hiring such veterans.
3 The Council shall submit the report to the Governor, the Speaker of
4 the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore
5 of the Oklahoma State Senate.
6 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
7 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 502 of Title 72, unless there is
8 created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
9 A. Not later than January 1, 2022, the Governor's Council for
10 Workforce and Economic Development shall develop and operate a pilot
11 program to be known as the Veterans Platform to Employment Program.
12 The program shall provide training and subsidized employment for
13 veterans who have experienced long-term unemployment.
14 The pilot program shall provide veterans served by the program
15 with:
16 1. A preparatory program that includes services such as skills
17 assessments, career-readiness workshops, employee-assistance
18 programs and coaching; and
19 2. Employment assistance that includes identifying positions
20 with local employers and providing subsidies to employers that hire
21 veterans for trial-work experiences that may lead to continued
22 employment.
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1 The pilot program may offer additional services to assist veterans,
2 including personal- and family-support services and financial
3 counseling.
4 B. The Council shall operate the pilot program within a
5 selected region of the state. The Council may offer the program in
6 other regions of the state, in conjunction with the appropriate
7 Local Workforce Development Board for that region.
8 C. Not later than July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter until
9 the pilot program is terminated, the Council shall submit a report
10 on the operation of the pilot program and its recommendation to
11 continue, discontinue or expand the program. Such report shall
12 include measures of the effectiveness of the program, including, but
13 not limited to, data on the number of veterans served by the
14 program, the number of veterans placed with employers by the program
15 and the salaries earned by such veterans, and the number of such
16 veterans retaining employment over time. The Council shall submit
17 the report to the Governor, the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of
18 Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State
19 Senate.
20 D. As used in this section, "veteran" means any person who
21 served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or in
22 the Oklahoma National Guard on federal active duty under Title 10 of
23 the United States Code, and was discharged or released from that
24 service under conditions other than dishonorable.
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1 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 503 of Title 72, unless there is
3 created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
4 The Department of Labor, in cooperation with the Oklahoma
5 Department of Veterans Affairs and the Oklahoma Department of Mental
6 Health and Substance Abuse Services, shall identify appropriate
7 written materials to distribute to employers on the topic of mental
8 health conditions common to veterans, including post-traumatic
9 stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression, anxiety and grief.
10 The materials shall provide guidance on identifying the signs and
11 symptoms of these mental health conditions and assisting employees
12 who are veterans and who exhibit such signs and symptoms in the
13 workplace. The Department of Labor shall distribute such materials
14 to employers participating in or eligible to participate in the
15 pilot programs established under Sections 1 and 2 of this act, and
16 may distribute the materials to other employers that may hire
17 veterans.
18 SECTION 4. This act shall become effective November 1, 2021.
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20 58-1-5704 EK 1/04/21
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