The Florida Senate

414.028  Local WAGES coalitions.--The WAGES Program State Board of Directors shall create and charter local WAGES coalitions to plan and coordinate the delivery of services under the WAGES Program at the local level. The boundaries of the service area for a local WAGES coalition shall conform to the boundaries of the service area for the regional workforce development board established under the ¹Enterprise Florida workforce development board. The local delivery of services under the WAGES Program shall be coordinated, to the maximum extent possible, with the local services and activities of the local service providers designated by the regional workforce development boards.

(1)

(a)  Each local WAGES coalition must have a minimum of 11 members, of which at least one-half must be from the business community. The composition of the coalition membership must generally reflect the racial, gender, and ethnic diversity of the community as a whole. All members shall be appointed to 3-year terms. The membership of each coalition must include:

1.  Representatives of the principal entities that provide funding for the employment, education, training, and social service programs that are operated in the service area, including, but not limited to, representatives of local government, the regional workforce development board, and the United Way.

2.  A representative of the health and human services board.

3.  A representative of a community development board.

4.  Three representatives of the business community who represent a diversity of sizes of businesses.

5.  Representatives of other local planning, coordinating, or service-delivery entities.

6.  A representative of a grassroots community or economic development organization that serves the poor of the community.

(b)  A representative of an agency or entity that could benefit financially from funds appropriated under the WAGES Program may not be a member of a local WAGES coalition.

(c)  A member of the board of a public or private educational institution may not serve as a member of a local WAGES coalition.

(d)  A representative of any county or municipal governing body that elects to provide services through the local WAGES coalition shall be an ex officio, nonvoting member of the coalition.

(2)  A local WAGES coalition and a regional workforce development board may be combined into one board if the membership complies with subsection (1), and if the membership of the combined board meets the requirements of Pub. L. No. 97-300, the federal Job Training Partnership Act, as amended, and with any law delineating the membership requirements for the regional workforce development boards. Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(b), in a region in which the duties of the two boards are combined, a person may be a member of the WAGES coalition even if the member, or the member's principal, could benefit financially from transactions of the coalition. However, members must recuse themselves from voting on all matters from which they or their principals could benefit financially. Failure to recuse on any such vote will constitute grounds for immediate removal from the local WAGES coalition.

(3)  The statewide implementation plan prepared by the WAGES Program State Board of Directors shall prescribe and publish the process for chartering the local WAGES coalitions.

(4)  Each local WAGES coalition shall perform the planning, coordination, and oversight functions specified in the statewide implementation plan, including, but not limited to:

(a)  Developing a program and financial plan to achieve the performance outcomes specified by the WAGES Program State Board of Directors for current and potential program participants in the service area. The plan must reflect the needs of service areas for seed money to create programs that assist children of WAGES participants.

(b)  Developing a funding strategy to implement the program and financial plan which incorporates resources from all principal funding sources.

(c)  Identifying employment, service, and support resources in the community which may be used to fulfill the performance outcomes of the WAGES Program.

(d)  In cooperation with the regional workforce development board, coordinating the implementation of one-stop career centers.

(e)  Advising the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Labor and Employment Security with respect to the competitive procurement of services under the WAGES Program.

(f)  Selecting an entity to administer the program and financial plan, such as a unit of a political subdivision within the service area, a not-for-profit private organization or corporation, or any other entity agreed upon by the local WAGES coalition.

(5)  The WAGES Program State Board of Directors may not approve the program and financial plan of a local coalition unless the plan provides a teen pregnancy prevention component that includes, but is not necessarily limited to, a plan for implementing the Florida Education Now and Babies Later (ENABL) program under s. 411.242 and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Community Initiative within each segment of the service area in which the childhood birth rate is higher than the state average. Each local WAGES coalition is authorized to fund community-based welfare prevention and reduction initiatives that increase the support provided by noncustodial parents to their welfare-dependent children and are consistent with program and financial guidelines developed by the WAGES Program State Board of Directors and the Commission on Responsible Fatherhood. These initiatives may include, but are not limited to, improved paternity establishment, work activities for noncustodial parents, and programs aimed at decreasing out-of-wedlock pregnancies, encouraging the involvement of fathers with their children, and increasing child-support payments.

(6)  Local employees of the department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security shall provide staff support for the local WAGES coalitions. At the option of the local WAGES coalition, staff support may be provided by another agency or entity if it can be provided at no cost to the state and if the support is not provided by an agency or other entity that could benefit financially from funds appropriated to implement the WAGES Program.

(7)  There shall be no liability on the part of, and no cause of action of any nature shall arise against, any member of a local WAGES coalition or its employees or agents for any lawful action taken by them in the performance of their powers and duties under this section and s. 414.029.

History.--s. 8, ch. 96-175; s. 45, ch. 97-98; s. 208, ch. 97-101; s. 60, ch. 97-170; s. 4, ch. 97-173.

¹Note.--As amended by s. 4, ch. 97-173. The words "Enterprise Florida" were deleted as part of a substitution of "the workforce development board" for the "Enterprise Florida Jobs and Education Partnership" by s. 45, ch. 97-98, a reviser's bill. Based on context and the fact that "Enterprise Florida" was left in place with the title "workforce development board" by s. 4, ch. 97-173, the full text of the board's title is published here.