HB170 Alabama 2018 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Alan BakerRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2018

Title

Commerce Dept., Workforce Council, membership revised, regional workforce development councils, membership qualifications revised, Secs. 41-29-290, 41-29-291, 41-29-300 am'd.

Summary

HB 170 rewrites how the Alabama Workforce Council and regional workforce councils are set up, adding public official entities, changing membership rules, and making regional councils more business-led and region-focused.

What This Bill Does

It adds certain public officials and boards to the entities supported by the Alabama Workforce Council and revises the council’s membership structure. It strengthens business leadership in both the state council (requiring a majority of voting members from business and industry and setting a maximum number of appointed members) and the regional councils (establishing regional representation, voting rules, and a rotating ex officio role for regional directors). It also requires regional councils to develop regional strategic plans, coordinate with education and training providers, make funding recommendations for grants, monitor outcomes, and collaborate with economic developers, with governance rules set by the Department of Commerce and ACCS.

Who It Affects

• Business and industry employers across Alabama, who will increasingly drive the composition and priorities of the state and regional workforce councils (at least 75% of voting members must be from business/industry) and influence funding and program directions.
• Regional workforce development councils and related state educational and workforce providers (e.g., ACCS, Department of Education, Department of Commerce, and related boards), who gain new membership rules, planning requirements, funding roles, and collaborative duties to align regional plans with statewide workforce goals.

Key Provisions

• The Alabama Workforce Council continues as part of the Workforce Development Division and serves as an advisory body to state leaders, coordinating across prekindergarten-12, two-year colleges, four-year universities, and business/industry.
• The Council’s membership is revised to include voting and ex officio members, with a cap (not more than 35 appointed voting members) and a requirement that at least 75% of voting members come from business and industry; regional representation and diversity are required.
• Regional Workforce Development Councils are established as business-led groups drawn from regions, with membership rules to ensure regional representation (at least two voting members from each region) and a rotating ex officio executive director from regional councils.
• Regional councils must develop regional strategic plans, coordinate with training providers, and make funding recommendations for grants based on regional needs; they must monitor training outcomes and coordinate with economic developers and elected officials.
• The Regional Councils are expected to collaborate with the WDD/ACCS and use them as the provider of high-quality training and services, unless restricted by law or regulation.
• Rules governing governance and operation of the councils will be jointly issued by the Deputy Secretary of the Workforce Development Division and the Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System; meetings are to occur at least quarterly with provisions for remote participation.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Workforce Development