Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 14, 2023 04:03 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ryan E. Mackenzie |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | CareerBound Workforce Development Program |
| In the near future I will be re-introducing revised legislation to create CareerBound, a program that will strengthen the connection between Pennsylvania’s students and the next generation of high-priority careers. An earlier version of CareerBound passed the House in previous sessions with strong bipartisan support. Designed as a workforce development program, CareerBound will focus on allowing local workforce development boards to collaborate with schools, businesses, and other trade organizations to create effective, innovative school-to-work programs. These joint ventures will provide students with early exposure to a wide array of career opportunities including career expos, job shadowing, internships, and other career-education integration initiatives. The Department of Labor & Industry would be charged with overseeing programs established under CareerBound. Since I first introduced this legislation several sessions ago, there have been popular grant programs implemented to promote similar school-to-work activities. While these programs are laudable, the major weakness is the unreliability of funding. My new proposal would include a permanent provision for $10 million in tax credits to ensure that there will always be funding -primary provided by local business partners – to start up local school-to-work programs. To be clear, my bill would not replace any grant program or funding for it. Rather, this is intended to create the ongoing ability to incentivize the creation of these innovative programs – in addition to any grant funding that is available. Taxpayers that contribute to the implementation of an approved school-to-work program will be eligible to apply for tax credits. Like the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), contributing businesses that participate in the program would be eligible for a 90% return on contributions; all other taxpayers that contribute would be eligible for a 75% return. Importantly, my revised legislation will more strongly incentivize business participation in local school-to-work programs by providing preference for business partners when considering tax credit applications, and allowing tax credits for direct contributions to local programs. Please join me in co-sponsoring CareerBound to greatly expand the use of school-to-work programs that will help prepare the next generation of our workforce for high-priority careers. |
Introduced as HB882