(a) The State Board is a board established by the Governor in accordance with the requirements of WIA section 111 and this section.

(b) The membership of the State Board must meet the requirements of WIA section 111(b). The State Board must contain two or more members representing the categories described in WIA section 111(b)(1)(C)(iii)-(v), and special consideration must be given to chief executive officers of community colleges and community based organizations in the selection of members representing the entities identified in WIA section 111(b)(1)(C)(v).

(c) The Governor may appoint any other representatives or agency officials, such as agency officials responsible for economic development, child support and juvenile justice programs in the State.

(d) Members who represent organizations, agencies or other entities must be individuals with optimum policy making authority within the entities they represent.

(e) A majority of members of the State Board must be representatives of business. Members who represent business must be individuals who are owners, chief executive officers, chief operating officers, or other individuals with optimum policy making or hiring authority, including members of Local Boards.

(f) The Governor must appoint the business representatives from among individuals who are nominated by State business organizations and business trade associations. The Governor must appoint the labor representatives from among individuals who are nominated by State labor federations.

(g) The Governor must select a chairperson of the State Board from the business representatives on the board.

(h) The Governor may establish terms of appointment or other conditions governing appointment or membership on the State Board.

(i) For the programs and activities carried out by One-Stop partners, as described in WIA section 121(b) and 20 CFR 662.200 and 662.210, the State Board must include:

(1) The lead State agency officials with responsibility for such program, or

(2) In any case in which no lead State agency official has responsibility for such a program service, a representative in the State with expertise relating to such program, service or activity.

(3) If the director of the designated State unit, as defined in section 7(8)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act, does not represent the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services program (VR program) on the State Board, then the State must describe in its State plan how the member of the State Board representing the VR program will effectively represent the interests, needs, and priorities of the VR program and how the employment needs of individuals with disabilities in the State will be addressed.

(j) An individual may be appointed as a representative of more than one entity if the individual meets all the criteria for representation, including the criteria described in paragraphs (d) through (f) of this section, for each entity. (WIA sec. 111)

For purposes of selecting representatives to State and local workforce investment boards:

(a) A representative with “optimum policy making authority” is an individual who can reasonably be expected to speak affirmatively on behalf of the entity he or she represents and to commit that entity to a chosen course of action.

(b) A representative with “expertise relating to [a] program, service or activity” includes a person who is an official with a One-stop partner program and a person with documented expertise relating to the One-stop partner program.

The State Board must assist the Governor in the:

(a) Development of the State Plan;

(b) Development and continuous improvement of a Statewide system of activities that are funded under subtitle B of title I of WIA, or carried out through the One-Stop delivery system, including—

(1) Development of linkages in order to assure coordination and nonduplication among the programs and activities carried out by One-Stop partners, including, as necessary, addressing any impasse situations in the development of the local Memorandum of Understanding; and

(2) Review of local plans;

(c) Commenting at least once annually on the measures taken under section 113(b)(14) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act;

(d) Designation of local workforce investment areas,

(e) Development of allocation formulas for the distribution of funds for adult employment and training activities and youth activities to local areas, as permitted under WIA sections 128(b)(3)(B) and 133(b)(3)(B);

(f) Development and continuous improvement of comprehensive State performance measures, including State adjusted levels of performance, to assess the effectiveness of the workforce investment activities in the State, as required under WIA section 136(b);

(g) Preparation of the annual report to the Secretary described in WIA section 136(d);

(h) Development of the Statewide employment statistics system described in section 15(e) of the Wagner-Peyser Act; and

(i) Development of an application for an incentive grant under WIA section 503. (WIA sec. 111(d).)

The State Board must conduct its business in an open manner as required by WIA section 111(g), by making available to the public, on a regular basis through open meetings, information about the activities of the State Board. This includes information about the State Plan prior to submission of the plan; information about membership; the development of significant policies, interpretations, guidelines and definitions; and, on request, minutes of formal meetings of the State Board.

(a) The State may use any State entity that meets the requirements of WIA section 111(e) to perform the functions of the State Board.

(b) If the State uses an alternative entity, the State workforce investment plan must demonstrate that the alternative entity meets all three of the requirements of WIA section 111(e). Section 111(e) requires that such entity:

(1) Was in existence on December 31, 1997;

(2)(i) Was established under section 122 (relating to State Job Training Coordinating Councils) or title VII (relating to State Human Resource Investment Councils) of the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C.1501 et seq.), as in effect on December 31, 1997, or

(ii) Is substantially similar to the State Board described in WIA section 111(a), (b), and (c) and § 661.200; and

(3) Includes, at a minimum, two or more representatives of business in the State and two or more representatives of labor organizations in the State.

(c) If the alternative entity does not provide for representative membership of each of the categories of required State Board membership under WIA section 111(b), the State Plan must explain the manner in which the State will ensure an ongoing role for any unrepresented membership group in the workforce investment system. The State Board may maintain an ongoing role for an unrepresented membership group, including entities carrying out One-stop partner programs, by means such as regularly scheduled consultations with entities within the unrepresented membership groups, by providing an opportunity for input into the State Plan or other policy development by unrepresented membership groups, or by establishing an advisory committee of unrepresented membership groups.

(d) If the membership structure of the alternative entity is significantly changed after December 31, 1997, the entity will no longer be eligible to perform the functions of the State Board. In such case, the Governor must establish a new State Board which meets all of the criteria of WIA section 111(b).

(e) A significant change in the membership structure includes any significant change in the organization of the alternative entity or in the categories of entities represented on the alternative entity which requires a change to the alternative entity's charter or a similar document that defines the formal organization of the alternative entity, regardless of whether the required change to the document has or has not been made. A significant change in the membership structure is considered to have occurred when members are added to represent groups not previously represented on the entity. A significant change in the membership structure is not considered to have occurred when additional members are added to an existing membership category, when non-voting members are added, or when a member is added to fill a vacancy created in an existing membership category.

(f) In 20 CFR parts 660 through 671, all references to the State Board also apply to an alternative entity used by a State.

(a) The Governor of each State must submit a State Workforce Investment Plan (State Plan) in order to be eligible to receive funding under title I of WIA and the Wagner-Peyser Act. The State Plan must outline the State's five year strategy for the workforce investment system.

(b) The State Plan must be submitted in accordance with planning guidelines issued by the Secretary of Labor. The planning guidelines set forth the information necessary to document the State's vision, goals, strategies, policies and measures for the workforce investment system (that were arrived at through the collaboration of the Governor, chief elected officials, business and other parties), as well as the information required to demonstrate compliance with WIA, and the information detailed by WIA and the WIA regulations, including 29 CFR part 37, and the Wagner-Peyser Act and the Wagner-Peyser regulations at 20 CFR part 652:

(c) The State Plan must contain a description of the State's performance accountability system, and the State performance measures in accordance with the requirements of WIA section 136 and 20 CFR part 666.

(d) The State must provide an opportunity for public comment on and input into the development of the State Plan prior to its submission. The opportunity for public comment must include an opportunity for comment by representatives of business, representatives of labor organizations, and chief elected official(s) and must be consistent with the requirement, at WIA section 111(g), that the State Board makes information regarding the State Plan and other State Board activities available to the public through regular open meetings. The State Plan must describe the State's process and timeline for ensuring a meaningful opportunity for public comment.

(e) The Secretary reviews completed plans and must approve all plans within ninety days of their submission, unless the Secretary determines in writing that:

(1) The plan is inconsistent with the provisions of title I of WIA or the WIA regulations, including 29 CFR part 37. For example, a finding of inconsistency would be made if the Secretary and the Governor have not reached agreement on the adjusted levels of performance under WIA section 136(b)(3)(A), or there is not an effective strategy in place to ensure development of a fully operational One-Stop delivery system in the State; or

(2) The portion of the plan describing the detailed Wagner-Peyser plan does not satisfy the criteria for approval of such plans as provided in section 8(d) of the Wagner-Peyser Act or the Wagner-Peyser regulations at 20 CFR part 652.

(3) A plan which is incomplete, or which does not contain sufficient information to determine whether it is consistent with the statutory or regulatory requirements of title I of WIA or of section 8(d) of the Wagner-Peyser Act, will be considered to be inconsistent with those requirements.

(a) The State may submit a modification of its workforce investment plan at any time during the five-year life of the plan.

(b) Modifications are required when:

(1) Changes in Federal or State law or policy substantially change the assumptions upon which the plan is based.

(2) There are changes in the Statewide vision, strategies, policies, performance indicators, the methodology used to determine local allocation of funds, reorganizations which change the working relationship with system employees, changes in organizational responsibilities, changes to the membership structure of the State Board or alternative entity and similar substantial changes to the State's workforce investment system.

(3) The State has failed to meet performance goals, and must adjust service strategies.

(c) Modifications are required in accordance with the Wagner-Peyser provisions at 20 CFR 652.212.

(d) Modifications to the State Plan are subject to the same public review and comment requirements that apply to the development of the original State Plan.

(e) State Plan modifications will be approved by the Secretary based on the approval standard applicable to the original State Plan under § 661.220(e).

(a) A State may submit to the Secretary a unified plan for any of the programs or activities described in WIA section 501(b)(2). This includes the following DOL programs and activities:

(1) The five-year strategic WIA and Wagner-Peyser plan;

(2) Trade adjustment assistance activities and NAFTA-TAA;

(3) Veterans' programs under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 41;

(4) Programs authorized under State unemployment compensation laws;

(5) [Reserved]

(6) Senior Community Service Employment Programs under title V of the Older Americans Act.

(b) For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section:

(1) A State may submit, as part of the unified plan, any plan, application form or any other similar document, that is required as a condition for the approval of Federal funding under the applicable program. These plans include such things as the WIA plan. They do not include jointly executed funding instruments, such as grant agreements, or Governor/Secretary Agreements or items such as corrective actions plans.

(2) A state may submit a unified plan meeting the requirements of the Interagency guidance entitled State Unified Plan, Planning Guidance for State Unified Plans Under Section 501 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, in lieu of completing the individual State planning guidelines of the programs covered by the unified plan.

(c) A State which submits a unified plan covering an activity or program described in subsection 501(b) of WIA that is approved under subsection 501(d) of the Act will not be required to submit any other plan or application in order to receive Federal funds to carry out the activity or program.

(d) Each portion of a unified plan submitted under paragraph (a) of this section is subject to the particular requirements of Federal law authorizing the program. All grantees are still subject to such things as reporting and record-keeping requirements, corrective action plan requirements and other generally applicable requirements.

(e) A unified plan must contain the information required by WIA section 501(c) and will be approved in accordance with the requirements of WIA section 501(d).

(a) The Governor must designate local workforce investment areas in order for the State to receive funding under title I of WIA.

(b) The Governor must take into consideration the factors described in WIA section 116(a)(1)(B) in making designations of local areas. Such designation must be made in consultation with the State Board, and after consultation with chief elected officials. The Governor must also consider comments received through the public comment process described in the State workforce investment plan under § 661.220(d).

(c) The Governor may approve a request for designation as a workforce investment area from any unit of general local government, including a combination of such units, if the State Board determines that the area meets the requirements of WIA section 116(a)(1)(B) and recommends designation.

(d) The Governor of any State that was a single service delivery area State under the Job Training Partnership Act as of July 1, 1998, and only those States, may designate the State as a single local workforce investment area State. (WIA sec.116.)

The requirements for automatic designation relating to units of local government with a population of 500,000 or more and to rural concentrated employment programs are contained in WIA section 116(a)(2). The Governor has authority to determine the source of population data to use in making these designations.

The requirements for temporary and subsequent designation relating to areas that had been designated as service delivery areas under JTPA are contained in WIA section 116(a)(3).

(a) A unit of local government (or combination of units) or a rural concentrated employment program grant recipient (as described at WIA section 116(a)(2)(B), which has requested but has been denied its request for designation as a workforce investment area under §§ 661.260 through 661.270, may appeal the decision to the State Board, in accordance with appeal procedures established in the State Plan.

(b) If a decision on the appeal is not rendered in a timely manner or if the appeal to the State Board does not result in designation, the entity may request review by the Secretary of Labor, under the procedures set forth at 20 CFR 667.640(a).

(c) The Secretary may require that the area be designated as a workforce investment area, if the Secretary determines that:

(1) The entity was not accorded procedural rights under the State appeals process; or

(2) The area meets the automatic designation requirements at WIA section 116(a)(2) or the temporary and subsequent designation requirements at WIA section 116(a)(3), as appropriate.

(a) The State may require Local Boards within a designated region (as defined at 20 CFR 660.300) to:

(1) Participate in a regional planning process that results in regional performance measures for workforce investment activities under title I of WIA. Regions that meet or exceed the regional performance measures may receive regional incentive grants;

(2) Share, where feasible, employment and other types of information that will assist in improving the performance of all local areas in the designated region on local performance measures; and

(3) Coordinate the provision of WIA title I services, including supportive services such as transportation, across the boundaries of local areas within the designated region.

(b) Two or more States may designate a labor market area, economic development region, or other appropriate contiguous subarea of the States as an interstate region. In such cases, the States may jointly exercise the State's functions described in this section.

(c) Designation of intrastate regions and interstate regions and their corresponding performance measures must be described in the respective State Plan(s). For interstate regions, the roles of the respective Governors, State Boards and Local Boards must be described in the respective State Plans.

(d) Unless agreed to by all affected chief elected officials and the Governor, these regional planning activities may not substitute for or replace the requirements applicable to each local area under other provisions of the WIA. (WIA sec. 116(a).)