(a) The Local Workforce Investment Board (Local Board) is appointed by the chief elected official in each local area in accordance with State criteria established under WIA section 117(b), and is certified by the Governor every two years, in accordance with WIA section 117(c)(2).

(b) In partnership with the chief elected official(s), the Local Board sets policy for the portion of the Statewide workforce investment system within the local area.

(c) The Local Board and the chief elected official(s) may enter into an agreement that describes the respective roles and responsibilities of the parties.

(d) The Local Board, in partnership with the chief elected official, develops the local workforce investment plan and performs the functions described in WIA section 117(d). (WIA sec.117 (d).)

(e) If a local area includes more than one unit of general local government in accordance with WIA section 117 (c)(1)(B), the chief elected officials of such units may execute an agreement to describe their responsibilities for carrying out the roles and responsibilities. If, after a reasonable effort, the chief elected officials are unable to reach agreement, the Governor may appoint the members of the local board from individuals nominated or recommended as specified in WIA section 117(b).

(f) If the State Plan indicates that the State will be treated as a local area under WIA title I, the Governor may designate the State Board to carry out any of the roles of the Local Board.

(a) WIA section 117(d) specifies that the Local Board is responsible for:

(1) Developing the five-year local workforce investment plan (Local Plan) and conducting oversight of the One-Stop system, youth activities and employment and training activities under title I of WIA, in partnership with the chief elected official;

(2) Selecting One-Stop operators with the agreement of the chief elected official;

(3) Selecting eligible youth service providers based on the recommendations of the youth council, and identifying eligible providers of adult and dislocated worker intensive services and training services, and maintaining a list of eligible providers with performance and cost information, as required in 20 CFR part 663, subpart E;

(4) Developing a budget for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the Local Board, subject to the approval of the chief elected official;

(5) Negotiating and reaching agreement on local performance measures with the chief elected official and the Governor;

(6) Assisting the Governor in developing the Statewide employment statistics system under the Wagner-Peyser Act;

(7) Coordinating workforce investment activities with economic development strategies and developing employer linkages; and

(8) Promoting private sector involvement in the Statewide workforce investment system through effective connecting, brokering, and coaching activities through intermediaries such as the One-Stop operator in the local area or through other organizations, to assist employers in meeting hiring needs.

(b) The Local Board, in cooperation with the chief elected official, appoints a youth council as a subgroup of the Local Board and coordinates workforce and youth plans and activities with the youth council, in accordance with WIA section 117(h) and § 661.335.

(c) Local Boards which are part of a State designated region for regional planning must carry out the regional planning responsibilities required by the State in accordance with WIA section 116(c) and § 661.290. (WIA sec. 117.)

The Local Board must conduct its business in an open manner as required by WIA section 117(e), by making available to the public, on a regular basis through open meetings, information about the activities of the Local Board. This includes information about the Local 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 Local Board.

(a) A Local Board may not directly provide core services, or intensive services, or be designated or certified as a One-Stop operator, unless agreed to by the chief elected official and the Governor.

(b) A Local Board is prohibited from providing training services, unless the Governor grants a waiver in accordance with the provisions in WIA section 117(f)(1). The waiver shall apply for not more than one year. The waiver may be renewed for additional periods, but for not more than one additional year at a time.

(c) The restrictions on the provision of core, intensive, and training services by the Local Board, and designation or certification as One-Stop operator, also apply to staff of the Local Board. (WIA sec. 117(f)(1) and (f)(2).)

(a) The membership of Local Board must be selected in accordance with criteria established under WIA section 117(b)(1) and must meet the requirements of WIA section 117(b)(2). The Local Board must contain two or more members representing the categories described in WIA section 117(b)(2)(A)(ii)-(v), and special consideration must be given to the entities identified in WIA section 117(b)(2)(A)(ii), (iv) and (v) in the selection of members representing those categories. The Local Board must contain at least one member representing each One-Stop partner.

(b) The membership of Local Boards may include individuals or representatives of other appropriate entities, including entities representing individuals with multiple barriers to employment and other special populations, as determined by the chief elected official.

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

(d) A majority of the members of the Local Board must be representatives of business in the local area. Members representing business must be individuals who are owners, chief executive officers, chief operating officers, or other individuals with optimum policymaking or hiring authority. Business representatives serving on Local Boards may also serve on the State Board.

(e) Chief elected officials must appoint the business representatives from among individuals who are nominated by local business organizations and business trade associations. Chief elected officials must appoint the labor representatives from among individuals who are nominated by local labor federations (or, for a local area in which no employees are represented by such organizations, other representatives of employees). (WIA sec. 117(b).)

(f) 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 (c) through (e) of this section, for each entity.

When there is more than one grant recipient, administrative entity or organization responsible for administration of funds of a particular One-stop partner program in the local area, the chief elected official may appoint one or more members to represent all of those particular partner program entities. In making such appointments, the local elected official may solicit nominations from the partner program entities.

The Local Board must elect a chairperson from among the business representatives on the board. (WIA sec. 117(b)(5).)

The Local Board is appointed by the chief elected official(s) in the local area in accordance with State criteria established under WIA section 117(b), and is certified by the Governor every two years, in accordance with WIA section 117(c)(2). The criteria for certification must be described in the State Plan. (WIA sec. 117(c).)

(a) The State may use any local entity that meets the requirements of WIA section 117(i) to perform the functions of the Local Board. WIA section 117(i) requires that such entity:

(1) Was established to serve the local area (or the service delivery area that most closely corresponds to the local area);

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

(3)(i) Is a Private Industry Council established under section 102 of the Job Training Partnership Act, as in effect on December 31, 1997; or

(ii) Is substantially similar to the Local Board described in WIA section 117 (a), (b), and (c) and (h)(1) and (2); and,

(4) Includes, at a minimum, two or more representatives of business in the local area and two or more representatives of labor organizations nominated by local labor federations or employees in the local area.

(b)(1) If the Governor certifies an alternative entity to perform the functions of the Local Board; the State workforce investment plan must demonstrate that the alternative entity meets the requirements of WIA section 117(i), set forth in paragraph (a) of this section.

(2) If the alternative entity does not provide for representative membership of each of the categories of required Local Board membership under WIA section 117(b), including all of the One-stop partner programs, the local workforce investment plan must explain the manner in which the Local Board will ensure an ongoing role for the unrepresented membership group in the local workforce investment system.

(3) The Local Board may provide 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 local plan or other policy development by unrepresented membership groups, or by establishing an advisory committee of unrepresented membership groups. The Local Board must enter into good faith negotiations over the terms of the MOU with all entities carrying out One-stop partner programs, including programs not represented on the alternative entity.

(c) If the membership structure of an alternative entity is significantly changed after December 31, 1997, the entity will no longer be eligible to perform the functions of the Local Board. In such case, the chief elected official(s) must establish a new Local Board which meets all of the criteria of WIA section 117(a), (b), and (c) and (h)(1) and (2).

(d) 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 (including a Youth Council) are added, or when a member is added to fill a vacancy created in an existing membership category.

(e) In 20 CFR parts 660 through 671, all references to the Local Board must be deemed to also apply to an alternative entity used by a local area. (WIA sec. 117(i).)

(a) A youth council must be established as a subgroup within each Local Board.

(b) The membership of each youth council must include:

(1) Members of the Local Board, such as educators, which may include special education personnel, employers, and representatives of human service agencies, who have special interest or expertise in youth policy;

(2) Members who represent service agencies, such as juvenile justice and local law enforcement agencies;

(3) Members who represent local public housing authorities;

(4) Parents of eligible youth seeking assistance under subtitle B of title I of WIA;

(5) Individuals, including former participants, and members who represent organizations, that have experience relating to youth activities; and

(6) Members who represent the Job Corps, if a Job Corps Center is located in the local area represented by the council.

(c) Youth councils may include other individuals, who the chair of the Local Board, in cooperation with the chief elected official, determines to be appropriate.

(d) Members of the youth council who are not members of the Local Board must be voting members of the youth council and nonvoting members of the Local Board.

The youth council is responsible for:

(a) Coordinating youth activities in a local area;

(b) Developing portions of the local plan related to eligible youth, as determined by the chairperson of the Local Board;

(c) Recommending eligible youth service providers in accordance with WIA section 123, subject to the approval of the Local Board;

(d) Conducting oversight with respect to eligible providers of youth activities in the local area, subject to the approval of the Local Board; and

(e) Carrying out other duties, as authorized by the chairperson of the Local Board, such as establishing linkages with educational agencies and other youth entities.

(a) WIA section 118 requires that each Local Board, in partnership with the appropriate chief elected officials, develops and submits a comprehensive five-year plan to the Governor which identifies and describes certain policies, procedures and local activities that are carried out in the local area, and that is consistent with the State Plan.

(b) The Local Board must provide an opportunity for public comment on and input into the development of the local workforce investment plan prior to its submission, and the opportunity for public comment on the local plan must:

(1) Make copies of the proposed local plan available to the public (through such means as public hearings and local news media);

(2) Include an opportunity for comment by members of the Local Board and members of the public, including representatives of business and labor organizations;

(3) Provide at least a thirty (30) day period for comment, beginning on the date on which the proposed plan is made available, prior to its submission to the Governor; and

(4) Be consistent with the requirement, in WIA section 117(e), that the Local Board make information about the plan available to the public on a regular basis through open meetings.

(c) The Local Board must submit any comments that express disagreement with the plan to the Governor along with the plan.

(a) The local workforce investment plan must meet the requirements of WIA section 118(b). The plan must include:

(1) An identification of the workforce investment needs of businesses, job-seekers, and workers in the local area;

(2) An identification of current and projected employment opportunities and job skills necessary to obtain such opportunities;

(3) A description of the One-Stop delivery system to be established or designated in the local area, including:

(i) How the Local Board will ensure continuous improvement of eligible providers of services and ensure that such providers meet the employment needs of local employers and participants; and

(ii) A copy of the local Memorandum(s) of Understanding between the Local Board and each of the One-Stop partners concerning the operation of the local One-Stop delivery system;

(4) A description of the local levels of performance negotiated with the Governor and the chief elected official(s) to be used by the Local Board for measuring the performance of the local fiscal agent (where appropriate), eligible providers, and the local One-Stop delivery system;

(5) A description and assessment of the type and availability of adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities in the local area, including a description of the local ITA system and the procedures for ensuring that exceptions to the use of ITA's, if any, are justified under WIA section 134(d)(4)(G)(ii) and 20 CFR 663.430;

(6) A description of how the Local Board will coordinate local activities with Statewide rapid response activities;

(7) A description and assessment of the type and availability of youth activities in the local area, including an identification of successful providers of such activities;

(8) A description of the process used by the Local Board to provide opportunity for public comment, including comment by representatives of business and labor organizations, and input into the development of the local plan, prior to the submission of the plan;

(9) An identification of the fiscal agent, or entity responsible for the disbursal of grant funds;

(10) A description of the competitive process to be used to award grants and contracts for activities carried out under this subtitle I of WIA, including the process to be used to procure training services that are made as exceptions to the Individual Training Account process (WIA section 134(d)(4)(G)),

(11) A description of the criteria to be used by the Governor and the Local Board, under 20 CFR 663.600, to determine whether funds allocated to a local area for adult employment and training activities under WIA sections 133(b)(2)(A) or (3) are limited, and the process by which any priority will be applied by the One-Stop operator;

(12) In cases where an alternate entity functions as the Local Board, the information required at § 661.330(b), and

(13) Such other information as the Governor may require.

(b) The Governor must review completed plans and must approve all such plans within ninety days of their submission, unless the Governor determines in writing that:

(1) There are deficiencies identified in local workforce investment activities carried out under this subtitle that have not been sufficiently addressed; or

(2) The plan does not comply with title I of WIA and the WIA regulations, including the required consultations, the public comment provisions, and the nondiscrimination requirements of 29 CFR part 37.

(c) In cases where the State is a single local area:

(1) The Secretary performs the roles assigned to the Governor as they relate to local planning activities.

(2) The Secretary issues planning guidance for such States.

(3) The requirements found in WIA and in the WIA regulations for consultation with chief elected officials apply to the development of State and local plans and to the development and operation of the One-Stop delivery system.

(d) During program year 2000, if a local plan does not contain all of the elements described in paragraph (a) of this section, the Governor may approve a local plan on a transitional basis. A transitional approval under this paragraph is considered to be a written determination that the local plan is not approved under paragraph (b) of this section.

The Governor must establish procedures governing the modification of local plans. Situations in which modifications may be required by the Governor include significant changes in local economic conditions, changes in the financing available to support WIA title I and partner-provided WIA services, changes to the Local Board structure, or a need to revise strategies to meet performance goals.