Maryland SB 1044: Labor and Employment - Motor Vehicle Repair and Career Certification Program for Ex-Offenders

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb1044*

SENATE BILL 1044
K3 9lr3246

By: Senators Carter and Hayes
Introduced and read first time: March 4, 2019
Assigned to: Rules

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Labor and Employment – Motor Vehicle Repair and Career Certification 2
Program for Ex–Offenders 3

FOR the purpose of establishing the Motor Vehicle Repair and Career Certification 4
Program for Ex–Offenders in the Division of Workforce Development and Adult 5
Learning; providing for the purposes of the Program; requiring the Department of 6
Labor, Licensing, and Regulation to administer the Program and provide grants on 7
a competitive basis to certain employers who are located in Baltimore City or 8
Baltimore County, donate motor vehicles serviced under the Program to low–income 9
families, and employ certain ex–offender apprentices; requiring that grants awarded 10
under the Program be based on the number of eligible apprentices employed by each 11
employer; requiring the Department on or before a certain date each year to study 12
the impact of the Program by comparing certain characteristics of certain 13
ex–offenders and certain low–income families; requiring each recipient of a grant 14
under the Program to report to the Department on or before a certain date each year 15
the number of apprentices employed and the number of low–income families who 16
receive a motor vehicle under the Program during a certain period; requiring the 17
Department to report certain information to the Governor and the General Assembly 18
on or before a certain date each year; requiring the Governor to include in the annual 19
budget bill certain appropriations for the Program in certain fiscal years; requiring 20
that certain funds be used to supplement, but not supplant, funds otherwise 21
available to the Department; authorizing the Department to adopt certain 22
regulations; defining certain terms; and generally relating to the Motor Vehicle 23
Repair and Career Certification Program for Ex–Offenders. 24

BY adding to 25
Article – Labor and Employment 26
Section 11–603 27
Annotated Code of Maryland 28
(2016 Replacement Volume and 2018 Supplement) 29

2 SENATE BILL 1044

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 1
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 2

Article – Labor and Employment 3

11–603. 4

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 5
INDICATED. 6

(2) “ASE” MEANS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR AUTOMOTIVE 7
SERVICE EXCELLENCE. 8

(3) “EX–OFFENDER” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS BEEN 9
CONVICTED OF A CRIME AND HAS COMPLETED ANY COURT–ORDERED SENTENCE OF 10
IMPRISONMENT FOR THE CONVICTION. 11

(4) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR AND CAREER 12
CERTIFICATION FOR EX–OFFENDERS PROGRAM. 13

(B) (1) THERE IS A MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR AND CAREER 14
CERTIFICATION FOR EX–OFFENDERS PROGRAM IN THE DIVISION. 15

(2) THE PURPOSES OF THE PROGRAM ARE TO: 16

(I) PROVIDE APPRENTICESHIPS TO EX–OFFENDERS IN MOTOR 17
VEHICLE REPAIR, MAINTENANCE, AND SERVICING; 18

(II) ENCOURAGE THE REHABILITATION OF EX–OFFENDERS 19
THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WORKFORCE; 20

(III) PROVIDE EX–OFFENDERS WITH THE TRAINING AND SKILLS 21
NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE CERTIFICATIONS FROM ASE; AND 22

(IV) PRODUCE WORKING MOTOR VEHICLES FOR DONATION TO 23
LOW–INCOME FAMILIES. 24

(C) (1) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM AND 25
PROVIDE GRANTS ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS TO EMPLOYERS THAT MEET THE 26
REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION. 27

(2) AN EMPLOYER IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A GRANT IF THE 28
EMPLOYER: 29

SENATE BILL 1044 3

(I) IS LOCATED IN BALTIMORE CITY OR BALTIMORE COUNTY; 1

(II) DONATES MOTOR VEHICLES SERVICED UNDER THE 2
PROGRAM TO LOW–INCOME FAMILIES; AND 3

(III) EMPLOYS AT LEAST ONE EX–OFFENDER APPRENTICE WHO: 4

1. HAS BEEN EMPLOYED BY THE EMPLOYER FOR AT 5
LEAST 7 MONTHS; 6

2. IS ENGAGED IN MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR, 7
MAINTENANCE, OR SERVICING THAT WILL MEET THE EXPERIENTIAL REQUIREMENT 8
FOR AT LEAST ONE CERTIFICATION FROM ASE; AND 9

3. IS ENROLLED IN THE FIRST YEAR OF AN 10
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM REGISTERED WITH THE MARYLAND APPRENTICESHIP 11
AND TRAINING COUNCIL UNDER § 11–405(B) OF THIS TITLE. 12

(3) GRANTS AWARDED UNDER THIS SUBSECTION SHALL BE BASED ON 13
THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE APPRENTICES EMPLOYED BY EACH EMPLOYER. 14

(D) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2021, AND EACH SEPTEMBER 1 15
THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL STUDY THE IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM BY 16
COMPARING: 17

(1) EX–OFFENDERS WHO RECEIVED APPRENTICESHIPS UNDER THE 18
PROGRAM WITH SIMILARLY SITUATED EX–OFFENDERS WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE 19
IN THE PROGRAM WITH REGARD TO THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: 20

(I) RECIDIVISM RATE; 21

(II) WAGE EARNINGS; 22

(III) ACHIEVEMENT OF AN INDUSTRY–RECOGNIZED 23
OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION; AND 24

(IV) JOB RETENTION RATE; AND 25

(2) LOW–INCOME FAMILIES WHO RECEIVED A MOTOR VEHICLE 26
UNDER THE PROGRA