Lawmakers debate economic development bill

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) " After learning that tax revenues could drop by more than a third, Nevada lawmakers discussed a bill Wednesday that would help the state to fully utilize federal stimulus funds for workforce development and training.

SB239 would require the Governor's Workforce Investment Board to establish councils that would identify job training and education programs to best meet regional economic development goals.

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, told the Senate Government Affairs Committee that the measure would help deal with "enormous economic setbacks."

"What we need right now is economic recovery and job growth. It won't happen easily, it will take time, but if we put the structure in place, it will work better than it is today," Horsford said.

The councils created by the bill would set goals for economic development in various industrials. The panels would be made up of employers, organized labor, and higher education officials.

Horsford said that to date, the workforce board has not been as effective as it could be.

"We haven't empowered them to be the center of developing the state's workforce and economic development strategies," Horsford said. "We've really scattered our efforts among multiple entities."

Under the plan, the councils would work collaboratively to align their efforts and develop goals for meeting the state's economic development and employment needs.

Horsford also said the plan would help Nevada's workers acquire the skills necessary to make them attractive hires. Employer representatives would work with educators to help develop K-12 curriculum that would better prepare students for work.

"It would create new pathways for low-income workers, and would make it easier to get jobs," said Ardell Galbreth, deputy director for the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Horsford said DETR will receive $25.3 million in workforce investment grants through the federal stimulus package to support the program.

Representatives from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development expressed support for the bill.

Nevada's unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in February. The rate has increased every month since the start of the national recession in December 2007.