Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson (D-Rochester/Chili/Henrietta) announced the Assembly passed legislation he authored requiring the state Department of Labor (DOL) to publish an annual catalogue of funding and tax credits available for workforce development programs (A.9416-A).

“Workforce development and adult education programs are vital to helping folks find good-paying jobs,” said Bronson. “Compiling all of the funding and tax credit opportunities available will help ensure workers can access the tools they need to succeed.”

New York State spends billions of dollars each year to finance workforce preparation and adult education services, but while providers rely on state and federal funding to make ends meet, those funds are currently administered through more than 50 different programs, all with different criteria for eligibility, disbursement and spending.

Bronson’s legislation would streamline this process by requiring the DOL to compile all funding opportunities and tax credits available to workforce development providers each year. The law would make information about job development programs, wages, employment and education more readily available to both providers and the public, noted Bronson.

To spur economic growth and promote job creation in New York State, Bronson also successfully secured significant funding in this year’s state budget for workforce development, adult education and apprenticeship programs.