§ 2831. Local workforce investment areas
(a)
Designation of areas
(1)
In general
(A)
Process
(B)
Considerations
In making the designation of local areas, the Governor shall take into consideration the following:
(ii)
Geographic areas served by postsecondary educational institutions and area vocational education schools.
(2)
Automatic designation
The Governor shall approve any request for designation as a local area—
(3)
Temporary and subsequent designation
(A)
Criteria
Notwithstanding paragraph (2)(A), the Governor shall approve any request, made not later than the date of submission of the initial State plan under this subchapter, for temporary designation as a local area from any unit of general local government (including a combination of such units) with a population of 200,000 or more that was a service delivery area under the Job Training Partnership Act on the day before August 7, 1998, if the Governor determines that the area—
(B)
Duration and subsequent designation
A temporary designation under this paragraph shall be for a period of not more than 2 years, after which the designation shall be extended until the end of the period covered by the State plan if the Governor determines that, during the temporary designation period, the area substantially met (as defined by the State board) the local performance measures for the local area and sustained the fiscal integrity of the funds used by the area to carry out activities under this subchapter.
(C)
Technical assistance
The Secretary shall provide the States with technical assistance in making the determinations required by this paragraph. The Secretary shall not issue regulations governing determinations to be made under this paragraph.
(D)
Performed successfully
In this paragraph, the term “performed successfully” means that the area involved met or exceeded the performance standards for activities administered in the area that—
(i)
are established by the Secretary for each year and modified by the adjustment methodology of the State (used to account for differences in economic conditions, participant characteristics, and combination of services provided from the combination assumed for purposes of the established standards of the Secretary); and
(ii)
(I)
if the area was designated as both a service delivery area and a substate area under the Job Training Partnership Act (as in effect on the day before August 7, 1998)—
(E)
Sustained the fiscal integrity
In this paragraph, the term “sustained the fiscal integrity”, used with respect to funds used by a service delivery area or local area, means that the Secretary has not made a final determination during any of the last 3 years for which data are available, prior to the date of the designation request involved, that either the grant recipient or the administrative entity of the area misexpended the funds due to willful disregard of the requirements of the Act involved, gross negligence, or failure to observe accepted standards of administration.
(4)
Designation on recommendation of State board
The Governor may approve a request from any unit of general local government (including a combination of such units) for designation (including temporary designation) as a local area if the State board determines, taking into account the factors described in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph (1)(B), and recommends to the Governor, that such area should be so designated.
(5)
Appeals
A unit of general local government (including a combination of such units) or grant recipient that requests but is not granted designation of an area as a local area under paragraph (2) or (3) may submit an appeal to the State board under an appeal process established in the State plan. If the appeal does not result in such a designation, the Secretary, after receiving a request for review from the unit or grant recipient and on determining that the unit or grant recipient was not accorded procedural rights under the appeal process established in the State plan or that the area meets the requirements of paragraph (2) or (3), as appropriate, may require that the area be designated as a local area under such paragraph.
(b)
Small States
The Governor of any State that was a single State service delivery area under the Job Training Partnership Act as of July 1, 1998, may designate the State as a single State local area for the purposes of this chapter. In the case of such a designation, the Governor shall identify the State as a local area under section
2822
(b)(5) of this title.
(c)
Regional planning and cooperation
(1)
Planning
As part of the process for developing the State plan, a State may require regional planning by local boards for a designated region in the State. The State may require the local boards for a designated region to participate in a regional planning process that results in the establishment of regional performance measures for workforce investment activities authorized under this subchapter. The State may award regional incentive grants to the designated regions that meet or exceed the regional performance measures.
(2)
Information sharing
The State may require the local boards for a designated region to share, in feasible cases, employment statistics, information about employment opportunities and trends, and other types of information that would assist in improving the performance of all local areas in the designated region on local performance measures.
(3)
Coordination of services
The State may require the local boards for a designated region to coordinate the provision of workforce investment activities authorized under this subchapter, including the provision of transportation and other supportive services, so that services provided through the activities may be provided across the boundaries of local areas within the designated region.
(4)
Interstate regions
Two or more States that contain an interstate region that is a labor market area, economic development region, or other appropriate contiguous subarea of the States may designate the area as a designated region for purposes of this subsection, and jointly exercise the State functions described in paragraphs (1) through (3).
(5)
Definitions
In this subsection: