2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-2004/1
MIM:cdc
May 2, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives Maxey, Melotik, Behnke, Dittrich, Gundrum, Mursau and O'Connor, cosponsored by Senators Jagler, Bradley, Nass and Stafsholt. Referred to Committee on Workforce Development, Labor, and Integrated Employment.
AB235,1,2
1An Act to create 106.145 of the statutes; relating to: workforce literacy grant
2program. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill requires the Department of Workforce Development to establish a program to award a grant annually to provide workforce literacy services in this state. To be eligible to receive the grant, an organization must be a nonprofit entity located in this state that provides or supports adult literacy services or community-based literacy programs in over half of Wisconsin’s counties. An organization that receives a grant may use the money to teach workforce readiness skills, basic literacy skills, and digital literacy, to provide GED and HSED preparation and testing, to provide other literacy programs related to building and strengthening the state’s workforce, or to provide training, programming, supplies, materials, or other professional support to an organization that provides direct adult literacy services.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB235,13Section 1. 106.145 of the statutes is created to read: AB235,2,3
1106.145 Workforce literacy grant program. (1) The department shall 2establish a program to provide an annual grant to an organization to support 3workforce literacy in this state. AB235,2,54(2) To be eligible for a grant under sub. (1), an organization shall meet all of 5the following requirements: AB235,2,66(a) Be a nonprofit entity. AB235,2,77(b) Be located in this state. AB235,2,98(c) Provide adult literacy services or support community-based literacy 9programs in over half of this state’s counties. AB235,2,1110(3) An organization that receives a grant under sub. (2) may use the grant for 11any of the following purposes: AB235,2,1212(a) Teaching workforce readiness skills. AB235,2,1513(b) Providing preparation for and administration of exams to receive general 14educational development certificates and declarations of equivalency of high school 15graduation. AB235,2,1616(c) Teaching digital literacy skills. AB235,2,1817(d) Teaching other literacy programs related to building and strengthening 18this state’s workforce. AB235,2,2119(e) Providing support services, training, programming, supplies, materials, or 20any other professional support to an organization that directly provides any of the 21services or programs described in pars. (a) to (d) to adult learners.
