HB 693

Department of Workforce Development and Advancement; workforce development programs; apprenticeship program. Recognizes the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement as the federally and state designated agency responsible for workforce development in the Commonwealth. The bill additionally makes technical changes to reflect the previous transfer of administration of apprenticeship programs from the Department of Labor and Industry to the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. The bill also specifies that the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall share data related to the Innovative Internship Program for certain purposes related to evaluation workforce programs. The bill also amends the seventh enactments of Chapters 624 and 625 of the Acts of Assembly of 2023 to exempt the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement's initial adoption and any additional regulations from the provisions of the Administrative Process Act provided that, prior to the final adoption of such regulations, the Department publishes in the Virginia Register of Regulations and posts on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall an action that provides (i) a 30-day comment period; (ii) a summary of the proposed regulations, the text of the proposed regulations, and the name, address, email address, and telephone number of the agency contact person responsible for receiving public comments; and (iii) the statutory authority to promulgate the regulations.