Sec. 1.5. (a) The department shall do the following:

(1) Administer the Wagner-Peyser program, the WIOA, a free public labor exchange, and related federal and state employment and training programs as directed by the governor.

(2) Formulate and implement an employment and training plan as required by the WIOA, and the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.).

(3) Coordinate activities with all state agencies and departments that either provide employment and training related services or operate appropriate resources or facilities, to maximize Indiana's efforts to provide employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals, dislocated workers, and others with substantial barriers to employment.

(4) Apply for, receive, disburse, allocate, and account for all funds, grants, gifts, and contributions of money, property, labor, and other things of value from public and private sources, including grants from agencies and instrumentalities of the state and the federal government.

(5) Enter into agreements with the United States government that may be required as a condition of obtaining federal funds related to activities of the department.

(6) Enter into contracts or agreements and cooperate with local governmental units or corporations, including profit or nonprofit corporations, or combinations of units and corporations to carry out the duties of the department imposed by this chapter, including contracts for the establishment and administration of employment and training offices and the delegation of the department's administrative, monitoring, and program responsibilities and duties set forth in this article.

(7) Perform other services and activities that are specified in contracts for payments or reimbursement of the costs made with the Secretary of Labor, any federal, state, or local public agency or administrative entity, or a private for-profit or nonprofit organization under the WIOA.

(8) Enter into contracts or agreements and cooperate with entities that provide career and technical education to carry out the duties imposed by this article.

(b) The department shall distribute federal funds made available for employment training in accordance with:

(1) the WIOA, and other applicable federal laws; and

(2) the plan prepared by the cabinet under subsection (c)(1).

(c) In addition to the duties prescribed in subsections (a) and (b), the department shall do the following:

(1) Implement the postsecondary career and technical education programming plan prepared by the cabinet under IC 22-4.1-19-4.

(2) Upon request of the budget director, prepare a legislative budget request for state and federal funds for employment training. The budget director shall determine the period to be covered by the budget request.

(3) Make or cause to be made studies of the needs for various types of programs that are related to employment training and authorized under the WIOA.

(4) Distribute state funds made available for employment training that have been appropriated by the general assembly in accordance with the general assembly appropriation.

As added by P.L.69-2015, SEC.32. Amended by P.L.152-2018, SEC.23.