Sec. 1. (a) There is created in the state treasury a special fund to be known as the special employment and training services fund. All interest on delinquent contributions and penalties collected under this article, together with any voluntary contributions tendered as a contribution to this fund, shall be paid into this fund. The money shall not be expended or available for expenditure in any manner which would permit their substitution for (or a corresponding reduction in) federal funds which would in the absence of the money be available to finance expenditures for the administration of this article, but nothing in this section shall prevent the money from being used as a revolving fund to cover expenditures necessary and proper under the law for which federal funds have been duly requested but not yet received, subject to the charging of expenditures against the funds when received. The money in this fund shall be used by the department for the payment of refunds of interest on delinquent contributions and penalties so collected, for the payment of costs of administration which are found not to have been properly and validly chargeable against federal grants or other funds received for or in the employment and training services administration fund, on and after July 1, 1945. The money shall be available either to satisfy the obligations incurred by the department directly, or by transfer by the department of the required amount from the special employment and training services fund to the employment and training services administration fund. The department shall order the transfer of the funds or the payment of any obligation or expenditure and the funds shall be paid by the treasurer of state on requisition drawn by the department and certified by the commissioner. The money in this fund is specifically made available to replace within a reasonable time any money received by this state pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 502, as amended, which, because of any action or contingency, has been lost or has been expended for purposes other than or in amounts in excess of those approved by the United States Department of Labor. The money in this fund shall be continuously available to the department for expenditures in accordance with the provisions of this section and for the prevention, detection, and recovery of delinquent contributions, penalties, and improper benefit payments, and shall not lapse at any time or be transferred to any other fund, except as provided in this article. Except as provided in subsection (e), after making the grants required under subsection (c), the department may expend an amount not to exceed ten million dollars ($10,000,000) in a state fiscal year for the purpose of prevention, detection, and recovery of delinquent contributions, penalties, and improper benefit payments, unless an additional amount is approved by the budget committee. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit, alter, or amend the liability of the state assumed and created by IC 22-4-28, or to change the procedure prescribed in IC 22-4-28 for the satisfaction of the liability, except to the extent that the liability may be satisfied by and out of the funds of the special employment and training services fund created by this section. Each state fiscal year, the commissioner shall make the training grants required under subsection (c) before amounts are expended from the fund in accordance with this section for any other purpose.

(b) If on December 31 the balance in the special employment and training services fund exceeds eight million five hundred thousand dollars ($8,500,000), the department shall order, not later than thirty (30) days after December 31, payment of the amount that exceeds eight million five hundred thousand dollars ($8,500,000) into the unemployment insurance benefit fund.

(c) Subject to the availability of funds, on July 1 each year the commissioner shall release the following amounts before expenditures are made in accordance with this section for any other purpose:

(1) One million dollars ($1,000,000) to the state educational institution established under IC 21-25-2-1 for training provided to participants in apprenticeship programs approved by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.

(2) Four million dollars ($4,000,000) to the state educational institution instituted and incorporated under IC 21-22-2-1 for training provided to participants in joint labor and management apprenticeship programs approved by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.

(3) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for journeyman upgrade training to each of the state educational institutions described in subdivisions (1) and (2).

(4) Four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) annually for training and counseling assistance:

(A) provided by Hometown Plans under 41 CFR 60-4.5; and

(B) approved by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training;

to individuals who have been unemployed for at least four (4) weeks or whose annual income is less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).

(5) Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) annually for training and counseling assistance provided by the state institution established under IC 21-25-2-1 to individuals who have been unemployed for at least four (4) weeks or whose annual income is less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for the purpose of enabling those individuals to apply for admission to apprenticeship programs offered by providers approved by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.

(d) Each state educational institution described in subsection (c) is entitled to keep ten percent (10%) of the funds released under subsection (c) for the payment of costs of administering the funds. On each June 30 following the release of the funds, any funds released under subsection (c) not used by the state educational institutions under subsection (c) shall be returned to the special employment and training services fund.

Formerly: Acts 1947, c.208, s.2601; Acts 1955, c.317, s.12; Acts 1963, c.373, s.1; Acts 1967, c.310, s.22. As amended by P.L.144-1986, SEC.122; P.L.18-1987, SEC.67; P.L.105-1994, SEC.3; P.L.21-1995, SEC.105; P.L.163-1997, SEC.1; P.L.52-1998, SEC.1; P.L.179-1999, SEC.4; P.L.290-2001, SEC.20; P.L.273-2003, SEC.7; P.L.202-2005, SEC.5; P.L.47-2006, SEC.46; P.L.2-2007, SEC.293; P.L.138-2008, SEC.4; P.L.175-2009, SEC.36; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.368; P.L.121-2014, SEC.17; P.L.69-2015, SEC.23; P.L.171-2016, SEC.37; P.L.177-2017, SEC.4; P.L.122-2019, SEC.36.