ORS 350.170: Advanced technology education and training grants and loans; public-private partnerships; requirements; rules.

(1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall establish by rule a process for making grants or loans to public-private partnerships to provide advanced technology education and training opportunities. The purpose of the grants and loans is to support the development and implementation of public-private partnerships to provide advanced technology education and training opportunities in all business and industry sectors for individuals in communities throughout Oregon. The partnerships shall be between public and private entities and may include joint ventures among business and industry, school districts, education service districts, eligible post-secondary institutions as defined in ORS 348.180 and public bodies as defined in ORS 174.109. (2) A public-private partnership that receives a grant or loan under this section must provide advanced technology education and training opportunities that: (a) Address current and future workforce development needs dictated by Oregon’s rapidly changing economy; (b) Facilitate sustainable and dynamic economic development in communities by creating flexible opportunities for workforce development; (c) Establish results oriented, collaborative investments of public and private resources in communities throughout Oregon; (d) Ensure that Oregon’s capacity for economic growth and vitality is not limited by a lack of opportunities for workforce development; and (e) Provide support to existing community efforts to establish innovative strategies for delivering advanced technology education and training. (3) The process established by the commission for making grants and loans shall ensure that: (a) Local communities are informed about the availability of the grants and loans; (b) Advanced technology education and training projects are geographically distributed throughout Oregon; (c) There is equal opportunity for urban and rural access to quality education and training opportunities; (d) Representatives of related, ongoing community efforts assist in the implementation of advanced technology education and training projects; and (e) Procedures and timelines are designed to minimize barriers to receiving funds. (4) When considering applications for grants and loans, the Office of Community Colleges and Workforce Development shall give priority to advanced technology education and training projects that: (a) Provide or increase access for individuals to advanced technology education and training through the efforts of local and regional career centers and partnerships and distance education technology available locally and regionally; (b) In combination with other projects receiving funds, contribute to advanced technology education and training opportunities in every part of the state; (c) Use federal funds; (d) Have widespread community support as evidenced by a memorandum of agreement or similar documentation; (e) Represent an effective sharing of resources through public-private partnerships among business and industry, school districts, education service districts, eligible post-secondary institutions as defined in ORS 348.180 and public bodies as defined in ORS 174.109; (f) Have a long-term strategic plan and lack only the necessary financial resources; (g) Provide state-of-the-art technology that meets current standards of business and industry and addresses local and regional economic development priorities; (h) Help individuals connect education and training with career planning and job opportunities through local and regional career centers as implemented under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; (i) Provide articulated education programs that lead to a degree or an industry-specific skills certification; and (j) Establish short-term training programs that meet the immediate needs of local employers in their communities. (5)(a) A public-private partnership awarded a grant or loan under this section shall use the grant or loan for any of the following: (A) Infrastructure construction or reconstruction. (B) Equipment or technology purchases. (C) Curriculum development. (D) Expansion or revision of a current project to increase the capacity of the project, alter the project plan, change the members of the partnership or address education or employment deficiencies in the community served by the public-private partnership. (b) A grant or loan awarded under this section for the purpose described in paragraph (a)(D) of this subsection may not exceed $25,000. (6) The application for a grant or loan under this section shall include: (a) The names of the members of the public-private partnership; (b) A description of standards used to assess the performance of the project; (c) An estimate of the number of individuals who will be served by the project; (d) The name of the fiscal agent of the public-private partnership; (e) A project plan covering at least the first two years after receipt of a grant or loan; and (f) The name of the person who will be responsible for convening the public-private partnership on a regular basis. (7) The commission may accept contributions of funds and assistance from the United States Government or its agencies or from any other source, public or private, and agree to conditions placed on the funds not inconsistent with the purposes of this section. (8) Any moneys received by the commission through repayment of a loan awarded under this section, or received by the commission under subsection (7) of this section, shall be deposited by the commission in the Advanced Technology Education and Training Fund established under ORS 350.165. [Formerly 351.766; 2017 c.185 §8; 2017 c.297 §31] (Temporary provisions relating to the Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund) Sec. 1. (1) The Higher Education Coordinating Commission shall allocate moneys from the Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund established in section 2 of this 2024 Act to provide education, training and research to assist the semiconductor industry in: (a) Propelling industry innovation and productivity; and (b) Providing careers to residents of this state who receive technical certificates, credentials, technical degrees, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level degrees in fields related to semiconductors. (2) When making allocations under this section, the commission shall consider allocations that: (a) Address the most-demonstrated pressing and long-term needs of the semiconductor industry; (b) Advance a more diverse workforce, with a focus on increasing career opportunities for historically underrepresented youth and adults; (c) Utilize the information compiled in and recommendations made by the final report of the Semiconductor Workforce and Talent Assessment (January 2024) that was prepared for the commission; (d) Facilitate or advance workforce opportunities created by federal or state semiconductor financial assistance investments; (e) Create new economic growth and pathways to economic opportunity across this state; and (f) Consider the priorities of industry consortia established under section 10, chapter 28, Oregon Laws 2022 [660.410], that represent manufacturing and technology sectors. [2024 c.89 §1] Sec. 2. (1) The Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund shall be credited to the fund. (2) Moneys in the Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund shall consist of: (a) Amounts donated to the fund from individuals, private organizations and state or federal governmental entities; (b) Amounts appropriated or otherwise transferred to the fund by the Legislative Assembly; and (c) Interest earned by the fund. (3) Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for the purposes of supporting the semiconductor industry in the manner described in section 1 of this 2024 Act. [2024 c.89 §2] Sec. 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this 2024 Act are repealed on January 2, 2030. [2024 c.89 §3] Sec. 4. The Semiconductor Talent Sustaining Fund established under section 2 of this 2024 Act is abolished. Any moneys remaining in the fund on the operative date specified in section 5 of this 2024 Act [January 2, 2030] shall be transferred to the General Fund for general government purposes. [2024 c.89 §4] Sec. 5. Section 4 of this 2024 Act becomes operative on January 2, 2030. [2024 c.89 §5]