Job Training Partnership Act Amendments of 1986

(Senate agreed to House amendment with an amendment)

Job Training Partnership Act Amendments of 1986 - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act (the Act) to permit local governments to jointly apply for designation as a service delivery area (SDA) to serve one or more labor market areas (rather than a single labor market area).

Adds to purposes for which State education grants may be used the provision of: (1) literacy training to youth and adults; (2) dropout prevention and reenrollment services to youth; and (3) a State-wide school-to-work transition program. Requires that specified portions of such funds be used for such purposes.

Authorizes the President to make annual awards for outstanding business involvement in job training partnership programs, as well as awards for model programs which demonstrate effectiveness in addressing the job training needs of groups of individuals with multiple barriers to employment.

Establishes an intrastate hold harmless allocation requirement.

Allows Governors or service delivery areas to use incentive grant funds to develop and implement a data collection system to track the post-program experience of participants.

Defines "eligible youth," for purposes of authorizing job training services to disadvantaged youth under the Act, to include 14- and 15-year old individuals.

Requires SDAs to: (1) assess the reading and mathematics skill levels of eligible participants in summer youth employment and training programs; (2) expend funds for basic and remedial education as described in the job training plan; and (3) establish written program goals and objectives to evaluate the effectiveness of summer youth employment and training programs.

Permits summer youth programs to be offered in school vacation periods during nonsummer months under specified conditions.

Prohibits requiring State matching grants under criteria for receipt of grants from the Secretary of Labor's discretionary funds.

Includes under the definition of dislocated workers individuals who were self-employed (including farmers) and who are unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community in which they reside or because of natural disaster. Directs the Secretary to establish categories of self-employed individuals and of economic conditions and natural disasters.

Prohibits State and local taxation of Job Corps operations.

Authorizes the Secretary, from funds available for national activities under the Act, to provide financial assistance for pilot projects to train individuals threatened with the loss of their jobs due to technological changes, international economic policies, or general economic conditions.

Directs the Secretary to include under national activities projects designed to serve populations with multiple barriers to employment, such as individuals listed under specified provisions of the Act and individuals not otherwise targeted for assistance under the Act, with special consideration for displaced homemakers and the handicapped.

Adds a definition of displaced homemaker to the Act.

Sets forth amendments relating to veterans. Includes disabled veterans groups under the definition of community based organizations. Adds definitions of recently separated veteran and Vietnam era veteran. Adds Vietnam era veteran to language requiring the Secretary to prescribe performance standards for national programs. Includes disabled veterans under a waiver of a 30 percent cost limitation for individuals requiring substantial additive support services. Includes Veterans Administration programs among those job training programs which Governors are authorized to coordinate. Includes veterans organizations among the service providers with which Governors are authorized to contract.

Directs the Secretary of Labor, within 12 months after the enactment of this Act, to report to the Congress on the dislocation of farmers and ranchers resulting from farm and ranch failures. Requires such report to use various data sources and to examine the feasibility of establishing a national statistical data collection program for permanently dislocated farmers and ranchers.