WHEREAS: the existing disparity between business needs and labor skills will broaden unless the community/technical college and adult education system and workforce development programs within the State of Louisiana adapt to the foreseeable and projected skilled labor and educational needs of the businesses and industries within the state;
WHEREAS: the State of Louisiana would benefit from an evaluation of its community/technical college and adult education system, which is currently governed by several different boards, to determine the ability of the system to effectively respond to Louisiana's future skilled labor needs and to determine whether operational and/or structural changes should be implemented to enable the state's skilled labor force to meet the foreseeable and projected needs of the state's businesses and industries; and
WHEREAS: the interests of the citizens of the State of Louisiana can be best served by the creation of a task force on community/technical college and adult education, composed of representatives of business, labor, education, the executive branch, and the legislature, that is focused on the evaluation of Louisiana's future workforce needs and recommending the strategies and structures that are necessary to strengthen Louisiana's community/technical college and adult education system so that the state will have a workforce that will be more competitive in global markets;
NOW THEREFORE I, M.J. "MIKE" FOSTER, JR., Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:
SECTION 1: The Community/Technical College and Adult Education Task Force (hereafter "task force") is established within the Executive Department, Office of the Governor.
SECTION 2: The duties of the task force shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
SECTION 3: The task force shall be composed of 28 members appointed by, and serving at, the pleasure of the Governor. The membership of the task force shall be selected as follows:
SECTION 4: The Governor shall select the chair and vice-chair of the task force from its membership. The membership of the task force shall elect all other officers.
SECTION 5: The task force shall meet at regularly scheduled intervals and at the call of the chair.
SECTION 6: Support staff for the task force and facilities for its meetings shall be provided by the Office of the Governor and outside sources as necessary.
SECTION 7: The task force shall submit to the Governor its report on the issues described in Section 2, no later than February 15, 1998.
SECTION 8: Task force members shall not receive compensation or a per diem. Nonetheless, contingent upon the availability of funds, members who are not an employee of the State of Louisiana or one of its political subdivisions, or an elected official, may receive reimbursement from the Office of the Governor or actual travel expenses incurred, in accordance with state guidelines and procedures, and upon the approval of the commissioner of Administration.
SECTION 9: All departments, commissions, boards, agencies, and officers of the state, or any political subdivision thereof, are authorized and directed to cooperate with the task force in implementing the provisions of this Order.
SECTION 10: This Order is effective upon signature and shall remain in effect until amended, modified, terminated, or rescinded by the Governor, or terminated by operation of law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge on this 24th day of October, 1997.
M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Governor
ATTEST BY
THE GOVERNOR
Fox McKeithen
Secretary of State