Governor signs Indiana workforce development bills

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed workforce development legislation that he believes will help Indiana tackle its shortage of trained workers.

The two bills signed Wednesday were a top priority for Holcomb and Republican lawmakers.

The measures will create a new 21-member board to oversee the state's job training programs, while broadening eligibility requirements for some worker training grants.

However, Holcomb's plan will require a waiver from the U.S. Department of Labor so the state can continue receiving $49 million in federal funding. The board Holcomb sought doesn't meet federal requirements.

Holcomb said his administration has been in communication with the Labor Department and will request that waiver by the end of this week.

Democrats maintain the workforce bills don't actually do much. They compared the effort to rearranging deck furniture.