(1) The general assembly hereby finds and determines that:
Certain significant economic events, such as plant closures and layoffs, includingindustry-wide layoffs, cause substantial job losses, which can have an especially detrimental impact when such job losses occur in rural communities;
These events may create a sudden need for increased capacity for workforce, community, or economic development that cannot reasonably be accommodated through a rural community's ongoing operations and budget; and
A rural community experiencing a significant economic event might not have thestaffing capacity and ability to find and coordinate all of the resources available from various state agencies to assist the community with economic development and revitalization.
(2) Therefore, the general assembly determines and declares that a single state department should coordinate economic assistance for rural communities that have experienced significant economic events that have led to substantial job losses by coordinating nonmonetary resources and services offered by various state agencies to help rural communities with economic development and revitalization.
Source: L. 2018: Entire part added, (SB 18-005), ch. 53, p. 496, § 1, effective August 8.