Establishes a restricted receipt account at the DLT for hospitality industry workforce training grants, funded by an annual $50 dollar fee to be charged by RIDOH to food service establishments.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would create a dedicated funding account at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) specifically to pay for job training programs in the hospitality industry. The money in this account would come from a new annual $50 fee charged to food service establishments — such as restaurants, cafes, and similar businesses — by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) when those businesses get their regular food service permits or licenses.

The funds collected would be used to provide workforce training grants to help workers in the hospitality industry gain new skills or improve existing ones. The idea is to create a stable, ongoing source of funding for these training programs rather than relying on general state budget money, since the fees would be collected regularly each year from licensed food establishments.

This bill would directly affect food service businesses across Rhode Island, which would pay an additional $50 per year on top of any existing licensing fees they already pay to the state. It would also affect hospitality workers, who could potentially benefit from training opportunities funded by this new account. The DLT would be responsible for managing the account and distributing the grant money for training programs.

As of now, the bill has been referred to the House Labor Committee and has been recommended to be held for further study, meaning it has not yet advanced through the legislative process.