Under what conditions may a Governor request, and the Secretary approve, a general waiver of statutory or regulatory requirements under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act?
20 C.F.R. § 679.620
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) The Secretary will issue guidelines under which the States may request general waivers of WIOA and Wagner-Peyser Act requirements.
(b) A Governor may request a general waiver in consultation with appropriate chief elected officials:
(1) By submitting a waiver plan which may accompany the State's WIOA 4-year Unified or Combined State Plan or 2-year modification; or
(2) After a State's WIOA Plan is approved, by separately submitting a waiver plan.
(c) A Governor's waiver request may seek waivers for the entire State or for one or more local areas within the State.
(d) A Governor requesting a general waiver must submit to the Secretary a plan to improve the statewide workforce development system that:
(1) Identifies the statutory or regulatory requirements for which a waiver is requested and the goals that the State or local area, as appropriate, intends to achieve as a result of the waiver and how those goals relate to the Unified or Combined State Plan;
(2) Describes the actions that the State or local area, as appropriate, has undertaken to remove State or local statutory or regulatory barriers;
(3) Describes the goals of the waiver and the expected programmatic outcomes if the request is granted;
(4) Describes how the waiver will align with the Department's policy priorities, such as:
(i) Supporting employer engagement;
(ii) Connecting education and training strategies;
(iii) Supporting work-based learning;
(iv) Improving job and career results; and
(v) Other priorities as articulated in guidance;
(5) Describes the individuals affected by the waiver, including how the waiver will impact services for disadvantaged populations or individuals with multiple barriers to employment; and
(6) Describes the processes used to:
(i) Monitor the progress in implementing the waiver;
(ii) Provide notice to any Local WDB affected by the waiver;
(iii) Provide any Local WDB affected by the waiver an opportunity to comment on the request;
(iv) Ensure meaningful public comment, including comment by business and organized labor, on the waiver; and
(v) Collect and report information about waiver outcomes in the State's WIOA Annual Report.
(7) The Secretary may require that States provide the most recent data available about the outcomes of the existing waiver in cases where the State seeks renewal of a previously approved waiver.
(e) The Secretary will issue a decision on a waiver request within 90 days after the receipt of the original waiver request.
(f) The Secretary will approve a waiver request if and only to the extent that:
(1) The Secretary determines that the requirements for which a waiver is requested impede the ability of either the State or local area to implement the State's Plan to improve the statewide workforce development system;
(2) The Secretary determines that the waiver plan meets all of the requirements of WIOA sec. 189(i)(3) and §§ 679.600 through 679.620; and
(3) The State has executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Secretary requiring the State to meet, or ensure that the local area meets, agreed-upon outcomes and to implement other appropriate measures to ensure accountability.
(g) A waiver may be approved for as long as the Secretary determines appropriate, but for not longer than the duration of the State's existing Unified or Combined State Plan.
(h) The Secretary may revoke a waiver granted under this section if the Secretary determines that the State has failed to meet the agreed upon outcomes, measures, failed to comply with the terms and conditions in the MOU described in paragraph (f) of this section or any other document establishing the terms and conditions of the waiver, or if the waiver no longer meets the requirements of §§ 679.600 through 679.620.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-20.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026