GA SB536

Creates the "Georgia Back to Work Program" within the Georgia Department of Labor, allowing unemployed individuals currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits with at least six weeks of benefits remaining to participate in voluntary workplace training with eligible Georgia employers

Eligible participants may receive up to 24 hours per week of workplace training for a maximum of six weeks, plus up to $100.00 per week to offset training-related costs such as transportation, clothing, and child care

Participation is voluntary for both workers and employers; declining to participate does not disqualify an individual from unemployment insurance benefits for failure to seek or accept suitable work

The Department of Labor must monitor participating employers through site visits and publish biennial reports (beginning December 31, 2014) on trainee hiring outcomes; employers found to have a repeated pattern of using participants as unpaid labor without hiring them may be penalized and disqualified from the program

Trainees are treated as bona fide trainees under the Fair Labor Standards Act, are not considered employees of the training employer, and the program's implementation is subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, with an effective date of January 1, 2013