2-18-1203. General protection. (1) An employee whose position is eliminated as a result of privatization, reorganization of an agency, closure of or a reduction in force at an agency, or other actions by the legislature is entitled to:

(a) access to any job retraining and career development programs provided by the state through the service delivery areas dislocated worker programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 29 U.S.C. 3101, et seq., provided that the employee begins participating in a program within 1 year after the elimination of the employee's position; and

(b) inclusion in a special job register from which all agencies may attempt to hire employees prior to seeking applications from the general public. Nothing in this section requires an agency to attempt to hire employees from the special job register prior to seeking applications from the general public. An employee's eligibility to participate in the job register terminates 2 years from the effective date of the employee's layoff or 2 years from the date of the employee's completion of job training provided under subsection (1)(a), whichever is later.

(2) Each state agency shall pay to the department of labor and industry a set amount that is equal to the department's average cost of providing the retraining and development services for state employees in the previous fiscal year for each involuntarily terminated state employee who requests access to any job training and career development program provided by the department.