1.   The Legislature finds and declares that:

   a.   Education affects an individual's employability, wages, productivity, ability to function effectively in the family and community, and ultimately, it affects the State's economic well-being;

   b.   Low literacy skills rob individuals of their future and undermine the economy of the State;

   c.   Almost one-half of New Jersey's adults function at the lowest levels of literacy as defined by the National Adult Literacy Survey;

   d.   Low literacy levels are related to crime, unemployment and underemployment, public assistance, and many other social problems on which the State invests hundreds of millions of dollars each year;

   e.   A literate population is a precondition for solving many of society's ills; and

   f.   Developing a solid, well-coordinated literacy delivery system will enhance the chances of adults' success in the labor market and in society as a whole.

   L.1999,c.107,s.1.