Bill Text: CA AB15 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Workforce development: California Renewable Energy
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-01 - Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution. From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB15 Detail]
Download: California-2011-AB15-Introduced.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 15 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Pérez
DECEMBER 6, 2010
An act to add Section 14013.5 to the Unemployment Insurance Code,
relating to workforce development.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 15, as introduced, V. Manuel Pérez. Workforce development:
California Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative: local
workforce investment boards.
Existing law, the California Workforce Investment Act, establishes
the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB), which is the body
responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight,
and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment
system, and prescribes the functions and duties of the board with
regard to the implementation and administration of workforce training
and development programs. Existing law establishes the Green Collar
Jobs Council (GCJC) as a special committee in the CWIB, comprised of
specified members, to assist in providing workforce development and
job training relating to green collar jobs.
This bill would require the CWIB, by July 1, 2012, in consultation
with the Green Collar Jobs Council (GCJC), to establish the
California Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative to ensure
green collar career placement and advancement opportunities within
California's renewable energy generation, manufacturing,
construction, installation, maintenance, and operation sectors that
is targeted toward specified populations. The bill would require that
the initiative provide guidance to local workforce investment boards
on how to establish comprehensive green collar job assessment,
training, and placement programs that reflect the local and regional
economies, as prescribed. The bill would require the CWIB, in
developing the initiative, to assist the local workforce investment
boards in collecting and analyzing specified labor market data, in
order to assess accurately the workforce development and training
needs of local or regional industry clusters. The CWIB would be
required to submit to the Legislature, by January 1, 2014, a report
on the implementation of the initiative. The bill would require that
the board only implement the initiative established pursuant to
provisions of the bill if the Director of Finance determines that
there are sufficient funds made available to the state for
expenditure for the initiative pursuant to the federal American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the federal Workforce
Investment Act of 1998, or other federal law, or from other
non-General Fund sources, and would require that the initiative
terminate at such time that the director determines that there are no
longer sufficient funds available for the initiative.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) California is fortunate to have some of the finest solar,
wind, and geothermal resources in the world, giving California the
opportunity to lead the United States in the development of renewable
energy technologies and the creation of green collar jobs.
(2) A 2006 analysis performed by the Renewable Energy Policy
Project looked at the employment gains throughout the United States
and found that, of all the 50 states, California has the greatest
potential to generate new renewable energy manufacturing activity.
(3) The Governor issued Executive Order S-14-08, which increased
the state's renewables portfolio standard to 33 percent by 2020, and
positioned California's economy, technology centers, financial
institutions, businesses, workers, and consumers to benefit from the
state's renewable energy efforts.
(4) California's investment in the production of renewable energy
and associated infrastructure could be targeted to strengthen sectors
and regions of the state economy suffering from high unemployment
rates and poverty.
(5) Educational institutions, in collaboration with labor and
community-based organizations, play a significant role in the
progress of renewable energy curriculum and career job placement
within emerging renewable energy industries.
(6) California's Imperial and Riverside Counties are recognized as
having some of the highest potential for renewable energy
development in California and also some of the highest unemployment
rates in the state.
(7) Educational institutions in Imperial, Riverside, and San
Bernardino Counties, such as Imperial Valley College, College of the
Desert, Palo Verde Community College, University of California at
Riverside, and California State University, San Bernardino, are
seeking to establish collaborations with local labor and renewable
energy organizations but lack infrastructure, technical assistance,
and resources.
(8) The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) (29 U.S.C.
Sec. 2801 et seq.) makes funding available to states that offer
training and workforce development services through state and local
workforce investment boards, based on a set formula that includes
specified economic and demographic data in order to provide
appropriate programming in local workforce areas.
(9) The California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) has
established a special committee known as the Green Collar Jobs
Council (GCJC) pursuant to Section 15002 of the Unemployment
Insurance Code. The GCJC is comprised of appropriate representatives
from the existing CWIB membership, and other appropriate members who
serve as consultants to the GCJC in the development and
implementation of California's green economic industry.
(10) The 2009-10 estimated federal WIA allocation to local
workforce investment boards is approximately $363 million, while
California will receive about $63 million in discretionary funding.
(11) California is expected to receive approximately $787 million
in funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111-5) for use for purposes related to
assisting unemployed workers and struggling families. California is
also expected to receive $480 million in supplemental federal WIA
funding to be used for (A) youth formula grants; (B) dislocated
worker programs; and (C) adult services grants. Of the $480 million
in federal WIA funding targeted for California, the CWIB is expected
to receive approximately $70 million to carry out supplemental
programs related to the federal ARRA-funded programs.
(12) California's federal ARRA funding for adult services is
expected to total approximately $80,117,954. These funds are intended
to be used to provide grants to states for adult employment and
training activities, including supportive services and needs-related
payments to support the employment and training needs of priority
populations, including recipients of public assistance and other
low-income individuals.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish the
California Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative in order
for the CWIB to prepare California's youth, military veterans, and
adult workers for the economy of the future.
SEC. 2. Section 14013.5 is added to the Unemployment Insurance
Code, to read:
14013.5. (a) In furtherance of the requirements of this division,
no later than July 1, 2012, the board, in consultation with the
Green Collar Jobs Council (GCJC) and other appropriate state
agencies, shall establish the California Renewable Energy Workforce
Readiness Initiative to ensure green collar career placement and
advancement opportunities within California's renewable energy
generation manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance,
and operation sectors. The initiative shall provide guidance to the
local workforce investment boards on how to establish comprehensive
green collar job assessment, training, and placement programs that
reflect the local and regional economies. The purpose of the guidance
is to assist local communities to develop strategies to best utilize
moneys provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111-5), the federal Workforce Investment Act
of 1998 (WIA) (29 U.S.C. Sec. 2801 et seq.), federal grants, and
other federal laws in designing and implementing green collar job
development programs that are reflective of local and regional
economies and that lead to stable career opportunities.
(b) Any workforce investment strategies developed by the
initiative shall address how to effectively provide outreach,
assessment, training, and placement to prospective worker
populations, including those that have historically faced barriers to
employment. Those populations include, but are not limited to, all
of the following:
(1) Low-income and disadvantaged populations.
(2) At-risk youth.
(3) Individuals with criminal convictions or juvenile
adjudications.
(4) Displaced and incumbent workers in transition.
(5) Veterans of past or present military service.
(6) Persons with disabilities.
(c) The initiative also shall provide guidance on how to engage
target populations and evaluate potential applicants' ability to
implement and operate renewable energy worker training programs in
California. The initiative shall address how local workforce
investment boards can effectively collaborate and shall include the
participation of all of the following entities:
(1) Nonprofit organizations.
(2) Local governments.
(3) State-approved apprenticeship programs.
(4) Community colleges.
(5) Postsecondary educational institutions.
(6) Local workforce training partnerships and collaboratives.
(7) Regional occupational programs (ROPs).
(d) The initiative shall further address how local workforce
investment boards can prioritize programs that serve prospective
workers who have historically faced barriers to employment,
including, but not limited to, programs that do all of the following:
(1) Serve individuals in families with incomes less than 250
percent of the federal poverty level.
(2) Include collaboration with community-based nonprofit
organizations, labor organizations, state-approved apprenticeship
programs, and educational institutions with expertise in serving
low-income adults or youth.
(3) Link adult remedial education with occupational skills
training.
(4) Ensure that supportive services are integrated with education
and training, and delivered by organizations with direct access to
and experience with targeted populations.
(5) Involve employers and labor organizations, recognized by the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), in the determination of
relevant skills and competencies, ensuring that the certificates or
credentials that result from the training are recognized by employers
and labor organizations.
(6) Leverage additional public and private resources to fund
readiness programs, including cash or in-kind matches from
participating employers, nonprofit organizations, or labor
organizations recognized by the NLRB.
(e) The board shall collect and analyze labor market data, track
workforce trends, document academic and occupational competencies,
identify future skill needs, promote and support local workforce
training initiatives, and provide technical assistance and capacity
building to energy partnerships and apprenticeship training programs,
related to renewable energy and workforce development in California,
that are approved by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, in
the Department of Industrial Relations.
(f) In developing the initiative, the board shall assist the local
workforce investment boards in collecting and analyzing labor market
data from existing reports and available data, in order to assess
accurately the workforce and development training needs of local or
regional industry clusters.
(g) No later than January 1, 2014, the board shall report to the
Legislature on the implementation of this section. The report shall
include an assessment of how effective the guidance required to be
provided pursuant to subdivision (a) was in assisting local workforce
investment boards in establishing renewable energy workforce
training programs that lead to permanent jobs. The board shall only
implement the initiative established pursuant to this section if the
Director of Finance determines that there are sufficient funds made
available to the state for expenditure for the initiative pursuant to
the federal ARRA, the federal WIA, or other federal law, or from
other non-General Fund sources, and the initiative shall terminate at
such time that the director determines that there are no longer
sufficient funds available for the initiative.
(h) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
subdivision (g) is inoperative on January 1, 2018, pursuant to
Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.
(2) The report submitted pursuant to subdivision (g) shall comply
with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
