Amended  IN  Senate  June 27, 2017
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 03, 2017
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 20, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 957


Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

February 16, 2017


An act to add Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 99070) to Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3 of the Education Code, and to amend Section 14012 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to workforce development.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 957, as amended, Levine. Higher education regional workforce coordination: California Workforce Development Board.
Under existing law, the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, are 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state.
This bill would require the California State University (CSU), and request the University of California (UC), to participate in regional conversations pursuant to the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The bill would require CSU, and request the UC, to submit a summary of those first-year activities to the Legislature on or before May 1, 2019, on specified topics related to regional workforce demands.
Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system. Existing law authorizes the Governor to designate as board members state agency officials responsible for education programs and specifies that those officials may include chief executive officers of community colleges and other institutions of higher education.
This bill would specifically include the chief executive officers officers, or their designees, of institutions of higher education, including the California Community College system, the California State University system, the University of California system, and their respective individual campuses, among those persons who may be on the board.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares that, in order to meet the demands of today’s regionally based economy, all of California’s institutions of higher education must be involved in geographic workforce development initiatives that seek to align our education system with regional workforce needs.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature for the University of California to continue its mission in educating our state’s top students and offering the highest quality of professional degrees, and for the California State University to continue its mission in educating the bulk of our state’s undergraduate students.
(c) The state’s policy framework for meeting the needs of business and individuals includes three policy objectives: (1) demand driven skills attainment; (2) enabling upward mobility; and (3) aligning, coordinating, and integrating programs and services. The state’s higher education systems can play a unique role in researching, innovating, and participating in sector strategies and career pathways in California’s most economically important industry sectors, including advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, information technology, and allied health and science.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 99070) is added to Part 65 of Division 14 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER  1.7. Higher Education Regional Workforce Coordination

99070.
 The California State University shall, and the University of California is requested to, participate in regional conversations pursuant to the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The California State University shall, and the University of California is requested to, submit a summary of those first-year activities to the Legislature on or before May 1, 2019, on both of the following:
(a) Recommendations made, partnerships developed, activities undertaken by individual campuses, programs, or the university system that have substantively included local and regional workforce partners and that were designed to increase the number of degrees or other forms of workforce preparation in high-demand occupations and industry sectors within one or more regions in the state.
(b) Barriers to addressing regional workforce demands and recommendations to overcome these barriers.

SEC. 3.

 Section 14012 of the Unemployment Insurance Code is amended to read:

14012.
 The board shall be appointed by the Governor to assist in the development of the State Plan and to carry out other functions, as described in Section 14103. The board shall be comprised of the Governor and representatives from the following categories:
(a) Two members of each house of the Legislature, appointed by the appropriate presiding officer of each house.
(b) A majority of board members shall be representatives of business who:
(1) Are owners of businesses, chief executives or operating officers of businesses, and other business executives or employers with optimum policymaking or hiring authority, who, in addition, may be members of a local board described in Section 3122(b)(2)(A)(i) of Title 29 of the United States Code.
(2) Represent businesses, including small businesses, or organizations representing businesses that include high-quality, work-relevant training and development in in-demand industry sectors or occupations in the state.
(3) Are appointed from a group of individuals nominated by state business organizations and business trade associations.
(c) (1) Not less than 20 percent of board members shall be representatives of the workforce within the state, including representatives of labor organizations nominated by state labor federations, who shall not be less than 15 percent of the board membership and who shall include at least one representative that is a member of a labor organization or a training director, from a joint labor-management apprenticeship program, or if no such joint program exists in the state, such a representative of an apprenticeship program in the state.
(2) Representatives appointed pursuant to this subdivision may include:
(A) Representatives of community-based organizations that have demonstrated experience and expertise in addressing the employment, training, or education needs of individuals with barriers to employment, including organizations that serve veterans or that provide or support competitive, integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.
(B) Representatives of organizations that have demonstrated experience and expertise in addressing the employment, training, or education needs of eligible youth, including representatives of organizations that serve out-of-school youth.
(d) The balance of board members:
(1) Shall include representatives of government that are lead state officials with primary responsibility for the core programs and shall include chief elected officials, collectively representing cities, counties, and cities and counties where appropriate.
(2) May include other representatives and officials as the Governor may designate, like any of the following:
(A) State agency officials from agencies that are one-stop partners, not specified in paragraph (1), including additional one-stop partners whose programs are covered by the State Plan, if any.
(B) State agency officials responsible for economic development or juvenile justice programs in the state.
(C) Individuals who represent an Indian tribe or tribal organization, as those terms are defined in Section 3221(b) of Title 29 of the United States Code.
(D) State agency officials responsible for education programs in the state, including chief executive officers officers, or their designees, of institutions of higher education, including, but not limited to, the California Community College system, the California State University system, the University of California system, and their respective individual campuses.
(e) Other requirements of board membership shall include:
(1) The Governor shall select a chairperson for the board from among the representatives described in subdivision (b).
(2) The members of the board shall represent diverse geographic areas of the state, including urban, rural, and suburban areas.