BILL ANALYSIS Ó
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1268|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1268
Author: John A. Pérez (D), et al.
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 27
SENATE LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE : 4-0, 6/26/13
AYES: Monning, Wyland, Leno, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Padilla
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 8/30/13
AYES: De León, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-1, 5/29/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Unemployment insurance: veterans' unemployment:
Veterans
Workforce and Employment Office
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill establishes the Veterans Workforce
Development and Employment Office (Office) within the Labor and
Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) for the purpose of
coordinating veterans' workforce services.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1.Authorizes the Employment Development Department (EDD), within
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
2
the LWDA, among other things, to study and make
recommendations as to actions which might promote the
prevention of unemployment and stabilization of employment,
encourage and assist in the adoption of practical methods of
vocational training, and promote re-employment of workers.
2.Requires the EDD, in consultation and coordination with
veterans' organizations and veteran service providers, to do
all of the following:
A. Research the needs of veterans throughout the state and
develop a profile of veterans' employment and training
needs;
B. Develop a statewide plan for the equitable distribution
of employment funds for veterans' employment services; and
C. Seek federal funding for purposes, as specified.
1.Provides that the EDD is also responsible for the
administration of the programs and services described in the
federal Jobs for Veterans State Grant Program, including the
federal Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP) and the
federal Local Veterans' Employment Representatives program
(LVER).
2.Requires that EDD, following any fiscal year in which state
funds support the Veterans Employment Training services
program, to provide an annual report to the Legislature (on or
before November 1) regarding the following performance
measures, as specified.
A. The number of veterans receiving individualized, case
managed services.
B. The number of veterans receiving these services and
entering employment.
C. The retention rate for veterans who enter employment.
D. The average earnings for veterans entering employment.
This bill establishes the Office within the LWDA for the purpose
of coordinating veterans' workforce services.
Specifically, this bill:
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
3
1.Creates the Office for the purpose of coordinating state
veterans workforce development and employment services and
requires the office to do all of the following:
A. Administer specified state and federal unemployment
programs and services for veterans currently covered by the
EDD.
B. Develop a plan, by May 1, 2014, in collaboration with
the EDD for the transfer of its veterans program and
service administrative responsibilities from EDD to the
Office.
C. Transfer all support staff responsible for
administration of the DVOP and the LVER programs from the
EDD to the Office according to the plan.
D. Coordinate its efforts with the California Department of
Veterans Affairs (CDVA) and the Governor's Interagency
Council on Veterans.
1.Provides that the Office shall coordinate and consult with
appropriate state agencies, departments, veterans'
organizations and veterans' service providers to:
A. Research the needs of veterans throughout the state and
develop a profile of veterans' employment and training
needs.
B. Develop a plan for the equitable distribution of the
employment funds for veterans' employment services.
C. Develop a strategy and program for identifying employers
and small businesses interested in hiring veterans and
establish the means by which any appropriate training and
placement may occur.
D. Seek federal and other funding for the research and
development of veterans' employment and training needs.
1.Repeals existing law referencing the annual report required
from EDD to the Legislature and instead states that the Office
shall provide an annual report to the Legislature regarding
specified performance measures.
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
4
2.Makes several findings and declarations related to the need
for coordination of veterans workforce development services.
Background
Veteran Population in California . California is home to over
1.8 million veterans, representing 8.3% of the total U.S.
veteran population. 72% of the veteran population is fifty
years of age or above, and the number of veterans 85 years of
age or older is projected to increase 20% between 2010 and 2019.
CDVA anticipates receiving an additional 35,000-40,000
discharged members of the armed services each year for the next
several years - more than any other state. According to CDVA,
historically, the largest demand for benefits and services for
veterans occurs immediately after discharge and again as the
veteran population ages and requires greater access to medical
facilities and long-term care services.
Employment assistance services for veterans . The EDD assists
veterans and their eligible spouses maximize their employment
and training opportunities through individualized case managed
services. The EDD veterans' representatives specialize in
assisting veterans in their efforts to return to work and are
located in many local EDD offices. Services provided include a
veteran 24-hour priority hold on all job listings, customized
job search assistance, job fairs, employer recruitments, and
other events and resources.
The DVOP specialists, also known as the Veterans Employment
Service Specialists, focus their efforts on those economically
or educationally disadvantaged who can reasonably be expected to
benefit from improved employability as a result of receiving
intensive services within the One-Stop Career Center system.
The LVER staff, also known as the Veteran Workforce Specialist,
conducts outreach to employers, assist veterans in job
development contacts, conducting job search workshops, and
establish job search groups. They also facilitate employment,
training, and placement services to promote the hiring of
veterans. Furthermore, the LVER concentrates on individualized
job development services for veterans, especially those
determined to be job ready after receipt of intensive services
by the DVOP specialists.
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
5
In program year 2011-12, Governor Brown took action to support
California's returning veterans by issuing Executive Order
B-9-11, creating the California Interagency Council on Veterans,
whose purpose is to identify and prioritize the needs of
California's veterans, and to coordinate the activities at all
levels of government in addressing those needs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, LWDA will
incur one-time costs, likely in the low hundreds of thousands of
dollars (special funds), to implement the provisions of this
bill. LWDA will be required to establish and organize the
Office and relocate affected programs from EDD. Ongoing costs
to LWDA will be about $200,000 (special funds) to interact and
coordinate with other state agencies that provide veterans
services. EDD could incur some one-time transition costs as
well.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/29/13)
AMVETS - Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
California Labor Federation
San Diego Gas and Electric
Southern California Gas Company
The Home Depot
VFW - Department of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
recent reports from the U.S. Department of Labor's, Bureau of
Labor Statistics, indicate that many veterans, especially
younger veterans, women veterans, and members of the National
Guard, continue to experience significant difficulty and
challenges finding employment. This will be compounded when a
large number of soldiers and military personnel separate from
service due to the wind down of the war in Afghanistan and
additional federal defense budget cuts reduce the number of
active duty personnel.
The author's office argues, California's existing state veteran
workforce programs managed by EDD underperform compared to other
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
6
states. In addition, EDD's reliance on job listing Internet Web
sites and job fairs often renders it difficult for veterans to
more directly interact with employers and to connect veterans
with employment opportunities. Moreover, the availability of
federal veteran hiring tax credits are not promoted nearly
enough by the state Labor Agency or EDD and will represent an
important component of this effort.
The author's office states that the voter's approval of
Proposition 39 in the November 2012 General Election also holds
the potential of generating significant funding for veteran job
training and employment opportunities, which the establishment
of this Office will help support and coordinate on behalf the
state's veteran community. Overall, the author's office
believes that California veterans deserve more employment
assistance than simply job posting Internet Web sites and job
fairs and argues that establishing an Office will allow veterans
to more fully participate in the national movement by major
employers to hire veterans.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-1, 5/29/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown,
Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway,
Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NOES: Donnelly
NO VOTE RECORDED: Holden, Vacancy
PQ:ej 8/31/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED
AB 1268
Page
7
CONTINUED