BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1093
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Date of Hearing: April 14, 2015
Counsel: Sandra Uribe
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
Bill Quirk, Chair
AB
1093 (Eduardo Garcia) - As Introduced February 27, 2015
SUMMARY: Modifies the criteria for the Supervised Population
Workforce Training Grant Program to allow grant applicants to
address the education and training needs of people who have some
postsecondary education or individuals who require basic
education, or people in both categories. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Contains legislative findings and declarations about the
importance of workforce training for the reentry population.
2)Revises program criteria to allow applicants to address either
the education and training needs of individuals with some
postsecondary education, or individuals who require basic
education and training to obtain entry level jobs, instead of
requiring the applicants to serve both education needs.
3)Authorizes the California Workforce Investment Board (WIB) to
delegate the responsibility for determining the sufficiency of
a prior assessment to one or more local workforce investment
boards.
4)Expands the content of the report to be given to the
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Legislature evaluating the Supervised Population Workforce
Training Grant Program to include the following:
a) The education and workforce readiness of the supervised
population at the time individual participants entered the
program and how this impacted the types of services needed
and offered; and,
b) Whether the metrics used to evaluate the individual
grants were sufficiently aligned with the objectives of the
program.
5)Contains an urgency clause requiring the provisions of the
bill to take effect immediately.
EXISTING LAW:
1)States that WIB is the body responsible for assisting the
Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous
improvement of California's workforce investment system and
the alignment of the education and workforce investment
systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and
workforce. (Unemp. Ins. Code, § 14010.)
2)Establishes the Supervised Population Workforce Training Grant
Program to be administered by the WIB. (Pen. Code, § 1234.1.)
3)Requires WIB to administer the grant program as follows:
a) Develop criteria for the selection of grant recipients
through a public application process, including the rating
and ranking of applications that meet threshold criteria;
and
b) Design the grant program application process to ensure
all of the following occurs:
i) Outreach and technical assistance is made available
to eligible counties;
ii) There is fairness and competitiveness for all
counties, including for smaller and rural counties;
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iii) It encourages applicants to develop evidence-based,
best practices to serve the target population; and,
iv) It addresses the education and training needs of
both individuals with some postsecondary education who
can benefit from services that result in certifications,
and placement on a middle skill career ladder, and
individuals who require basic education and training to
obtain entry level jobs. (Pen. Code, § 1234.2.)
4)Requires the grant program to be competitively awarded through
at least two rounds of funding, as specified, and provides
that each county is eligible to apply but that a single
application may include multiple counties applying jointly.
Requires each application to include a partnership agreement
between the county, or counties, and one or more local
workforce investment boards that outline the actions each
party agrees to undertake as part of the project proposed in
the application. (Pen. Code, § 1234.3.)
5)Requires, at a minimum, each project proposed in the
application to include a provision for an education and
training assessment for each individual of the supervised
population who participates in the project. (Pen. Code, §
1234.3, subd. (c).)
6)Provides that eligible uses of grant funds include, but are
not limited to, vocational training, stipends for trainees,
and apprenticeship opportunities for the supervised
population. States that supportive services and job readiness
activities are to serve as bridge activities that lead to
enrollment in long-term training programs. (Pen. Code, §
1234.3, subd. (d).)
7)Requires the WIB to report to the Legislature the outcomes
from the grant program, as specified. (Pen. Code, § 1234.4.)
8)Repeals the grant program on January 1, 2021, unless a later
enacted statute deletes or extends that date. (Pen. Code, §
1234.5.)
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS:
1)Author's Statement: According to the author, "With orders
from the U.S. Supreme Court to reduce its prison population,
the state needs smart, effective policies to help local
jurisdictions achieve realignment goals and reduce recidivism.
Workforce development for the re-entry population is a
practical strategy for improving access to a stable job. It
helps improve offender outcomes, reduce the likelihood of
recidivism, and promote community safety and stability. This
bill makes key program changes to the 2014 bill [AB 2060 9V.
Manuel Perez)]."
2)Supervised Population Workforce Training Grant Program: In
the Solicitation for Proposals, the WIB describes the
Supervised Population Workforce Training Grant Program as
follows:
"The California Workforce Investment Board (State Board) and the
Employment Development Department (EDD) are pleased to
announce the availability of up to $825,000 in Recidivism
Reduction Funds to implement and support recidivism reduction
workforce training and development programs targeting the
supervised population. The supervised population includes all
persons who are on probation, mandatory supervision, or
postrelease community supervision as defined in AB 2060
(Chapter 383, Statutes of 2014) and codified in Penal Code
Section 1234(c) and are supervised by, or are under the
jurisdiction of, a county. The State Board and EDD will fund
proposals that will expand existing, mature collaborative
relationships between county based Community Corrections
Partnerships (parole, probation, courts, mental health
services, community colleges, etc.) and Local Workforce
Investment Boards (LWIB) in support of innovative strategies
that accelerate educational attainment and reemployment for
the supervised population by:
Increasing labor market and skills outcomes through
the development of strategies that fill gaps, accelerate
processes, or customize services to ensure greater access
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to workforce services and employment opportunities.
Implementing promising new modes and practices in
workforce system delivery infrastructure and funding
alignment that can be replicated across the State and
tailored to regional needs.
Leveraging State investment with commitments from
industry, labor, public, and community partners.
"In addition, the State Board will fund proposals that further
advance the goals of California's Strategic Workforce
Development Plan 20132017 'Shared Strategy for a Shared
Prosperity' (Strategic Plan) prioritizes regional coordination
among key partners, sector-based employment strategies, skill
attainment through earn and learn and other effective training
models (including, but not limited to apprenticeship), and
development of career pathways."
( http://www.cwib.ca.gov/res/docs/AB2060/AB%202060%20SFP%2070001
%20FINAL-TR.pdf .)
The grant applications were due to the WIB on April 3, 2015.
The WIB has informed this committee that it intends to award
the first round of funding by the statutorily mandated
deadline of May 1, 2015. (See Pen. Code, § 1234.3, subd.
(a).) So, despite having an urgency clause, the revised
criteria proposed by this bill will be too late to affect
these award grants.
However, the grant program anticipated "at least two rounds of
funding." (Pen. Code, § 1234.3, subd. (a).) Thus, the
revised criteria could be implemented for the second round of
solicitation for proposals.
1)State Strategy on Employment of Former Offenders: The federal
Workforce Investment Act requires the Governor, through WIB,
to submit a State Strategic Workforce Development Plan (State
Plan) to the U.S. Department of Labor. This plan outlines a
five-year strategy for the investment of federal workforce
training and employment services funds. With respect to
services to former offenders, WIB states the following:
The State Board has leveraged the [California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)]
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expertise to help Local Boards obtain additional
funding from "realignment" funds allocated to
counties. A workshop was conducted by the California
Workforce Association, which included CDCR and Local
Board staff sharing knowledge about realignment and
funding so that Local Boards might be in a better
position to engage their counties in seeking funding
to serve this new "realigned" population.
The State Board will continue to work closely with
CDCR and Local Boards to encourage and develop
innovative services for the ex-offender population.
With Policy Link and the National Employment Law
Project (NELP), the State Board is helping convene
Local Boards, to ensure formally incarcerated
individuals have access to quality employment
services. The State Board also worked with EDD and
NELP to develop a directive to ensure that Local
Boards comply with nondiscrimination obligations when
serving individuals with criminal records.
http://edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/pubs/wsd12-9.pdf.
Consistent with Adults Goal Objective 1, Action 2; the
State Board will work with the Local Boards to
identify in their Local Plan strategies they will
utilize to identify and remove barriers hampering
their investment of WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker
funds in [career technical education] programs to the
ex-offender population in their areas.
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(Shared Strategy for a Shared Prosperity: California's
Strategic Workforce Development Plan 2013 - 2017, Services to
State Target Populations, pp. 10-7 & 10-8,
< http://www.cwib.ca.gov/res/docs/state_plans/Final%20Approved%2
0State%20Plan/12%20Chapter%20X%20Services%20to%20State%20Target
%20Populations.pdf > [as of Apr. 2, 2014].)
2)Argument in Support: According to the California Workforce
Association, a co-sponsor of this bill, "AB 1093 makes
technical changes to a 2014 bill, AB 2060 (V.M. Perez), which
established this essential program. Workforce development for
the re-entry population is a practical approach that will
improve offender outcomes, reduce the likelihood of
recidivism, and promote community safety, and for these
reasons we support this important effort.
"The California Workforce Association is an organization
comprised of the 49 Local Workforce Investment Boards and
America's Job Centers of California that work closely with
adults, dislocated workers and at-risk youth to ensure they
have the skills and training required for jobs needed by
businesses. Last program year, CWA's members served 1.2
million customers and over 60,000 businesses.
"CWA is co-sponsoring AB 1093 because job training for
post-release individuals is one of the most critical actions
the state can take to help ensure that former offenders
successfully transition into their communities. Local
Workforce Investment Boards and America's Job Centers of
California specialize in working with individuals who have the
biggest barriers to employment, including ex-offenders.
Without the essential tools these entities provide, former
offenders are more likely to return to their old ways of life
and increase their odds of reoffending."
3)Prior Legislation: AB 2060 (V.M. Perez), Chapter 383,
Statutes of 2014, established the Supervised Population
Workforce Training Grant Program.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
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Support
California Workforce Association (Co-Sponsor)
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (Co-Sponsor)
Policy Link (Co-Sponsor)
California Public Defenders Association
Opposition
None
Analysis Prepared
by: Sandy Uribe / PUB. S. / (916) 319-3744