BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



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          Date of Hearing:  April 8, 2015


                     ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT


                               Roger Hernández, Chair


          AB 1270  
          (Eduardo Garcia) - As Amended April 6, 2015


          SUBJECT:  California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act  
          (CWIOA)


          SUMMARY:  Modifies state workforce development laws conforming  
          to changes required by the federal WIOA while preserving core  
          elements of California's workforce development policies. 


          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Enacts the federal WIOA, formerly known as the federal  
            Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, which provides for  
            workforce investment activities, including activities in which  
            states may participate and also contains various programs for  
            job and employment investment, including work incentive  
            programs, as specified.



          2)Authorizes, under the federal WIOA, the Job Corps, YouthBuild,  
            Indian and Native Americans, and Migrant and Seasonal  
            Farmworker programs, in addition to the core programs.

          3)Establishes the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB)  








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            which assists the Governor in setting and guiding policy in  
            the area of workforce development and training.  Members of  
            the CWIB are appointed by the Governor and represent the many  
            facets of workforce development - business, labor, public  
            education, higher education, economic development, youth  
            activities, employment and training, as well as the  
            Legislature.


          4)States the CWIB is also responsible for assisting the Governor  
            with the alignment of the education and workforce investment  
            systems to the needs of the state's current and future  
            workforce by promoting the development of a well-educated and  
            highly skilled 21st century economy and workforce, in addition  
            to the development of an annual workforce metrics dashboard  
            for measuring investment in workforce development.  
          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown


          COMMENTS:  The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act  
          (WIOA) was signed into law in 2014 and generally takes effect  
          July 2015.  Individual State Unified Plans and Common  
          Performance Accountability provisions take effect July 2016.   
          The federal WIOA supersedes the Workforce Investment Act of 1998  
          and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the  
          Wagner-Peyser Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  Federal  
          WIOA also authorizes the Job Corps, YouthBuild, Indian and  
          Native Americans, and Migrant Seasonal Farmworker programs, in  
          addition to the core programs.  


          The new federal WIOA modernizes our workforce development system  
          bringing together and enhancing several key employment,  
          education, and training programs.  It also seeks to make the  
          workforce system more comprehensive in its approach to service  
          delivery and more responsive to the demands of our economy.


          Due to the new requirements of the federal law this bill will  








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          modify California's primary workforce development program.   
          Specifically, updating the headings, definitions, code sections  
          and language that conflict with federal WIOA with regard to  
          state and local plans and responsibilities, the composition of  
          state and local workforce boards, timelines, local and regional  
          collaboration, and the one-stop center system, among others.


          This bill makes similar updates regarding the Employment  
          Development Department's (EDD) reporting responsibilities and  
          its general administrative authority for implementing the state  
          WIOA.  While making these changes, this bill, preserves existing  
          state level statutory and policy innovations that are consistent  
          with the new federal law, for example; regional collaboration  
          and minimum local training expenditures.  Additionally, this  
          bill adds flexibility to the high-performance local workforce  
          boards standard while maintaining the intent to deliver high  
          quality local service.


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          California Chamber of Commerce


          California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (Sponsor)


          California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors












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          Opposition


          California Right to Life Committee, Inc.







          Analysis Prepared by:Lorie Alvarez / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091