BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1308
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1308 (Perea) - As Introduced February 27, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill revises a specified "needs requirement" related to the
approval of new apprenticeship programs to specify that a new
program can be approved only if it is established that a) the
need for apprenticeship training justifies the approval of a new
AB 1308
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program, or b) existing programs do not have the capacity, or
neglect or refuse, to dispatch sufficient apprentices to
qualified employers who "have requested apprentices", as shown
by a "sustained pattern of unfilled requests." This bill also
eliminates a provision that authorizes the California
Apprenticeship Council to approve a new apprenticeship program
if special circumstances, as established by regulation, justify
the establishment of the program.
FISCAL EFFECT:
No state fiscal impact.
COMMENTS:
1)Background. In California, two state entities administer the
apprenticeship system: the California Apprenticeship Council
(CAC) and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS).
According to DAS, it received 122 applications for
apprenticeship training programs between 2003 and 2005, and
approved 121 programs (latest information available).
AB 921 (Keeley), Chapter 903, Statutes of 1999, added the
requirement that apprentice programs meet a "needs" standard
prior to approval by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards
(DAS). This law was enacted to ensure program quality in
response to programs that failed to adequately train
apprentices in the skills needed to master a trade.
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2)Purpose. According to the sponsor, the State Building and
Construction Trades Council, this bill provides clarification
to DAS for the purpose of determining when an existing program
is deficient. Specifically, adding "have requested
apprentices" clarifies that contractors must actually request
apprentices before existing programs may be found to lack the
capacity or willingness to dispatch them.
In addition, current law allows the California Apprenticeship
Council (CAC) to promulgate a regulation providing for
"special circumstances" that justify approval of new
apprenticeship programs even if one is not needed. The
sponsor notes that this statutory provision was adopted in
1999, and CAC has never promulgated such a regulation.
Therefore, this bill removes this statutory provision.
Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
AB 1308
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