BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Senator Tony Mendoza, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2105 Hearing Date: June 22,
2016
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|Author: |Rodriguez |
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|Version: |June 14, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Brandon Seto |
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Subject: Workforce development: allied health professions
KEY ISSUE
Should the Legislature require the Department of Consumer
Affairs to engage in a stakeholder process to update policies
and identify barriers in order to facilitate the development of
"Earn and learn" training programs in the allied health
professions?
ANALYSIS
Existing law
Establishes the California Workforce Development Board
(CWDB), whose members are appointed by the Governor and are
representative of the areas of business, labor, public
education, higher education, economic development, youth
activities, employment and training, as well as the
Legislature. The executive director of the CWDB reports to
the Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce
Development Agency (Unemployment Insurance Code §14011 and
§14012).
AB 2105 (Rodriguez) Page 2
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The CWDB assists 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 (Unemployment
Insurance Code §14010).
Defines "Earn and learn" programs as those that combine
applied learning in a workplace setting with paid wages,
which in turn allow workers or students to gain work
experience and develop skills and competencies directly
relevant to the occupation or career for which they are
preparing. These programs can also combine classroom
instruction with paid on-the-job training (Unemployment
Insurance Code §14005).
Requires the CWDB, by December 1, 2015, to prepare and
submit to the appropriate policy committees of the
Legislature a report on the board's findings and
recommendations with respect to the issue of expanding job
training and employment for allied health professions
(Unemployment Insurance Code §14005).
This Bill
Requires the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), by
January 1, 2020, to engage in a stakeholder process to
update policies and identify barriers in order to
facilitate the development of "Earn and learn" training
programs in the allied health professions, including those
barriers identified in the report referenced above which is
required by Unemployment Insurance Code §14005(b).
Stipulates that those involved stakeholders shall
include, but are not limited to DCA's relevant licensure
boards, the California Community College system, the CWDB,
and the State Department of Public Health. Other relevant
entities such as the Office of Statewide Health Planning
and Development, employer and worker representatives, and
community-based organizations are also allowed to
participate in the process.
States that the issues to be addressed in this process
AB 2105 (Rodriguez) Page 3
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include, but are not limited to pre-licensure
classifications that would allow supervised students in a
workplace-based training program to gain experience and
receive pay before obtaining licensure.
Requires any statutory barriers identified in this
process be shared with the relevant policy committees of
the Legislature, and that this process be completed by
January 1, 2020, at which time the provisions of the bill
will become inoperative.
COMMENTS
1. Need for this bill?
The author argues that the demand for healthcare workers in
the U.S. has remained high for many years, growing at a rate
faster than the overall employment rate for the past fifty
years. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor
Statistics projects that of the twenty industries projected to
gain the most jobs between in the next two years, five of
those industries relate to health care including the work in
the offices of dentists and physicians, home health care
services, services for the elderly and persons with
disabilities, and nursing care facilities.
Furthermore, the author states that health care providers face
a range of employment and workforce issues including
significant shortages of healthcare workers in certain
occupations and geographic areas and oversupply in others.
Additionally, an aging population, population growth, and
federal health care reform will likely contribute to the
increased demand. To address this state of affairs, the author
believes that "Earn and learn" job training programs can be a
critical part of the workforce development strategy in these
professions. "Earn and learn" programs could address issues
including recruitment, retention, training, and quality of
patient care. Thus, the author would like to assess the
barriers and issues related to facilitating the development of
these programs.
AB 2105 (Rodriguez) Page 4
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2. Proponent Arguments :
Proponents state that the process mandated by the bill would
ensure that individuals working in the allied health
professions could, in a supervised setting, get the experience
needed to up-skill and obtain licensure while on the job.
Proponents believe that "Earn and learn" programs are an
excellent model for developing career ladders in the health
professions, but that more investment is needed at the state
level to ensure that the relevant educational, workforce,
licensing and health workforce stakeholders are working
together toward that aim. Finally, proponents claim that AB
2015 will ensure that California makes meaningful progress
toward these goals.
3. Opponent Arguments :
None received.
4. Prior Legislation :
AB 1797 (Rodriguez), Chapter 157, Statutes of 2014 - required
the CWDB, in consultation with the Division of Apprenticeship
Standards, to identify "Earn and learn" job training models in
the allied health care professions and to report those
findings and recommendations to the Legislature.
SUPPORT
Jewish Vocational Services of San Francisco
Service Employees International Union
OPPOSITION
None on file.
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