AB 2285,
as amended, McCarty. State employment:begin delete former foster youth.end deletebegin insert Foster Youth Job Readiness Training Pilot Program.end insert
(1) Existing law, the State Civil Service Act, provides for filling certain state positions through the process of examinations and the establishment of eligible lists and promotional lists. Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to administer the Personnel Classification Plan of the State of California, including the allocation of every position to the appropriate class in the classification plan.
Existing law requires the Department of Human Resources to administer the Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) to provide an alternative to the traditional civil service examination and appointment process to facilitate the hiring of persons with disabilities in state civil service. Existing law requires the department to conduct competitive examinations to determine eligibility for appointment under LEAP and to refer the names of eligible applicants who meet the minimum qualifications of a job classification to the appointing powers for examination appointments, as specified.
Existing law authorizes the Employment Development Department to contract with a specified nonprofit organization meeting specified criteria to manage grant programs designed to help eligible at-risk youth complete their secondary education and acquire the skills necessary to successfully transition into the workforce or enroll in postsecondary education.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations regarding the state’s responsibility for the well-being of foster youth and former foster youth. The bill, until January 1, 2020, would require the Department of Human Resources to establish an emancipated foster youth program to promote the training of qualified foster youth in specified entry-level unclassified positions for their eventual hiring in classified positions within Sacramento with any state agency or department as determined by the department. The bill would require a participant in the program to pass a written examination for the classification in which he or she is trained, if generally required for applicants in that classification, after 3 months, but before 9 months, of training.
(2) Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to operate schools and provide instruction to pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law establishes the Consolidated Work Program Fund in the State Treasury for the receipt of all moneys deposited pursuant to the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Existing law provides that moneys in the fund are to be made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Employment Development Department, for expenditure consistent with the purposes of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the state plan required by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
This bill would require the Sacramento County Office of Education to develop and administer thebegin delete Formerend delete Foster Youth Job Readiness Training Pilot Program with moneys appropriated by the Legislature for that purpose. The bill would appropriate $1,100,000 from the Consolidated Work Program Fund to the Sacramento County Office of Education to develop an application and create criteria for selecting eligible organizations to provide job readiness training to eligible participants. The bill would require the Sacramento County Office of Education to award grants to selected eligible organizations to pay for trainers to provide job readiness training to eligible participants and to
provide a stipend to eligible participants who satisfy specified conditions. The bill would require the Sacramento County Office of Education to compile information regarding participation in the program. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Sacramento County Office of Education.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) The state has a unique obligation to children and youth in
4the foster care system. When the state removes children and youth
5from their parents, it is responsible for providing for the safety and
6well-being of the children and youth and for preparing them for
7self-sufficient adulthood.
8(b) Foster youth who leave the foster care system because of
9age face unique challenges in seeking and obtaining employment
10upon leaving the system. The foster care program provides little
11assistance to youth in finding employment.
12(c) The unemployment rate for youth who have left the foster
13care system because of age is estimated at 50 percent.
14(d) The state is a major employer within the state, yet state law
15makes no provision for assisting youth who have left the foster
16care system because of age in becoming civil service employees
17of the state.
P4 1(e) The state owes a unique responsibility to foster youth in
2assisting them to secure permanent employment. It also has an
3obligation to demonstrate to private employers, by example, the
4importance of hiring foster youth and former foster youth.
5(f) It is the intent of the Legislature to recognize the state’s role
6as a parent to children and
youth in foster care and to assist them
7in securing permanent employment in state government by
8providing them access to needed training positions.
Article 3 (commencing with Section 54660) is added
10to Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education
11Code, to read:
12
(a) With moneys appropriated by the Legislature for
17the purposes of this article, the Sacramento County Office of
18Education shall develop and administer thebegin delete Formerend delete Foster Youth
19Job Readiness Training Pilot Program.
20(b) The purpose of the program is to prepare thebegin delete “aged out”end delete
21 foster care populationbegin insert that is 18 to 25, inclusive, years of ageend insert for
22entry-level employment in state service.
(a) The Sacramento County Office of Education shall
24develop an application and create criteria for selecting eligible
25organizations to provide job readiness training to eligible
26participants.
27(b) The Sacramento County Office of Education shall award
28grants to selected eligible organizations that shall be used for the
29following purposes:
30(1) To pay for trainers to provide job readiness training to
31eligible participants.
32(2) To provide a stipend to an eligible participant who satisfies
33both of the following:
34(A) Remains actively engaged in and attends the training as set
35forth in his or her individual service plan.
36(B) If he or she has not received a high school diploma or high
37school equivalency certificate, the participant shall enroll, be
38actively engaged in, and attend a high school equivalency exam
39preparation class.
P5 1(c) The Sacramento County Office of Education shall compile
2disaggregated data on the number of participants enrolling in the
3program, the number of participants completing the program, the
4number of participants receiving a placement after completing the
5program, and the number of participants receiving state
6employment after completing a placement. The office, upon
7request, shall make this data
available to the Department of Human
8Resources and the Legislature.
9(d) For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
10(1) “Eligible organization” means an organization that satisfies
11all of the following:
12(A) The organization is exempt from federal income taxation
13as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
14Revenue Code and is in compliance with all applicable laws and
15requirements.
16(B) The organization demonstrates expertise in providing job
17readiness training.
18(C) Any additional criteria required by the Sacramento County
19Office of Education to promote the
job readiness training of eligible
20participants.
21(2) “Eligible participant” means an individual who isbegin delete 25 years begin insert 18 to 25, inclusive, years of age and who is
22of age or younger and who is certified by the State Department of
23Social Services asend delete
24certified by a county as being, orend insert having been, for at least one year
25at any time on or after the date that the individual turns 15 years
26of age, either a recipient of foster care maintenance payments under
27a state plan approved under Part E of Title IV of the federal Social
28Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 670 et seq.), or in a foster care
29program under the responsibility of the State of California.
30(3) “Job readiness training” means an individual service plan
31that develops core competencies that create an experience and
32educational base for an individual to meet the qualifications for
33entry-level employment in state service.
This article shall remain in effect only until January 1,
352020, and as of that date is repealed.
Section 19816.22 is added to the Government Code,
37to read:
(a) The department, in consultation with the State
39Department of Social
Services and the Sacramento County Office
40of Education, shall promote the training of foster youth who
P6 1participate in thebegin delete Formerend delete Foster Youth Job Readiness Training
2Pilot Program (Article 3 (commencing with Section 54660),
3Chapter 9, Part 29, Division 4, Title 2, Education Code) in specified
4entry-level unclassified positions for their eventual hiring in
5classified positions with any state agency or department that is
6located within the County of Sacramento, as determined by the
7department.
8(b) A participant in the pilot program shall not apply for a
9classification unless he or she meets the minimum qualifications
10for that classification.
11(c) After a participant in the pilot
program has been trained in
12an unclassified position for three months, but before being trained
13for nine months, he or she shall take a written examination for the
14classification in which he or she is trained, if a written examination
15is generally required for other applicants in that classification. The
16participant shall be eligible to take the written examination only
17after receiving a positive recommendation from the appropriate
18supervisor.
19(d) A participant in the pilot program who does not pass the
20written examination for the classification in which he or she is
21trained, or who does not receive a favorable promotional rating,
22shall be released from the training program.
23(e) This section shall be repealed on January 1, 2020.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law
25is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable
26within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
27Constitution because of the need to enact Section 2 of this actbegin insert that
28adds Article 3 (commencing with Section 54660) to Chapter 9 of
29Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Codeend insert on a trial
30basis only, applied to one appropriately large and diverse county,
31before extending the act to every county in the state.
To the extent permitted by federal law, the sum of one
33million one hundred thousand dollars ($1,100,000) is hereby
34appropriated from the Consolidated Work Program Fund to the
35Sacramento County Office of Education for the purpose of
36implementing thebegin delete Formerend delete Foster Youth Job Readiness Training
37Pilot Program pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section
3854660) to Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the
39Education Code.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
2this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
3local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
4pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
54 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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