BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2719|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2719
Author: Eduardo Garcia (D), et al.
Amended: 8/19/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE LABOR & IND. REL. COMMITTEE: 5-0, 6/22/16
AYES: Mendoza, Stone, Jackson, Leno, Mitchell
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/19/16 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Workforce development: out-of-school youth
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill makes out-of-school youth a state workforce
development priority and therefore makes services accessible for
this group through funds available under the federal Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/19/16 address chaptering-out issues
with the budget bill SB 836, and make related technical and
conforming changes. Also, the amendments remove the bill's
classification of "out-of-school youth" as "individuals with
barriers to employment."
ANALYSIS:
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Existing federal law:
1)Establishes the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(WIOA) of 2014 in order to help job seekers access employment,
education, training, and support services to succeed in the
labor market and to match employers with skilled workers. WIOA
coordinates employment and training services for adults,
dislocated workers, and youth through grants to states that
are implemented at the state and local level.
2)Requires that WIOA, among other things, provide workforce
investment activities, through statewide and local workforce
development systems, that increase the employment, retention,
and earnings of participants, and increase the attainment of
recognized postsecondary credentials by participants, and as a
result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare
dependency, increase economic self-sufficiency.
3)Defines "out-of-school youth" as an individual who is not
attending any school (as defined under state law), is 16 to 24
years of age; and is one or more of the following:
a) A school dropout.
b) A youth who is within the age of compulsory school
attendance, but has not attended school for at least the
most recent complete school year calendar quarter.
c) A recipient of a secondary school diploma or its
recognized equivalent who is a low-income individual and is
basic skills deficient or an English language learner.
d) An individual who is subject to the juvenile or adult
justice system.
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e) A homeless individual, a homeless child or youth, a
runaway, in foster care or has/aged out of the foster care
system, a child eligible for assistance under §677 of Title
42 of the United States Code, or in an out-of-home
placement.
f) An individual who is pregnant or parenting.
g) A youth who is an individual with a disability.
h) A low-income individual who requires additional
assistance to enter or complete an educational program or
to secure or hold employment.
[United States Code, Title 29, §3164 (a)(1)(B)]
4)Intends through WIOA, to prepare vulnerable youth and other
job seekers for successful employment through the use of
proven service models.
5)Requires local areas statewide to increase the percentage of
youth formula funds used to serve out-of-school youth to 75
percent from 30 percent under existing law.
6)Requires federal funds dedicated to youth activities be used
for tutoring, study skills training, and instruction leading
to secondary school completion.
Existing state law:
1)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
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Legislature (Unemployment Insurance Code §14011 and §14012).
2)Provides that the CWDB assists the Governor in the
development, oversight, and continuous improvement of
California's workforce investment system, including its
alignment to the needs of the economy and the workforce
(Unemployment Insurance Code §14010).
3)Requires the CWDB to assist the Governor in supporting the use
of career pathways to provide individuals, including those
with barriers to employment, with workforce investment
activities, education, and supportive services in order to
enter or retain employment (Unemployment Insurance Code
§14013).
This bill specifies that "out-of-school youth" are a part of the
category of "youth" as a workforce development priority. The
CWDB and local workforce development boards will be required to
lead efforts to develop and implement career pathways
emphasizing education for these youth, with the assistance of
certain secondary and postsecondary education programs.
Specifically, this bill, among other things:
1)Defines a "school operating in partnership with United States
Department of Labor programs" as a school that serves
out-of-school youth through a partnership that includes, but
is not limited to the CWDB or local workforce development
board.
2)Requires the CWDB to develop strategies to use career pathways
to provide youth, including out-of-school youth, with
workforce investment activities, education, and supportive
services to enter or retain employment.
3)Stipulates that the required CWDB status report on credential
attainment include among others, degree attainment, such as
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high school diplomas. Also requires the CWDB to request an
opportunity to present relevant portions of the credential
attainment report to the State Board of Education and the
California Community College Board at least once every
calendar year.
4)Identifies serving out-of-school youth as one of the metrics
that a workforce development board will be evaluated on when
determining whether they met or exceed their performance goal
when designating high-performing boards.
5)Requires that local workforce development boards coordinate
with representatives of secondary and postsecondary education
programs to develop and implement local career pathways by
providing employment, training, education, and supportive
services for youth, including out-of-school youth.
6)Establishes, to the extent permitted by federal law, the
eligibility of school districts, county offices of education,
and schools operating in partnership with Department of Labor
(DOL) programs to apply to local workforce development boards
in order to provide skills and training to help out-of-school
youth earn a secondary school diploma.
7)States that when considering appropriate education providers
for the out-of-school youth services mentioned above, the
local workforce development boards shall include for
consideration, but not be limited to, programs at schools
accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Background
WIOA and California's Workforce Development System. The federal
WIOA provides funds and sets priorities for workforce
development activities but leaves room for implementation
decisions to be made at the state and local levels. California's
federal workforce funds are overseen by the CWDB. The CWDB
provides guidance to local workforce boards and is charged with
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developing a unified, strategic plan to coordinate various
education, training, and employment programs with the goal of
fostering an integrated workforce development system that
supports economic development. At the local and regional level
there are 49 local workforce development boards that plan for
and oversee the workforce system in their areas. By federal
requirement, business community representatives make up the
majority of local workforce board membership. With respect to
the provisions of this bill, California law allows schools
partnering with DOL programs to help youth over 19 years of age
earn a high school diploma which is considered to be beneficial
to workforce development.
Comments
Need for this bill? According to the author, high school diploma
attainment is a primary indicator of employment potential and
performance for out-of-school youth and for dislocated workers.
Following the lead of the federal WIOA, this bill intends to
strengthen the state's implementation of its workforce program
by aligning California's workforce development system with
services for youth, including out-of-school youth. While
services for out-of-school youth are treated as a priority under
the federal WIOA, they are not mentioned specifically under
current state law.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/19/16)
California Association of Local Conservation Corps
California Charter Schools Association Advocates
California School Boards Association
California Teachers Association
California Urban Partnership
John Muir Charter Schools
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Los Angeles County Office of Education
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools
SIA Tech California
YouthBuild Charter School of California
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/19/16)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: Proponents state that out-of-school
youth face many challenges, especially in access to employment.
They argue that employment rates and salaries are higher for
young adults who have completed high school as opposed to those
who have not. Those youth who have dropped out of high school
are more likely to live in poverty and face incarceration.
Proponents state that AB 2719 updates the state WIOA programs to
identify "out-of-school youth" as a workforce development
priority. In doing so, AB 2719 seeks to emulate federal law by
elevating the needs of California's out-of-school youth. Youth
who have not completed a traditional high school route often
enroll in WIOA programs and receive job training and education.
AB 2719 creates a pathway for increasing educational and
vocational credentials available to out-of-school youth.
Proponents believe that by adding this population to
California's workforce development priorities, the state will
recognize their unique needs, and will be better able to assist
them in community re-engagement and attaining self-sufficiency
and economic stability.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 76-0, 5/19/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke,
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson,
Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger
Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, Medina,
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Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen,
Patterson, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Wood, Rendon
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chang, Mathis, McCarty, Williams
Prepared by:Brandon Seto / L. & I.R. / (916) 651-1556
8/22/16 23:10:16
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