BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 189 (Hueso) - Clean Energy and Low-Carbon Economic and Jobs
Growth Blue Ribbon Committee.
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|Version: March 26, 2015 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 7 - |
| | 1, E.Q. 5 - 1 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: May 28, 2015 |Consultant: Robert Ingenito |
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SUSPENSE FILE. AS AMENDED.
Bill
Summary: SB 189 would establish the Clean Energy and Low-Carbon
Economic and Jobs Growth Blue Ribbon Committee (Committee) to
advise state agencies regarding (1) the most effective ways to
allocate clean energy and greenhouse gas-related funds, and (2)
to implement policies that maximize economic and employment
benefits.
Fiscal Impact (as approved on May 28,
2015):
Increased costs to the California Environmental
Protection Agency (CalEPA), potentially in the hundreds of
thousands of dollars annually, to house, staff and provide
administrative support to the Committee (General and/or
special funds).
The bill would require the State Energy Resources
Conservation and Development Commission, the Public
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Utilities Commission (PUC), the State Air Resources Board
(ARB) and potentially other state agencies implementing
clean energy and low-carbon policies and programs to issue
reports annually through 2020, as specified. To the extent
that they cannot be integrated with those already
statutorily required, these reports are likely to cost in
the tens of thousands of dollars per agency, per year.
(General Fund and/or special funds).
Background: There are a number of entities throughout state government
aimed at increasing workforce and economic development efforts,
with a particular emphasis on emerging technology, green jobs
and the green economy.
The Commission for Economic Development provides bipartisan
legislative, executive branch and private sector support and
guidance for the best possible overall economic development of
the State. The commission is tasked with, among other things,
(1) assessing specific regional or local economic development
problems and making recommendations for solving problems, (2)
identifying and reporting important secondary effects on
economic development of programs and regulations which may have
other primary purposes, and (3) undertaking specialized studies
and preparing specialized reports at the request of the Governor
or Legislature.
The California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) develops a
unified, strategic planning process to coordinate various
education, training, and employment programs into an integrated
workforce development system that supports economic development.
CWIB has adopted "sector strategies" as the statewide framework
for workforce development and works with partners, including
other state agencies, to support the emergence of effective
statewide and regionally driven sector initiatives.
The California Green Collar Jobs Council (GCJC) performs
specified tasks related to addressing the workforce needs that
accompany California's growing green economy under the purview
of CWIB. GCJC makes recommendations and creates strategies for
comprehensive and effective workforce training opportunities to
help prepare California's current and future workforce to meet
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the skills demand from businesses supporting the energy
efficiency and clean energy sectors. Additionally, GCJC is
tasked with developing, collecting, analyzing, and distributing
statewide and regional labor market data on California's new and
emerging green industries workforce needs, trends, and job
growth and identifying funding resources and making
recommendations on how to expand and leverage these funds. CWIB
is required to report annually to the Legislature on the status
of GCJC activities, grants awarded, and its development and
implementation of a green workforce strategic initiative.
The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development
Office (GO-Biz) serves as California's single point of contact
for economic development and job creation efforts. GO-Biz
markets the business and investment opportunities available in
California by working in partnership with local, regional,
federal, and other state public and private institutions to
encourage business development and investment in the state. The
iHub program within GO-Biz designated 'iHubs' within the state
to stimulate partnerships, economic development, and job
creation by leveraging assets to provide an innovation platform
for startup businesses, economic development organizations,
business groups, and venture capitalists. These assets may
include, but are not limited to, research parks, technology
incubators, universities, and federal laboratories.
Proposed Law:
This bill would do all of the following:
Create the Clean Energy and Low-Carbon Economic and Jobs
Growth Blue Ribbon Committee (Committee) consisting of seven
members, as follows: five members appointed by the Governor,
subject to Senate confirmation; one member appointed by the
Assembly Speaker; and one member appointed by the Senate
Committee on Rules. Members shall serve a term of four years
and shall not receive per diem or other similar compensation
for serving as a Committee member, but may receive
reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in connection with
the performance of their duties.
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Specify that Committee members have expertise in economic,
financial, and policy aspects of clean energy economic growth,
job creation, workforce standards, and employment
opportunities for disadvantaged workers. Specify that at least
two members of the Committee shall have experience working on
economic projects in disadvantaged communities.
Require the Committee to advise state agencies on the most
effective ways to expend clean energy and greenhouse gas
related gas-related funds and to implement policies in order
to maximize California's economic and employment benefits.
Specifically, the Committee would be required to:
o Develop guidance for tracking and reporting jobs
outcomes for state clean energy and low-carbon
investments and use this information to evaluate jobs
outcomes.
o In consultation with the Labor and Workforce
Development Agency, develop guidance to measure the
quantity and quality of jobs created by state investments
in clean energy and low-carbon investments, as well as
guidance to measure the geographic and demographic
distribution of jobs.
o Advise state agencies on the most effective ways to
require responsible contractor standards, as applicable
and minimum training and skill certifications for workers
to ensure high-quality work for state clean energy and
low-carbon investments, and the most effective ways to
connect disadvantaged communities and other target
populations to good quality jobs and career pathways
created by those investments.
o In consultation with CWIB, advise state agencies on
the most effective ways to align state clean energy and
low-carbon training funds with existing state workforce
development investments and strategies.
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Require the Committee to provide an annual update to the
Governor and the Legislature on its activities.
Require until January 1, 2021, the State Energy
Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the
Public Utilities Commission, the State Air Resources Board,
and any other state agency responsible for implementing
clean energy and low-carbon policies and programs to submit
an annual progress report to the Governor and Legislature,
as specified.
Related
Legislation:
SB 274 (Morrell) would declare the intent of the
Legislature to enact legislation that would promote job and
business growth and encourage economic development. The
bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee.
AB 1196 (Eduardo Garcia) would make specified
modifications to the Commission for Economic Development,
including stating that its purpose is to provide continuing
support and guidance on public policies and economic
development activities that support job creation and
business growth in California. The bill is currently in the
Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the
Economy.
AB 1030 (Ridley-Thomas) would requires a state agency
that allocates moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund to prioritize projects that include project labor
agreements with targeted hire goals, community workforce
agreements that connect local residents to jobs or training
opportunities, or partnerships with training entities that
have a proven track record of placing disadvantaged workers
in career-track jobs. The bill is currently in the Assembly
Natural Resources Committee.
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Staff
Comments: The bill as currently drafted gives little guidance
concerning how the Committee would be staffed. As noted earlier,
the Little Hoover Commission could serve as a proxy; it has a $1
million annual budget and is comprised of seven staff: an
executive director, three managers, and three analysts. The
Little Hoover's personnel costs (salaries and benefits) total
about $750,000 annually; operating expenses and equipment
comprise the other $250,000 per year.
The bill specifies that Committee members would not receive per
diem or similar compensation; however, their travel expenses
would be reimbursed. Travel expenses for the seven members would
likely total in the tens of thousands of dollars annually.
Author Amendments (as adopted on May 28, 2015): Amendments would
(1) house the committee inside the CalEPA, and (2) add language
to provide agencies with the ability to include the requested
info in an existing statutorily required report.
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