BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 35
AUTHOR: Furutani
AMENDED: June 15, 2010
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 23, 2010
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : Education and Workforce Development
KEY POLICY ISSUE
Should the California Workforce Investment Board and the
California Community Colleges be required to work together
to develop a state strategic workforce development plan?
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Workforce Investment
Board (CWIB) to assist the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges (CCCCO) and the Board of
Governors (BOG) to develop a strategic plan for connecting
education and workforce development in the state.
BACKGROUND
Existing federal law, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of
1998, requires all states to form state workforce
investment boards, and for Governors to designate local
workforce investment areas and oversee local workforce
investment boards. (Public Law 105-220)
Existing state law establishes the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB) and requires the CWIB to assist the
Governor with promoting the development, oversight, and
continuous development of a well-educated and highly
skilled workforce, and also to assist in the development of
the State Workforce Investment Plan. (Unemployment
Insurance Code 14010)
All members of the CWIB are appointed by the Governor with
representatives from business, labor, public education,
higher education, economic development, youth activities,
employment and training, as well as the Legislature. Among
its various responsibilities, the CWIB is responsible for
coordinating the development of the State Strategic Plan
for Title I of the Workforce Investment Act and for its
submission to the Governor.
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Current law also establishes the California Community
Colleges Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) Program
as a primary mission of the California Community Colleges.
This program is administered through the Community College
Chancellor's Office. Current law states that the purpose
of the EWD program is to advance California's economic
growth and global competitiveness through education,
training, and services that contribute to continuous work
force improvement, technology, deployment, and business
development. The Community Colleges work with employers,
advisory committees, and agency partners to identify, on a
region-by-region basis, workforce education and training
needs, including the needs of small business. (Education
Code 88525 and 88550.5)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Requires the California Workforce Investment Board and
the CCCCO and the BOG to develop a strategic plan for
connecting education and workforce development in the
state as part of the CWIB's next biennial review of
California's Strategic Plan for Title I of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Wagner-Peyser
Act.
2) Requires the CWIB and the CCCCO, in cooperation with
the California Department of Education (CDE) and
representatives from education, business and labor
organizations to make specified recommendations in the
strategic plan that address the workforce development
contributions of academic and career technical
education at all levels.
3) Requires the strategic plan to include, but not be
limited to, specified elements.
4) Declares the Legislature's intent that the CWIB and
CCCCO solicit the input of various specified groups in
developing its recommendations.
5) Requires the CWIB and the CCCCO to report to the
Governor and Legislature by July 1, 2011, sunsets the
reporting provision on January 1, 2015, and requires
the report to comply with specified Government Code
provisions.
6) Requires the CCCCO to provide the staffing and
resources necessary to develop and report the required
strategic plan.
7) Expands the responsibilities of the CWIB to include a
requirement that it assist the CCCCO in developing a
strategic plan for connecting education and workforce
development in the state.
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STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, this
bill is needed to ensure that there is effective
coordination and efficient use of the various
resources that fund workforce development programs
during a time of limited state revenues. While the
CCCCO and the CWIB have produced strategic
plans to guide the operation of their respective
workforce development programs, and in spite of the
fact that individual agency plans call for
coordination, the author believes that there has been
a lack of coordination among the workforce development
partners. Codifying the requirement that these two
entities work together to develop a state strategic
plan would provide clarifying guidance to all agencies
when implementing workforce development programs.
Although prior legislation was vetoed by the Governor
(who noted that a bill was not necessary to realize
coordination with the different education segments),
the author claims that since that veto there has been
no significant progress in coordination to address the
current workforce training needs of California.
2) California's Strategic Plan for Title I of the
Workforce Investment Act . The CWIB is responsible for
assisting the Governor in performing the duties and
responsibilities required by the federal Workforce
Investment Act of 1998. Among other things, the Act
requires states to submit a strategic plan which is
supposed to set the framework for development of a
comprehensive workforce investment system linking
economic and workforce development.
Since the 2002 enactment of the Act, and in response
to its various reauthorizations by Congress, the CWIB
has periodically reviewed and revised the State
strategic plan. It has evolved from a five-year plan,
to a revised plan every two years and, most recently,
to a strategic plan issued for a one year period from
July 1, 2009 through July 30 2010. If it is the
desire of the committee to move this bill, staff
recommends the bill be amended to replace "biennial"
on page 3 line 5 with "revision of" in order to
accommodate the fluctuating time period for review of
the plan.
3) Prior legislation . SB 365 (Portantino, 2007) would
have required the California Postsecondary Education
Commission (CPEC), in cooperation with the Labor and
Workforce Development Agency, to convene a Task Force
on State Workforce Needs. SB 365 was vetoed by the
Governor, whose veto message read, in pertinent part:
I am supportive of efforts to align state workforce
needs with program development at postsecondary
education institutions. However, statutory authority
is not necessary for the California Postsecondary
Education Commission to meet the objective of
convening meetings with the relevant entities, and
developing recommendations. Therefore, this bill is
unnecessary.
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SUPPORT
California Community College Association of Occupational
Education
South Bay Association of Chambers of Commerce (SBACC)
OPPOSITION
None received.