BILL NUMBER: AB 3	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 1, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 13, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member V. Manuel Perez
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members  Fuentes  
  and Galgiani   Fuentes,  
Galgiani,   Monning,   and Portantino  )

                        DECEMBER 1, 2008

   An act to add Section 14013.5 to the Unemployment Insurance Code,
relating to workforce development.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 3, as amended, V. Manuel Perez. Workforce development:
Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative.
   Existing law, the California Workforce Investment Act, establishes
the California Workforce Investment Board  (CWIB)  , which
is the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the
development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's
workforce investment system, and prescribes the functions and duties
of the board with regard to the implementation and administration of
workforce training and development programs.  Existing law
establishes the Green Collar Jobs Council (GCJC) as a special
committee in the CWIB, comprised of specified members, to assist in
providing workforce development and job training relating to green
collar jobs. 
   This bill would require the  board   CWIB
 , by January 1, 2011,  in consultation with the Green
Collar Jobs Council (GCJC),  to establish a Renewable Energy
Workforce Readiness Initiative to ensure green collar career
placement and advancement opportunities within California's renewable
energy  generation,  manufacturing, construction,
installation, maintenance, and operation sectors that is targeted
towards specified populations. The  initiative  
bill  would  award training grants, on a competitive
basis, to implement and operate renewable energy worker training and
education prgrrams in the state.   require that the
initiative provide guidance to local workforce investment boards on
how to establish comprehensive green collar job assessment, training,
and   placement programs that reflect the local and
regional economies, as prescribed. The bill would require the CWIB,
in developing the initiative, to assist the local workforce
investment boards in collecting and analyzing specified labor market
data, in order to assess accurate local or regional industry cluster
workforce   development and training needs.  The
 board   CWIB  would be required to submit
to the Legislature, by January 1,  2012   2013
 , a report on the implementation of the initiative. The bill
would require the board to implement the  initiative, upon
appropriation by the Legislature, using moneys from an unspecified
fund   provisions of the bill using moneys made
available to the CWIB from funds appropriated to the state pursuant
to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to the extent
that those funds are available for that purpose  .
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) California is fortunate to have some of the finest solar,
wind, and geothermal resources in the world, giving California the
opportunity to lead the United States in the development of renewable
energy technologies and the creation of green collar jobs.
   (2) A 2006 analysis performed by the Renewable Energy Policy
Project looked at the employment gains throughout the United States
and found that, of all the 50 states, California has the greatest
potential to generate new renewable energy manufacturing activity.
   (3) The Governor issued Executive Order S-14-08, which increased
the state's renewable portfolio standard to 33 percent by 2020, and
positioned California's economy, technology centers, financial
institutions, businesses, workers, and consumers to benefit from the
state's renewable energy efforts.
   (4) California's investment in the production of renewable energy
and associated infrastructure could be targeted to strengthen sectors
and regions of the state economy suffering from high unemployment
rates and poverty.
   (5) Educational institutions, in collaboration with labor and
community-based organizations, play a significant role in the
progress of renewable energy curriculum and career job placement
within emerging renewable energy industries.
   (6) California's Imperial and Riverside Counties are recognized as
California's renewable energy zone with the most potential for
renewable energy development  and also   , and
the zone  possesses one of the highest unemployment rates in the
state.
   (7) Educational institutions in the Imperial, Riverside, and San
Bernardino Counties, such as Imperial Valley College, College of the
Desert, Palo Verde Community College, University of California at
Riverside, and California State San Bernardino are seeking to
establish collaborations with local labor and renewable energy
organizations but lack infrastructure, technical assistance, and
resources. 
   (8) The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) (29 U.S.C
Sec. 2801 et seq.) makes funding available to states that offer
training and workforce development services through state and local
workforce investment boards, based on a set formula that includes
specified economic and demographic data in order to provide
appropriate programming in local workforce areas.  
   (9) The California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) has
established a special committee known as the Green Collar Jobs
Council (GCJC) pursuant to Section 15002 of the Unemployment
Insurance Code. The GCJC is comprised of appropriate representatives
from the existing CWIB membership, and other appropriate members who
serve as consultants to the GCJC in the development and
implementation of California's green economic industry.  
   (10) The 2009-10 estimated WIA allocation to local workforce
investment boards is approximately $363 million, while California
will receive about $63 million in discretionary funding.  
   (11) California is expected to receive approximately $787 million
in funds appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111-5) for use for purposes related to
assisting unemployed workers and struggling families. California is
also expected to receive $480 million in supplemental WIA funding to
be used for (A) youth formula grants; (B) dislocated worker programs;
and (C) adult services grants. Of the $480 million in WIA funding
targeted for California, the CWIB is expected to receive
approximately $70 million to carry out supplemental programs related
to the ARRA-funded programs.  
   (12) California's ARRA funding for adult services is expected to
total approximately $80,117,954. These funds are intended to be used
to provide grants to states for adult employment and training
activities, including supportive services and needs-related payments
to support the employment and training needs of priority populations,
including recipients of public assistance and other low-income
individuals. 
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish the
"California Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness  Program
  Initiative  " in order for  educational
entities, labor organizations, local governments, and community-based
organizations to work collectively to prepare   the
California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) to prepare 
California's youth, military veterans, and  adult  workers
for the economy of the future.
  SEC. 2.  Section 14013.5 is added to the Unemployment Insurance
Code, to read:
   14013.5.  (a) In furtherance of the requirements of this division,
no later than January 1, 2011, the board, in consultation with 
the Green Collar Jobs Council (GCJC) and  other appropriate
state agencies, shall establish a Renewable Energy Workforce
Readiness Initiative to ensure green collar career placement and
advancement opportunities within California's renewable energy 
generation  manufacturing, construction, installation,
maintenance, and operation sectors. The initiative  shall be
targeted at all of the following populations:   shall
provide guidance to the local workforce investment boards on how to
establish comprehensive green collar job assessment, training, and
placement programs that reflect the local and regional economies. The
purpose of the guidance is to assist local communities to develop
strategies to best utilize moneys provided under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) in designing
and implementing green collar job development programs that are
reflective of local and regional economies and that lead to stable
career opportunities. 
    (b) Any workforce investment strategies developed by the
initiative shall address how to effectively provide outreach,
assessment, training, and placement to prospective worker
populations, including those that have historically faced barriers to
employment. Those populations include, but are not limited to, all
of the following: 
   (1) Low-income and disadvantaged populations.
   (2) At-risk youth.
   (3) Formerly incarcerated nonviolent offenders.
   (4) Displaced and incumbent workers in transition.
   (5) Veterans of past or present military service. 
   (b) The Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative shall
award workforce training grants, on a competitive basis, to
applicants that can identify and involve target worker populations
and demonstrate the ability to implement and operate renewable energy
worker training and education programs in California. Eligible
applicants include any of the following entities:  
   (c) The initiative also shall provide guidance on how to engage
target populations and evaluate potential applicants' ability to
implement and operate renewable energy worker training program in
California. The initiative shall address how local workforce
investment boards can effectively collaborate and shall include the
participation of all of the following entities: 
   (1) Nonprofit organizations.
   (2) Local governments.
   (3) State-approved apprenticeship programs.
   (4) Community colleges.
   (5) Postsecondary educational institutions.
   (6) Local workforce training partnerships and collaboratives.
   (7) Regional occupational programs (ROP). 
   (c) In evaluating an application for a grant, the board shall
assign higher priority to an application that satisfies one or more
of the following criteria:  
   (d) The initiative shall further address how local workforce
investment boards can prioritize programs that serve prospective
workers who have historically faced barriers to employment,
including, but not limited to, programs that do all of the following:

   (1)  Serves   Serve  individuals in
families with incomes less than 250 percent of the federal poverty
level.
   (2)  Includes   Include   
collaboration with community-based nonprofit organizations, labor
organizations, apprenticeship programs that are approved by the
Division of Apprenticeship Standards, in the Department of Industrial
Relations, and educational institutions with expertise in serving
low-income adults or youth.
   (3)  Links   Link  adult remedial
education with occupational skills training.
   (4)  Ensures   Ensure  that supportive
services are integrated with education and training, and delivered by
organizations with direct access to and experience with targeted
populations.
   (5)  Involves   Involve  employers and
labor organizations, recognized by the National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB), in the determination of relevant skills and competencies,
ensuring that the certificates or credentials that result from the
training are recognized by employers and labor organizations.
   (6)  Leverages   Leverage  additional
public and private resources to fund readiness programs, including
cash or in-kind matches from participating employers, nonprofits, or
labor organizations recognized by the NLRB. 
   (d) 
    (e)  The board shall collect and analyze labor market
data, track workforce trends, document academic and occupational
competencies, identify future skill needs, promote and support local
workforce training initiatives, and provide technical assistance and
capacity building to energy partnerships and apprenticeship training
programs that are approved by the Division of Apprenticeship
Standards, in the Department of Industrial Relations, related to
renewable energy and workforce development in California. 
   (e) No later than January 1, 2012, the board shall report to the
Legislature on the implementation of this section. The report shall
include a description of the entities receiving funding, the
activities carried out by these entities, and an assessment of the
results achieved by the program.  
   (f) The board shall implement this section using moneys,
appropriated by the Legislature, from the fund established pursuant
to Section ____.  
   (f) In developing the initiative, the board shall assist the local
workforce investment boards in collecting and analyzing labor market
data from existing reports and available data, in order to assess
accurate local or regional industry cluster workforce development and
training needs.  
   (g) No later than January 1, 2013, the board shall report to the
Legislature on the implementation of this section. The report shall
include an assessment of how effective the guidance required to be
provided pursuant to subdivision (a) was in assisting local workforce
investment boards in establishing renewable energy workforce
training programs that lead to permanent jobs.  
   (h) The board shall implement this section using moneys made
available to the board from the funds appropriated to the state
pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
(Public Law 111-5) to the extent that these funds are available for
that purpose.