BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AJR 45
Author: Fong (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE OR FILE
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 68-2, 8/17/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Lifelong Learning Accounts
SOURCE : Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
San Francisco Jewish Vocational Service
DIGEST : This resolution urges the federal government to
create and fund
programs that encourage lifelong learning, such as Lifelong
Learning Accounts, within California.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative statements:
1.California has a lower percentage of young adults, ages
25 to 34, who have completed high school or who have
earned a college degree than the national average.
2.66 percent of California's working adults, ages 18 to 64,
over 15 million adults, are without an associate's
degree, college degree or a higher degree.
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3.Working-age adults with a college education in California
are 27 percent more likely to participate in the
workforce than those with only a high school diploma.
4.The lifetime earnings of Californians with a college
education are more than double those of Californians
without this education. Persons with a college education
also have fewer health problems, are less likely to
commit crimes, are more likely to participate in civic
activities, and are able to create more resources for the
state.
5.The federal government encourages the citizens of the
United States to gain more education so as to enable the
country to compete more effectively in the global
economy.
6.All levels of government could encourage savings to pay
for higher education opportunities for working adults to
allow those adults to acquire new skills, raise their
standard of living, and prepare them to be part of the
workforce in our changing economy.
7.Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLAs) have been shown to be
an effective method to encourage employers and employees
to set aside money to pay for tuition, fees, supplies,
materials, and books necessary for further education and
training.
8.The Legislature supports the creation of innovative
programs that encourages lifelong learning, including
LiLAs, that might be available through funding from the
federal government because those programs will lead to a
more skilled workforce which will, in turn, help
California maintain its role as an economic leader in
today's changing economy.
Background
15.2 million or 66 percent of California's working age
adults do not have an Associate's degree or higher and 4.3
million have not completed high school. While the
percentage of college graduates was on the rise for several
decades, the trend has started to slow at the very time
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when a higher skill set is being required for many jobs.
Many low income workers are being left behind as tuition
costs increase and there are limited resources available to
help. Without the skills to compete with emerging
competitors from abroad, millions of Americans will be
consigned to the bottom rungs of the new economy. LiLAs
are an innovative way to address this problem.
California is one of a handful of states that has a pilot
project to demonstrate the effectiveness of LiLAs.
California's LiLAs project is operated by San Francisco
Jewish Vocational Service in partnership with CAEL (Council
for Adult and Experiential Learning). Currently, four
employers are sponsoring LiLAs for their workers, three of
which are in the health care sector and one in the public
sector. Participants have used their LiLAs for a range of
training classes. The career advising component assists
older workers in contemplating a career change or
advancement with their current employer. The results have
been positive and form the basis for this Resolution which
would seek to replicate these programs in other areas of
the State and throughout the nation.
HR 5715 (Larson) was introduced on July 13, 2010 to create
and fund LiLAs around the nation. While the federal
government recognizes the need to assist workers update
their skills in a challenging economic climate, so far they
have failed in their efforts to pass legislation to address
this issue.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/25/10)
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (co-source)
San Francisco Jewish Vocational Service (co-source)
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Carter, Chesbro, Cook, Coto, Davis,
De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
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Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Gatto,
Gilmore, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jones, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby,
V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,
Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John
A. Perez
NOES: Tom Berryhill, Conway
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Charles Calderon, DeVore,
Garrick, Hagman, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Silva, Vacancy
PQ:kc 8/25/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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