BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
Mark DeSaulnier, Chair
Date of Hearing: June 24, 2009 2009-2010 Regular
Session
Consultant: Gideon L. Baum Fiscal:No
Urgency: No
Bill No: AB 271
Author: Solorio
Version: As Introduced February 12, 2009
SUBJECT
California YouthBuild Program: funding and designation.
KEY ISSUE
Should the Legislature conform the California YouthBuild Progam
to existing federal law?
PURPOSE
To conform the California YouthBuild Program to federal
YouthBuild Transfer Act in order to avoid future problems with
compliance and grant eligibility.
ANALYSIS
Existing federal law:
1) Establishes the YouthBuild Transfer Act (YBTA) which,
among other reforms, transferred administration of the
federal YouthBuild Program from the HUD to the DOL;
2) Authorizes the federal YouthBuild Program to give grants
for the provision of job training and educational
activities to at-risk youth who, as part of their training,
help construct or rehabilitate housing for low-income or
homeless individuals and families in their respective
communities.
Existing state law:
1) Establishes the California YouthBuild Program within the
Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide grants
to organizations which employ and train disadvantaged youth
in conjunction with the construction or rehabilitation of
housing for low-income and other specified populations;
2) Allows EDD to accept proposals for funding from
applicants who establish their eligibility by submitting
proof that they have been funded or designated as a federal
YouthBuild Program by HUD;
3) Authorizes the director of EDD to contract with
qualified nonprofit organizations to provide technical
assistance to YouthBuild Programs.
This bill would conform the California YouthBuild Program (YBP)
with the federal YouthBuild Transition Act (YBTA) by revising
provisions in current law that make reference to Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to instead refer to
Department of Labor (DOL).
COMMENTS
1. Need for this bill?
The YouthBuild Program was originally started on the federal
level in 1992 under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable
Housing Act. The Legislature created the California
YouthBuild Program (CYBP) in 1999 with AB 643 (Wesson), which
created the CYBP within Employment Development Department
(EDD) and required that the CYBP used the existing federal
infrastructure created by the federal Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) as much as was possible.
The YouthBuild Program authorizes grants for the provision of
job training and education activities for at-risk youth. As
part of their training, YouthBuild participants construct or
rehabilitate housing for low-income or homeless individuals,
Hearing Date: June 24, 2009 AB 271
Consultant: Gideon L. Baum Page 2
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
and families, while also receiving classroom instruction, job
skill development, and on-site training in a construction
trade.
In 2006, then-President Bush signed the YouthBuild Transfer
Act, which moved the YouthBuild program from HUD to the
federal Department of Labor (DOL) in order to link the program
with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system, including
One-Stop Career Centers and local workforce investment boards.
This bill is nearly identical to the amended version of AB
1982 (Solorio) from last year which passed the Senate
Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations on consent. It
was vetoed by the Governor and in his veto message he stated:
"The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State
Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills sent
to my desk at the end of the year's legislative
session. Given the delay, I am only signing bills
that are the highest priority for California. This
bill does not meet that standard and I cannot sign
it at this time."
2. Proponent Arguments :
Proponents of AB 271 note that YouthBuild programs are
designed to give at-risk youth, as well as those on probation
or parole, a chance for educational advancement and on-site
job training. Specifically, the YouthBuild program provides
young men and women their high school diplomas, while also
building affordable housing for homeless and low-income
families, sometimes in the neighborhoods where they live. The
proponents also report that the YouthBuild programs have a
high level of success nationally, with only 15% of the
participants committing a misdemeanor after enrollment, and
only 9% committing a felony after enrollment. In California,
the success is even greater, with a recidivism rate of less
than 10% for some programs. Finally, proponents note that
this bill is a minor, technical change that will ensure
compliance with federal law.
Hearing Date: June 24, 2009 AB 271
Consultant: Gideon L. Baum Page 3
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
3. Opponent Arguments :
None received.
4. Prior Legislation :
AB 643 (Wesson), Statutes of 1999, Chapter 829, established
the California YouthBuild Program with the Employment
Development Department (EDD).
AB 1982 (Solorio) of 2008 was nearly identical to this bill,
and it was discussed above. AB 1982 was vetoed by the
Governor.
SUPPORT
California YouthBuild Coalition (Sponsor)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME)
California Peace Officers' Association
California Police Chiefs Association
OPPOSITION
None received.
* * *
Hearing Date: June 24, 2009 AB 271
Consultant: Gideon L. Baum Page 4
Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations