BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1559
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1559 (Labor and Employment Committee)
As Amended June 1, 2009
Majority vote
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-0
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|Ayes:|Monning, Bill Berryhill, |Ayes:|De Leon, Ammiano, Charles |
| |Eng, Furutani, Gaines, | |Calderon, Davis, Fuentes, |
| |Ma, Portantino | |Hall, John A. Perez, |
| | | |Price, Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Krekorian |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+---------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Adds provisions of law related to workforce
development and summer youth programs. Specifically, this bill :
1 Provides that local workforce investment boards shall
facilitate the implementation of summer youth training
programs through partnerships and effective collaboration.
2)Requires the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB), in
collaboration with local workforce investment boards, to
establish the California Youth at Work Program (Program) for
the purpose of providing summer job training and work
experience opportunities for youth in the state.
3)Specifies that the Program shall include a work experience
component that conforms to the federal Workforce Investment
Act of 1998 and its implementing regulations.
4)Specifies that eligible youth who participate in the Program
shall be between 14 years of age and 24 years of age.
5)Requires the Program to focus primarily on providing summer
job training and work experience opportunities for youth in
the state.
6)Specifies that the period of "summer" shall be from May 1
through September 30 of each year, but that program start and
end dates may vary within this time period.
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7)Provides that Program services shall target low-income youth
and certain youth populations facing barriers to employment,
as specified.
8)Provides that wages or stipends may be provided to youth in a
classroom-based component of a summer employment opportunity.
9)Specifies that minors under 18 years of age who are enrolled
in the program shall be paid at least the applicable state
minimum wage and overtime rates.
10)Provides that high school graduates or those persons holding
an equivalent degree shall be paid at a level commensurate
with adults doing the same job, when those individuals perform
the same quantity, quality, and classification of work.
11)Requires the CWIB, in consultation with local workforce
investment boards, to request and obtain any necessary waivers
from the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to ensure
effective and efficient implementation of the Program.
12)Requires the CWIB, in consultation with local workforce
investment boards, to evaluate the effectiveness of the
Program in providing summer job training services to youth,
and shall make public the results of that evaluation.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill facilitates expenditures of up to $1.2
billion of federal funds available for youth employment
activities. By prescribing new duties for local workforce
investment boards, the bill contains significant (more than
$150,000) state mandated local costs, which are potentially
reimbursable.
COMMENTS : The recently-enacted American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 includes $1.2 billion in funding
for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) youth employment activities.
The ARRA also extended the eligibility for participation in WIA
youth employment programs from the statutory age of 21 to 24.
Local areas will have until June 30, 2011 to expend the funds.
While the ARRA does not limit the use of youth funds to summer
employment, the Congressional explanatory statement states that
"the conferees are particularly interested in these funds being
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used to create summer employment opportunities for youth."
The ARRA does not provide DOL with any policy guidance as to how
it should implement the youth employment program, nor does it
provide guidance as to what policies DOL and states and local
workforce investment boards should pursue to ensure that these
programs are successful. Therefore, there is a need for further
policy direction at the state and local level.
On March 18, 2009, the DOL's Employment Training Administration
(ETA) issued its own guidance letter with respect to
implementing WIA funding contained in the ARRA. That guidance
letter states, "ETA strongly encourages states and local areas
to use as much of these funds as possible to operate expanded
summer youth employment opportunities during the summer of 2009,
and provide as many youth as possible with summer employment
opportunities and work experiences throughout the year, while
ensuring that these summer employment opportunities and work
experiences are high quality. ETA is also particularly
interested in and encourages states and local areas to develop
work experiences and other activities that expose youth to
opportunities in 'green' educational and career pathways."
This bill is sponsored by the California Workforce Association
(CWA) and is intended to facilitate ongoing discussions with
stakeholders about how California can provide policy guidance
and maximize the success of summer youth training programs,
including those funded through the recent ARRA.
Specifically, CWA indicates that it is working with stakeholders
on exploring ways to provide meaningful work-based learning
experiences for youth, to ensure referrals from the county
welfare systems for youth eligible to participate in these
programs, to ensure that eligible youth have access to
pre/apprenticeship programs in growing sectors, including
opportunities in 'green' educational and career pathways, and to
remove barriers to serving at risk youth.
CWA states that it is working with the Administration and
representatives of the labor, human services, and education
communities and would like for this vehicle to move while these
discussions continue.
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Analysis Prepared by : Ben Ebbink / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091
FN: 0001164