BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1559
Page 1
GOVERNOR'S VETO
AB 1559 (Labor and Employment Committee)
As Amended September 2, 2009
2/3 vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |74-0 |(June 2, 2009) |SENATE: |32-6 |(September 3, |
| | | | | |2009) |
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|ASSEMBLY: |78-0 |(September 9, | | | |
| | |2009) | | | |
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Original Committee Reference: L. & E.
SUMMARY : Adds provisions of law related to workforce
development and summer youth programs.
The Senate amendments :
1 Eliminate the requirement that the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB), in consultation with local workforce
investment boards, evaluate the effectiveness of the
California Youth at Work Program in providing summer job
training services to youth, and shall make public the results
of that evaluation.
2)Require that any mandated CWIB costs be reimbursed with
federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.
3)Terminate the California Youth at Work Program when there is
no longer sufficient ARRA or other federal funds available to
pay for the program.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill:
1 Provided that local workforce investment boards shall
facilitate the implementation of summer youth training
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programs through partnerships and effective collaboration.
2)Required 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)Specified that the Program shall include a work experience
component that conforms to the federal Workforce Investment
Act of 1998 and its implementing regulations.
4)Specified that eligible youth who participate in the Program
shall be between 14 years of age and 24 years of age.
5)Required the Program to focus primarily on providing summer
job training and work experience opportunities for youth in
the state.
6)Specified 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.
7)Provided that Program services shall target low-income youth
and certain youth populations facing barriers to employment,
as specified.
8)Provided that wages or stipends may be provided to youth in a
classroom-based component of a summer employment opportunity.
9)Specified 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)Provided 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)Required the CWIB, in consultation with local workforce
investment boards, to request and obtain any necessary waivers
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from the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to ensure
effective and efficient implementation of the Program.
12)Required 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 Senate Appropriations
Committee, recent amendments require that any mandated CWIB
costs be reimbursed with federal ARRA funds and terminate the
program when there is no longer sufficient ARRA or other federal
funds available to pay for it.
COMMENTS : The recently-enacted 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
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
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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).
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE :
This bill requires the California Workforce Investment
Board, in collaboration with local workforce
investment boards, to establish a California Youth at
Work Program, for the purpose of providing summer job
training and work experience opportunities for youth
in the state. While I support such an effort, this
bill is unnecessary and could prove burdensome if it
conflicts with the summer youth work programs the
local workforce development boards are already in the
process of developing. The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act provided funding specifically for a
summer youth work program, which has already been
distributed to the locals, and established specific
criteria for the program. To the extent that this
bill imposes additional requirements on the local
workforce investment boards, it could hamper, rather
than aid, in the development of effective programs.
Analysis Prepared by : Ben Ebbink / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091
FN:
0003261