BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2726|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2726
Author: Bonnie Lowenthal (D)
Amended: 6/21/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE LABOR & INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMM : 4-1, 6/23/10
AYES: DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Leno, Yee
NOES: Hollingsworth
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 53-24, 6/3/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Employment Development Department: one-stop
career
centers
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill allows apprenticeship programs
approved by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to be
counted as job placement and would direct the state and
local Workforce Investment Boards to ensure that programs
and services funded by the California Workforce Investment
Act work in coordination with apprenticeship programs.
ANALYSIS : The existing federal Workforce Investment Act
of 1998 provides for activities and programs for job
training and employment investment in which states may
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participate, including work incentive and employment
training outreach programs.
Under existing law, the California Workforce Investment Act
(WIA) provides for workforce investment activities that
increase the employment, occupational attainment, and
retention and earnings of participants, which are aimed at
improving the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare
dependency, and enhance the productivity and
competitiveness of the nation's economy.
Existing law establishes the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB), and requires the CWIB to assist
the Governor with promoting the continuous development and
oversight of a well-educated and highly skilled workforce.
Existing law also requires each local workforce investment
board to establish at least one full service one-stop
career center in the local workforce investment area that,
among other things, makes job outreach, intake, job search
and placement assistance, and other related services
available in one location.
Existing law provides a framework for promoting and
developing apprenticeship training through the California
Apprenticeship Council and the Division of Apprenticeship
Standards (DAS) within the Department of Industrial
Relations. DAS enforces apprenticeship standards for,
among other things, wages, hours, working conditions,
classroom instruction and the specific skills required for
state certification as a journeyperson in an apprentice
occupation.
Existing law requires that all apprenticeship programs be
approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship
Standards. Existing law empowers the Chief to approve
apprenticeship programs in any trade anywhere in the state,
including cities and trade areas, if the apprentice
training needs justify the creation of a program, as
specified. In addition, existing law requires that the
Division of Apprenticeship Standards randomly audit
apprenticeship programs every five years to ensure that
programs are in compliance with Division standards.
This bill allows apprenticeship programs approved by DAS to
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be counted as job placement and directs the state and local
Workforce Investment Boards to ensure that programs and
services funded by WIA work in coordination with
apprenticeship programs. Specifically, this bill:
1.Specifies that entrance into on-the-job training through
an apprenticeship program approved by the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards shall be considered placement
into a job.
2.Directs the state and local Workforce Investment Boards
to ensure that programs and services funded by WIA and
directed to apprenticeable occupations, including
pre-apprenticeship training, work in coordination with
one or more state-approved apprenticeship programs, when
an applicable program is available within the geographic
area.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/3/10)
California Labor Federation
State Building and Construction Trades Council
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
the state or Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) can
provide resources directly to employers, training
institutions, labor organizations, and other entities for
customized training, on-the-job training, or incumbent
worker training. However, according to federal performance
requirements, a job seeker who is enrolled in intensive or
training services must ultimately be placed in a job.
The author states that apprenticeship programs provide a
unique opportunity for both workers and the workforce
development system, as they constitute both placement into
a paid job and training. Some LWIBs know this and place
clients accordingly depending on their individual needs and
qualifications; however, the author argues that many LWIBs
don't realize the dual nature of apprenticeship programs.
In addition, proponents argue that there are millions of
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WIA and ARRA funds which are not connected to programs that
provide employment and training simultaneously and as a
result, these subsidized training programs often fail to
connect participants onto pathways to well paying
middleclass careers. According to the author, this bill
would clarify that state-approved apprenticeship programs
can be counted as job placement in addition to job
training.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Bass, Beall, Bill Berryhill,
Block, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan,
Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Coto,
Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong,
Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hall, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones, Lieu, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio,
Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Villines, Yamada,
John A. Perez
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Blakeslee, Conway, Cook, DeVore,
Emmerson, Fletcher, Fuller, Gaines, Garrick, Hagman,
Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Logue, Miller, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, Norby, Silva, Smyth, Tran
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Audra Strickland, Vacancy
PQ:nl 8/4/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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