BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 123
AUTHOR: Liu
INTRODUCED: February 4, 2009
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: March 18, 2009
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : California Career Resources Network
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes the California Career Resources
Network, an existing independent state agency, as a program
within the California Department of Education.
BACKGROUND
Existing law establishes in state government the California
Career Resource Network (CalCRN), for the purpose of
providing career development information and resources to all
persons in California. The following state agency
representatives comprise the network:
1)Director of Employment Development (EDD)
2)Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)
3)Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
4)Director of Rehabilitation
5)Director of Social Services
6)Executive Director of the California Workforce Investment
Board
7)Executive Secretary of the Bureau for Private Postsecondary
and Vocational
Education
8)Director of the California Youth Authority
9)Director of the Department of Corrections
10) Director of the Department of Development Services
Existing law, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Improvement Act, provides federal funds to states
SB 123
Page 2
for the purpose of improving Career Technical Education (CTE)
programs, integrating academic and CTE curriculum, serving
special populations and meeting gender equity needs.
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Establishes CalCRN as a program within the California
Department of Education (CDE).
2) Establishes the state agency partners committee as
specified.
3) Specifies that the act becomes operative on July 1,
2010.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) What is the CalCRN ? Formerly known as the California
Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, CalCRN
was established by SB 665 (Migden, Chapter 208, Statutes
of 2005) to provide all persons in California with
career development information and resources to enable
them to reach their career goals. The primary duty of
CalCRN is to distribute career information, resources,
and training materials to middle and high school
counselors, educators, and administrators to ensure that
schools can provide pupils with career development
guidance and instruction.
2) Efficiency : CalCRN functions as an independent state
agency and is supported through Perkins funds. CalCRN's
small size makes it difficult to efficiently carry out
routine administrative responsibilities, and while it
contracts with the CDE and other state agencies to carry
out some of these functions, managing the contracts
detracts from the ability of staff to focus on the
policy goals of CalCRN. By establishing CalCRN as a
program within CDE, SB 123 creates a "friendly merger"
SB 123
Page 3
that will enable the staff to focus on providing
information and resources in a more efficient and
effective manner.
3) Prior legislation : This bill is identical to AB 1230
(Laird, 2008), which was passed by this committee on an
8-0 vote and subsequently vetoed. In his veto message,
Governor Schwarzenegger stated:
"The historic delay in passing the
2008-09 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."
4) Partners Committee . SB 123 retains the coordinating
committee structure through the establishment of the
state agency partners committee. The bill updates the
names of agencies that comprise the network and omits
the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational
Education. The Private Postsecondary and Vocational
Education Reform Act became inoperative on June 30, 2007
and was repealed on January 1, 2008. Pending
legislation, AB 48 (Portantino), expresses the intent of
the Legislature to enact legislation to establish a
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education and to
encourage the Department of Consumer Affairs to receive
and respond to
student complaints and provide information to students
and prospective students until a Bureau is established.
SB 489 (Liu) would enact the Private Postsecondary and
Vocational Education Reform and Student Consumer
Protection Act of 2009, which expresses the intent of
the Legislature to provide certain consumer protections
as specified.
5) Technical amendment : Staff recommends a technical
amendment to the list of State Agency Partners Committee
in order to identify Chief Deputy of Juvenile Justice as
SB 123
Page 4
the Chief Deputy Secretary of Juvenile Justice in the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
SUPPORT
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO
Superintendent of Public Instruction
OPPOSITION
None received.