BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 599
          Author:   Negrete McLeod (D)
          Amended:  9/2/09
          Vote:     27 - Urgency

           
           SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMM.  :  10-0, 4/27/09
          AYES:  Negrete McLeod, Wyland, Aanestad, Corbett, Correa,  
            Florez, Oropeza, Romero, Walters, Yee

          SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  12-0, 5/28/09
          AYES:  Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, DeSaulnier, Hancock,  
            Leno, Oropeza, Runner, Walters, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Wolk

           SENATE FLOOR  :  39-0, 6/3/09 (Consent)
          AYES:  Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Benoit, Calderon,  
            Cedillo, Cogdill, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Denham,  
            DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Dutton, Florez, Hancock, Harman,  
            Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal,  
            Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley,  
            Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland, Walters,  
            Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Vacancy

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  79-0, 9/8/09 - See last page for vote

           SENATE FLOOR  :  26-1, 9/12/09 (FAIL)
          AYES:  Alquist, Calderon, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa,  
            DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Florez, Hancock, Kehoe, Leno, Liu,  
            Lowenthal, Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla,  
            Pavley, Price, Romero, Simitian, Steinberg, Wiggins,  
            Wolk, Wright, Yee
                                                           CONTINUED





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          NOES:  Cogdill
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Aanestad, Ashburn, Benoit, Cox, Denham,  
            Dutton, Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Runner, Strickland,  
            Walters, Wyland


           SUBJECT  :    Workforce development

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill requires the successor agency to the  
          Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education  
          to transmit data on school performance to the California  
          Postsecondary Education Commission, extends the California  
          Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program of 2002, and authorizes  
          local workforce investment boards (WIBs) to work directly  
          with institutions of higher education and other training  
          providers to design education and training programs for the  
          purpose of distributing funds provided by the federal  
          American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

           Assembly Amendments specify that WIBs may work with private  
          postsecondary institutions that participate in the federal  
          student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher  
          Education Act of 1965 and comply with applicable  
          regulations pursuant to the federal act, and provide that  
          for purposes of the ARRA, that entrance into a registered  
          apprenticeship program shall be considered placement into a  
          job.

           ANALYSIS  :    

          Existing law:

          1. Established the Private Postsecondary and Vocational  
             Education Reform Act of 1989, which became inoperative  
             on July 1, 2007, which expressed legislative intent to  
             ensure minimum standards of instructional quality and  
             institutional stability and required the Bureau of  
             Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE)  
             to, among other things, review and investigate all  
             institutions, programs and courses of instructions  
             approved under the Act.







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          2. Establishes the California Postsecondary Education  
             Commission (CPEC) to integrate policy and create fiscal  
             and programmatic analyses about California's  
             postsecondary education system.  Requires CPEC to  
             identify and recommend policies to meet the state's  
             educational, research and public service needs.

          This bill: 

          1. States that if AB 48 (Portantino) of 2009 is enacted and  
             becomes effective on or before January 1, 2010, and a  
             successor agency to BPPVE is created, the successor  
             agency must transmit any available data regarding school  
             performance, including attendance and graduation rates,  
             it receives from any schools under its jurisdiction to  
             the CPEC. 

          2. Permits WIBs to work directly with institutions of  
             higher education and other training providers approved  
             by state or federal government agencies, including  
             private postsecondary institutions that participate in  
             the federal student financial aid programs under Title  
             IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and comply with  
             applicable regulations pursuant to the federal act, to  
             quickly design education and training to fit the needs  
             of the job seekers and employers they are serving for  
             purposes of disbursing economic recovery funds made  
             available as part of ARRA. 

          3. States that for the purposes of this bill, any laws  
             governing workforce development programs provided for  
             under ARRA, entrance into a registered apprenticeship  
             program shall be considered placement into a job. 

          4. Requires the Dental Board of California (DBC), on or  
             after July 1, 2010, to extend the Dental Corps Loan  
             Repayment Program (DCLRP) and distribute the money  
             remaining in the account until July 1, 2012.  Specifies  
             that regulations that were adopted by the DBC for the  
             purposes of the DCLRP shall apply. 

          5. Adds an urgency clause because the bill is necessary to  
             disburse economic recovery funds recently made available  







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             by Congress as part of ARRA to workforce development  
             programs in the state and to extend the operation of a  
             dental assistance program as quickly as possible. 

           Background  

           Role of the WIBs in the Administration of ARRA  .  In  
          addition to their community leadership role, WIBs will  
          provide stewardship of ARRA funds coming to California for  
          workforce development.  WIA funding in ARRA allocated to  
          California is $488 million.  WIBs have oversight of WIA  
          funds and will ensure that they are quickly and effectively  
          put to use, while at the same time ensuring accountability  
          and transparency.  They will also continue in their role of  
          resource alignment by building relationships and  
          cross-agency collaboration.  WIBs will be particularly  
          focused on other systems receiving stimulus funding, in  
          order to maximize the outcomes of the stimulus by  
          leveraging resources.  There are millions of dollars  
          targeted for job training in transportation, energy,  
          weatherization, health care and other government programs  
          and WIBs are currently identifying where these funds will  
          be allocated in their communities and working to leverage  
          and coordinate these with WIA funding. 

           California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC)  .  CPEC  
          was established in 1974 as the state's planning and  
          coordinating body for higher education and consists of the  
          following 16 members:  nine members of the general public,  
          one member from each of California's major education  
          systems (the California Community Colleges, California  
          State University, University of California, independent  
          colleges and universities and the State Board of Education)  
          and two student representatives.

          One of CPEC's primary statutory purposes is to identify and  
          recommend policies to meet the state's educational,  
          research and public service needs.  Its external affairs  
          staff interacts on a daily basis with legislators and their  
          staff, administrative offices, governmental officials and  
          media representatives.  Its research staff prepares  
          analyses, briefs and numerous CPEC publications.  CPEC also  
          engages in various continuing activities such as reviewing  
          proposed academic programs, new campuses or centers,  







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          conducting data analysis of student flow and responding to  
          requests of the Legislature and Governor.  

          To date, CPEC has completed very little examination of the  
          state's private postsecondary industry.  While CPEC's  
          website concedes that "The private sector is a vital part  
          of meeting the postsecondary educational needs of the State  
          and should be a major component of the State's efforts to  
          provide high quality education and address future  
          enrollment needs", CPEC lacks an active role in the review  
          and development of this sector. 

           California's Unemployment Rate  .  California currently has  
          an 11.2 percent unemployment rate.  This is the highest  
          rate since April 1983, providing evidence that California's  
          labor market has clearly deteriorated.  According to the  
          household employment series, civilian employment fell  
          46,400 in February, while unemployment rose 79,000.   
          Because of the rise in unemployment, local WIBs report  
          significant increases in their client base.  

           Dental Corps Loan Repayment Program  .  The Program was  
          created in 2002 [AB 982 (Firebaugh), Chapter 1131, Statutes  
          of 2002] to increase the number of primary care physicians  
          and dentists who practice in historically underserved areas  
          by providing grants to help pay for the high cost of  
          attending medical or dental school.  The bill created three  
          programs:  the Dental Corps Program, the Physician Corps  
          Program and the Student Loan Repayment Program.  The Dental  
          and Physician Corps Programs are aimed primarily at  
          existing licensees and were funded by this bill.

          A variety of studies and reports in recent years, most  
          notably the Oral Health Needs Assessment sponsored jointly  
          by the Dental Health Foundation and the Department of  
          Health Services, have documented the significant unmet need  
          for comprehensive dental care services in California,  
          especially in underserved areas.  The California Dental  
          Association notes that efforts to encourage dental school  
          graduates to practice in these areas are made difficult by  
          the significant student loan debt which most new dentists  
          face when they graduate and begin practicing often  
          exceeding $150,000.








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          DBC selects participants to practice in underserved areas,  
          in practice settings with a majority of underserved  
          patients, and gives priority consideration to applicants  
          who are best suited to the cultural and linguistic needs of  
          those populations and meet other related criteria.  After  
          each consecutive year of service completed, participants  
          will receive money for loan repayment ($25,000 for the  
          first year, $35,000 for the second year, and $45,000 for  
          the third year) for up to three years.  The law states each  
          participant may receive no more than $105,000 over three  
          years.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                           Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

             Major Provisions                2009-10     2010-11      
             2011-12               Fund  

            Dental Corps Loan                       $1,400 through  
            6/30/12             Special*
            Repayment Program
            extension

            Data sharing        Minors costs ongoing            
            Special*

             *    Absent this extension, the funds remaining in the  
               Dentally Underserved Account would be returned to the  
               State Dentistry Fund

             **   Unknown, contingent upon future legislation


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill  
            Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,  
            Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,  
            DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,  
            Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,  







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            Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,  
            Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,  
            Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,  
            Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.  
            Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,  
            Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra  
            Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,  
            Villines, Yamada, Bass
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Vacancy


          JJA:mw  10/12/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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