BILL ANALYSIS
SB 964
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Date of Hearing: August 4, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
SB 964 (Alquist) - As Amended: June 30, 2010
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:9-5
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) to
contract with the Employment Development Department (EDD) to
develop a labor market assessment of the workforce skills needed
to construct, operate, and maintain the high-speed rail system.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the assessment to (a) include a recommended strategy
to ensure workforce training programs are available to
facilitate the availability of a skilled, in-state workforce
to participate in the project, and (b) be submitted to the
Legislature by January 1, 2012, and thereafter be incorporated
into the authority's biennial business plan.
2)Requires the EDD to establish an advisory committee, with
specified representation, for purposes of completing the
assessment.
3)Requires EDD, in preparing the assessment, to consult with the
Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State
University, utilizing the institute's relevant research as
appropriate, and with other relevant assessments efforts.
4)Appropriates $500,000 for the above activities from the
portion of high-speed rail bonds allocated for environmental
studies, planning, and preliminary engineering activities.
FISCAL EFFECT
One-time appropriation of $500,000 in bond funds for EDD, in
cooperation with the HSRA, to complete the assessment, including
SB 964
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establishing and acting as a liaison to the advisory committee
and working with the Mineta institute. Ongoing costs to
incorporate an updated assessment into subsequent HSRA biennial
reports should be absorbable.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to the author, "The Authority is concerned
that California may not have the trained workforce it needs to
design, build, operate, and maintain an electrified rail
system that is designed to avoid a collision rather than the
traditional approach of surviving a collision as is currently
the case with heavy rail that is used for existing passenger
rail in the U.S."
The author further contends that the state may need
specialized electrical engineers and train operators,
renewable energy specialists, and software engineers. The
author believes it is important for the state to create an
inventory of skills required to successfully construct and
operate a high-speed train system.
2)MTI . The Mineta institute was created by Congress in 1991 as a
national University Transportation Center, specializing in
policy studies related to surface transportation. The
institute is currently conducting a federally-funded study on
workforce development and skill requirements for the
construction, operation, and maintenance of the California
high-speed rail system and 13 other high-speed rail corridors
across the country. According to the author, this assessment
is focusing on training needs and the need to ramp up the
higher education sector to provide appropriate training. It is
not a formal labor market assessment and it appears that,
while it will identify job skills and occupations needed to
implement the high-speed rail project, it will do this as a
secondary consideration.
3)Opposition . The Department of Finance argues against
allocating $500,000 in funding from "an already substantially
underfunded project?" The department also believes this
assessment is very premature, as no segment of the high-speed
rail system has been started or will be operational for many
years.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
SB 964
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