BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1X1|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1X1
Author: Steinberg (D)
Amended: 2/22/11
Vote: 21
SENATE ENERGY, UTIL. & COMM. COMMITTEE : 8-3, 2/15/11
AYES: Padilla, Corbett, de Leon, DeSaulnier, Pavley, �
Rubio, Simitian, Wright
NOES: Fuller, Berryhill, Strickland
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-3, 2/16/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price, Simitian, �
Vargas
NOES: Huff, Blakeslee, Emmerson
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-1, 2/22/11
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Pavley, Price, Steinberg
NOES: Walters
NO VOTE RECORDED: de Leon, Emmerson, Wyland
SUBJECT :� Partnership academies: Clean Technology and �
Renewable
Energy Job Training, Career Technical �
Education, and
Dropout Prevention Program
SOURCE :� Author
DIGEST :� This bill establishes the Clean Technology and �
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Renewable Energy Job Training, Career Technical Education, �
and Dropout Prevention Program for the purpose of creating �
California Partnership Academies that focus on clean �
technology and renewable energy businesses, as specified.
ANALYSIS :� Existing law establishes California �
Partnership Academies as a state-school-private sector �
partnership programs that provide combined academic and �
occupational training programs to high school pupils in �
grades 10-12 inclusive who present a high risk of dropping �
out of school and motivating those pupils to stay in school �
and graduate.
Existing law provides a state-funded grant program to �
support the planning, establishment, and maintenance of �
partnership academies and encourages the establishment of �
academies whose occupational fields address the needs of �
developing technologies.
Existing law establishes, commencing with the 2009-10 �
school year, Green Technology Partnership Academies and �
Goods Movement Partnership Academies, and requires, when �
funds become available, the Superintendent of Public �
Instruction (SPI) to issue grants for the establishment of �
these specific categories of partnership academies in each �
of the nine economic regions established by the state.
This bill requires the State Controller to annually �
allocate $8 million from the Energy Resources Programs �
Account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the �
California Department of Education (CDE) for expenditure in �
the form of grants to school districts for creating and �
maintaining partnership academies. In addition, this bill:
1. Requires the SPI to award grants, as specified, to �
school districts that propose to implement or maintain a �
partnership academy that focuses on employment in clean �
technology businesses and renewable energy businesses �
and provides skilled workforces for the products and �
services for energy or water conservation, or both, �
renewable energy, pollution reduction, or other �
technologies.
2. Requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and �
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Development Commission, no later than 60 days after the �
effective date of these provisions, in consultation with �
the CDE, to adopt guidelines, that would be required to �
comply with the Administrative Procedure Act, but may be �
adopted as emergency regulations, to ensure that �
programs receiving grants reflect current state energy �
policies and priorities as well as provide skills and �
education linked to the needs of relevant industries.
3. Authorizes a school district to apply for planning �
grants for implementing a partnership academy and allows �
CDE to pay administrative costs.
4. Requires CDE to report to the Legislature that includes �
a description of the curriculum and substance of the �
programs funded by grants awarded.
5. States that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared �
and reaffirmed by the Governor by proclamation issued on �
January 20, 2011.
6. Becomes inoperative on June 30, 2017.
Prior Legislation
SB 675 (Steinberg), 2009-10 Session, would have allocated �
funds from the Energy Resources Program Account to the CDE �
for developing and maintaining programs that focus on �
training and employment in clean technology and renewable �
energy industries. Governor Schwarzenegger, who vetoed the �
bill, stated :
"?given the current uses of the ERPA account at the �
Commission and the precariously low balance in that fund, �
this bill would require the Commission to increase the �
surcharge on electricity users throughout California to �
pay for its provisions. And even after doing so, the �
Commission would still be required in the future to cut �
its core programs to pay for this bill, including those �
related to power plant licensing, renewable energy �
facility licensing, and energy efficiency.
"More importantly, I will not support increasing the �
surcharge on electricity users to fund a K-12 Education �
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program. To do so would start a dangerous precedent for �
finding unrelated revenue sources to fund, expand, or �
create K-12 programs outside of the Proposition 98 �
guarantee.
"Additionally, the bill only gives a minor role to the �
Commission in developing the guidelines for the program. �
Just as the Commission is not an expert in navigating our �
state's complex education system, neither are CDE �
employees proficient in the emerging technologies and �
future of our green economy. As such, the Commission �
should be CDE's partner in putting together this program �
so as to provide our students with the right skills to �
enter our green economy."
AB 2855 (Hancock), Chapter 685, Statutes of 2008, �
established, commencing with the 2009-10 school year, the �
Green Technology Partnership Academies and the Goods �
Movement Partnership Academies as two new categories of �
California Partnership Academies.
SB 1672 (Steinberg), 2007-08 Session, would have �
established the Renewable Energy, Climate Change, Career �
Technical Education, and Clean Technology Job Creation Bond �
Act of 2010, to be operative only if approved by voters at �
an unspecified election in 2010. The bill was held by the �
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 70 (Scott), Chapter 352, Statutes of 2006, provided for �
50 new first-year, grade 10 partnership academy planning �
grants through 2009-10.
FISCAL EFFECT� : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes �
Local: No
SUPPORT :� (Verified 2/22/11)
Business for Science, Math, and Related Technologies �
Education
California Coalition of Utility Employees
California Community Colleges
California Continuation Education Association
California Energy Efficiency Council
California State Association of Electrical Workers
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Elk Grove Unified School District
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Environmental Defense Fund
Fresno Unified School District
Large Scale Solar Association
Los Angeles Unified School District
Metropolitan Education District
Natural Resources Defense Council
Pacific Gas & Electric
Riverside County School Superintendent's Association
Sacramento City Unified School District
Sacramento County Office of Education
Sierra Club
Union of Concerned Scientists
Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers
OPPOSITION :� (Verified 2/22/11)
California Manufacturers & Technology Association
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT :� According to the author's office, �
activities relating to reducing energy consumption and �
developing green technologies are creating new job �
opportunities and workforce demands. By creating �
integrated programs of study that will train students to �
work in these fields, the author hopes this bill will help �
meet workforce demands for clean energy and technology �
industries while also reducing high school dropout rates. �
The purpose of this bill is to create a dedicated funding �
stream through 2016-17 to support the establishment of �
partnership academy programs that will prepare students for �
further study and employment in the growing job sectors of �
clean technology and renewable energy.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION :� According to the California �
Manufacturers & Technology Association:
"Our preference is that the programs identified in this �
bill be funded through current and future public �
education resources. We oppose the use of funds paid by �
electric and natural gas customers to run programs to �
keep utility costs low and improve reliability through �
advancing technology.
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"Initiatives to increase the amount of renewable power in �
the state, meet AB 32 emission reduction goals, and �
invest in utility infrastructure will be putting upward �
pressure on utility rates, already among the highest in �
the nation for manufacturers. We believe every ratepayer �
dollar should be used for only the most cost-effective �
energy programs."
PQ:mw 2/23/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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