BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1X1|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 1X1
Author: Steinberg (D), et al
Amended: 3/25/11
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
SENATE FLOOR : 25-15, 2/24/11
AYES: Alquist, Calderon, Corbett, Correa, De Le�n,
DeSaulnier, Evans, Hancock, Hernandez, Kehoe, Leno, Lieu,
Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley, Price,
Rubio, Simitian, Steinberg, Vargas, Wolk, Wright, Yee
NOES: Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Cannella, Dutton,
Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Harman, Huff, La Malfa, Runner,
Strickland, Walters, Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 50-23, 3/31/11 - See last page for vote
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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
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.
Assembly Amendments (1) clarify that the State Energy
Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy
Commission) consult with the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) instead of the California Department of
Education (CDE), (2) delete language which allowed
regulations to be adopted as emergency regulations, (3)
delay the date by which a reporting requirement is due from
2013 to 2014, and (4) make other clarifying changes
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 establishes the Renewable Resource Trust Fund
as a fund that is continuously appropriated, with certain
exceptions for administrative expenses, in the State
Treasury, requires that certain moneys collected to support
renewable energy resources through the public goods charge,
as defined, are deposited into the fund, and authorizes the
Energy Commission to expend the moneys pursuant to the
renewable energy resources program.
Existing law provides a state-funded grant program to
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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 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 establishes a dedicated funding stream to invest
in career technical education that delivers skills and
knowledge needed for successful employment in clean
technology, renewable energy or energy efficiency.
Specifically, this bill:
1.Creates the Clean Technology and 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.
2.Requires the State Controller to annually allocate $8
million from the Renewable Resources Trust Fund (RRTF) or
other related fund, upon appropriation by the
Legislature, to the SPI for expenditure in the form of
grants to school districts for creating and maintaining
partnership academies. If sufficient funds are not
available from RRTF, the balance of the $8 million will
come from funds provided for in AB 118 (N��ez), Chapter
750, Statutes of 2007.
3.Requires SPI to award grants to implement or maintain a
partnership academy for pupils in grades 9 to 12 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.
4.Requires the Energy Commission, no later than 60 days
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after the effective date of these provisions, in
consultation with SPI, to adopt guidelines 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.
5.Authorizes a school district to apply for planning grants
for implementing a partnership academy and allows SPI to
pay administrative costs.
6.Requires SPI, in consultation with CEC, to provide annual
reports to the Legislature commencing in 2014 that
includes descriptions of the curriculum, proportion of
participating pupils who meet the at-risk criteria, pupil
participation data and substance of the programs funded
by the grants awarded.
7.Makes a number of legislative findings and declarations
regarding California's international leadership in
renewable energy, energy conservation, clean technology,
and climate change policies.
8.Becomes inoperative on June 30, 2017, and as of January
1, 2018, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2018,
deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes
inoperative and is repealed.
9.States that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared
and affirmed by the Governor by proclamation issued on
January 20, 2011.
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
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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
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
Assuming appropriations are provided by the Legislature
over the life of the program through the Budget Act or
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other legislation, there will be special fund costs of $8
million each year from 2011-12 through 2016-17, including
up to $400,000 for program administration by SPI. It
appears that funding is only assured for the program in
2011-12 and 2012-13. This is because authorization to
collect ratepayer funds for deposit in RRTF expires January
1, 2012, and the bill only allows use of AB 118 (N��ez), if
insufficient RRTF funds are available, through 2012-13.
For 2013-14 and beyond, funding would depend on extension
of the Public Goods Charge or an appropriation from any
RRTF balance, assuming repayment of prior RRTF loans to
other funds.
Energy Commission costs to develop guidelines within 60
days will, by necessity, be absorbed. Commission costs for
ongoing consultation with SPI should also be absorbable
with existing resources or within the amount set aside for
program administration.
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/1/11)
American Lung Association
Business for Science, Math, and Related Technologies
Education
California Association of Local Conservation Corps
California Association of Leaders of Career Preparation
California Association of Regional Occupation Centers and
Programs
California Coalition of Utility Employees
California Community Colleges
California Continuation Education Association
California Energy Efficiency Council
California League of Conservation Voters
California School Boards Association
California State Association of Electrical Workers
California State PTA
Clean Power Campaign
Elk Grove Unified School District
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Environmental Defense Fund
Fresno Unified School District
Large Scale Solar Association
LEED: Linking Education and Economic Development
Los Angeles Unified School District
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Metropolitan Education District
Natural Resources Defense Council
Pacific Gas & Electric
Policy Link
Riverside County School Superintendent's Association
Sacramento City Unified School District
Sacramento County Office of Education
Sierra Club
State Building and Construction Trades Council
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
Union of Concerned Scientists
Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers
OPPOSITION : (Verified 4/1/11)
California Manufacturers & Technology Association
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers 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.
"Initiatives to increase the amount of renewable power in
the state, meet AB 32 emission reduction goals, and
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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."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Block, Blumenfield,
Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Davis, Dickinson,
Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani,
Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill,
Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,
Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel P�rez,
Portantino, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wieckowski,
Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NOES: Achadjian, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly,
Garrick, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Jones, Knight,
Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen,
Norby, Olsen, Silva, Valadao, Wagner
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alejo, Campos, Gorell, Jeffries,
Skinner, Smyth, Vacancy
PQ:mw 4/1/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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