BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
AB 684 (Medina) - General Education Development Test Preparation
Amended: August 12, 2013 Policy Vote: Education 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 12, 2013
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 684 adds an uncodified section of law to
authorize the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) to
provide grants, from state and federal funds available for this
purpose, to accredited institutions that provide instruction to
persons who are preparing for the general educational
development test.
Fiscal Impact: This bill creates significant cost pressure for
the CWIB to provide grants to general educational development
test takers, to develop a program for doing so, and to adopt
regulations to implement the grant program. Developing the
program and adopting regulations would likely cost the CWIB in
excess of $100,000. The primary costs would be to fund the
actual grants, and that would be determined by the CWIB.
Background: Existing law requires the CWIB to assist the
Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous
improvement of California's workforce investment system
(Unemployment Insurance Code � 14010).
Existing law provides that the CWIB, in collaboration with state
and local partners, shall develop a strategic workforce plan to
serve as a framework for the development of public policy,
fiscal investment, workforce education, and training programs to
address the state's economic, demographic, and workforce needs.
The plan is required to be updated at least every 5 years.
(Unemployment Insurance Code � 14020)
The CWIB is also required to participate in the development of
request for proposal language and the evaluation of proposals
for determining grant allocations of the funds.
(Unemployment Insurance Code � 14022)
AB 684 (Medina)
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Existing law requires the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction to issue a California high school equivalency
certificate to any person who has not completed high school and
who meets a variety of requirements, including successfully
passing the GED (Education Code � 51420).
Proposed Law: AB 684 authorizes the CWIB to provide grants, from
state and federal funds that are available to the CWIB for this
purpose, to accredited institutions that provide instruction to
persons who are preparing for the general educational
development test and that apply to the CWIB to receive grants
pursuant to this section. This bill provides that if the CWIB
identifies funds available for grants, it shall develop and
adopt regulations and procedures for the process of receiving
and evaluating applications for grants under this section. This
bill makes legislative findings and declarations.
Staff Comments: Enacting an uncodified section of law that
permits the CWIB to provide grants to institutions that offer
general educational development test preparation instruction
will not necessarily result in state costs, because the bill is
both permissive and lacks force of law. The intention of the
bill, as described in the legislative intent, however, is for
the CWIB to actually develop a program to issue the grants to
those institutions. The program described in this bill would
involve the CWIB setting up a competitive grant system, and
granting an unspecified amount of state and federal funds to
"accredited institutions" that provide instruction to persons
who are preparing for the general educational development test
and that apply to the CWIB to receive grants pursuant to this
section. Upfront costs would likely exceed $100,000 for program
development. The CWIB would determine grant funding levels, and
where the funding would be diverted from.