BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1797
Page A
Date of Hearing: May 7, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1797 (Rodriguez) - As Amended: April 1, 2014
Policy Committee: LaborVote:7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Workforce Investment Board
(CWIB), in consultation with the Division of Apprenticeship
Standards (DAS), to identify ways to expand job training and
employment for allied health professions. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Requires CWIB to do the following:
a) Identify opportunities for "earn and learn" job training
opportunities that meet the industry's workforce demands
and that are in high-wage, high-demand jobs.
b) Identify and develop specific requirements and
qualifications for entry into "earn and learn" job training
models and establish standards for corresponding skills
training programs that result in an industry-recognized
credential certifying that the individual is ready to enter
an "earn and learn" job training model in the allied health
professions.
c) Develop means to identify, assess, and prepare a pool of
qualified candidates seeking to enter "earn and learn" job
training models.
1)Requires the CWIB to prepare and submit a report on findings
and recommendations to the appropriate policy committees of
the Legislature on or before December 1, 2015.
FISCAL EFFECT
No significant impact to the CWIB as the Health Workforce
AB 1797
Page B
Development Council currently performs much of the activities
required in the bill. Minor costs to prepare and submit a report
to the legislature, likely funded through Workforce Investment
Act discretionary funds.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose. Health care providers face a range of employment and
workforce issues. There are significant shortages of
healthcare workers in certain occupations and geographic
areas, while there is oversupply in other areas. An aging
population, population growth, and federal health reform will
likely contribute to the increased demand. Because the cost
to train healthcare workers is high, turnover can be a
significant expense for healthcare industry employers.
According to the author, "earn and learn" job training
programs (including apprenticeship) have been increasingly
recognized as a highly effective workforce strategy for
building skills and earnings in entry- and middle-level jobs,
for increasing productivity, and for aligning employer demands
with the supply of workers for this critical industry. These
training programs can be a critical part of the workforce
strategy related to healthcare reform as it is seen as a way
to train long-term care workers and address workforce issues,
including recruitment and retention, training a quality
workforce and improving quality of patient care.
2)Background . According to a recent white paper<1> produced on
behalf of the CWIB, the recent economic downturn has caused
high levels of unemployment in all sectors of California's
economy, but low-skilled adult workers and youth have
disproportionately borne the brunt of the economic crisis and
require support as they seek to enter the workforce.
The white paper identified "earn and learn" models to include
on-the-job training, summer youth employment programs,
subsidized employment under the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) emergency fund, and registered apprenticeship
programs.
--------------------------
<1> "Apprenticeship as a Critical Component of an 'Earn and
Learn' Job Training Strategy in California." White Paper
Produced on Behalf of the CWIB by the Interagency Working Group
on Earn and Learn Job Training Strategies and Apprenticeship in
California." (December 2012).
AB 1797
Page C
The CWIB has been looking at ways to address health workforce
needs. In August 2010, the CWIB established the Health
Workforce Development Council (Council) to engage a broad
range of public and private stakeholders to achieve its
mission of helping to expand California's health workforce.
To support the process, the CWIB and the Office of Statewide
Health and Planning Development (OSHPD), jointly secured a
federal health workforce planning grant from the Health
Resources and Services Administration. The Council issued a
report in January 2013 that found among other things,
California does not have sufficient capacity in many key
professions and regions to meet current and future health
workforce needs.
3)Prior legislation .
a) AB 2375 (Hern�ndez) of 2008 required the Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), in
collaboration with the California Workforce Investment
Board (CWIB), to establish the Health Professions Workforce
Task Force (taskforce) to assist in the development of a
health professions workforce master plan for the state to
assess the state of the health professions workforce. The
bill was held on the Senate Appropriations suspense file.
b) AB 657 (Hern�ndez) of 2009 required the Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), in
collaboration with the California Workforce Investment
Board, to establish a task force to assist OSHPD in
developing a health care workforce master plan for the
state. This bill was vetoed.
Analysis Prepared by : Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081