Currrent as of February 4, 2022

Senate Bill No. 61


Introduced by Senator Hurtado
(Coauthor: Senator Caballero)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Salas)


December 07, 2020

An act to add Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 14050) to Chapter 3 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to job training.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 61, as amended, Hurtado. Workforce training programs: supportive services.

The California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system and the alignment of the education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. That act requires the establishment of a local workforce development board in each local workforce development area of the state to assist the local chief elected official in planning, oversight, and evaluation of local workforce investment. The act requires local boards to carry out specific tasks consistent with the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including, with representatives of secondary and postsecondary education programs, to lead efforts in the local area to develop and implement career pathways within the local area by aligning the employment, training, education, and supportive services that are needed by adults and youth, particularly individuals with barriers to employment.

The act also provides for training partnerships that are overseen by the board, including the High Road Training Partnerships initiative, a demonstration project to model partnership strategies for the state among various industry sectors, and that is industry based and worker focused in order to build skills for California employers that, among other things, pay family-supporting wages to their employees.

This bill, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require the California Workforce Development Board to establish and administer the Lifting Families Out of Poverty Supportive Services Program. The bill would require the board, upon appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose, to make $50,000,000 in grants available to applicants, including local workforce development boards, labor organizations, K–12 educational entities, community colleges, adult schools, county social service agencies, community-based organizations, business-related nonprofit organizations, and workforce intermediaries who work directly with the individuals experiencing employment barriers to ensure those individuals receive needed training, that apply for funding to provide supportive services, as defined, and are approved in accordance with the bill.

The bill would require the California Workforce Development Board to develop criteria, policies, and guidelines for the award of supportive service grant funds consistent with the bill. The bill would require that those criteria, policies, and guidelines consider, but not be limited to, the ability of applicants to leverage additional funds in support of the program, priority for grant applicants that are or that partner with High Road Training Partnerships, and tracking of participants into the labor market to measure program efficacy.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal Committee: yes   Local Program: no


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Workforce, Education, and Training Subcommittee of the state Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force was responsible for investigating existing workforce training programs and policies including community college training, career and technical education, work opportunity tax credits, and policies within the K–12 education system.

(b) The evidence provided to the task force showed that there is a need for supportive services to address the common reasons that low-income workforce training participants do not complete workforce training programs.

(c) A lack of childcare or affordable transportation are among the primary reasons that participants do not complete their vocational training programs.

(d) The subcommittee and the full task force determined that additional funding for supportive services for low-income workforce participants and an increase in coordination across the many programs aiming to support education and employment for this population are necessary to lift families out of poverty and to ensure that they can fully participate in programs that will provide them the regional market skills to sustain upward mobility.

(e) COVID-19 has further affected the ability for all Californians to start training programs due to lack of supportive services.

SEC. 2.

Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 14050) is added to Chapter 3 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, to read:

Article  4.5. Supportive Services For Workforce Program Participants

14050.

As used in this article:

(a) “Board” means the California Workforce Development Board.

(b) “Eligible applicants” include local workforce development boards, labor organizations, K–12 educational entities, community colleges, adult schools, county social service agencies, community-based organizations, business-related nonprofit organizations, and workforce intermediaries who work directly with the individuals experiencing employment barriers to ensure those individuals receive needed training.

(c) “High Road Training Partnerships” means an initiative or project, administered or recognized by the board, that models strategies for the state in developing industry-based, worker-focused training partnerships that deliver equity, sustainability, and job quality and address questions of income inequality and economic competitiveness through regional skills development designed to support communities across the state. This includes the High Road Construction Careers programs.

 

(d) “Supportive services” means services necessary to participate in and complete training. This includes, but is not limited to, the costs of the trainees’ or students’ books, safety and lab equipment, tools, resources for stipends, transportation, housing, childcare, access to technology, and other needs related to payments.

(e) “Training” includes all services described in paragraph (5) of subdivision (d) of Section 14013.

14055.

(a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the board shall establish and administer the Lifting Families Out of Poverty Supportive Services Program. Upon appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose, the board shall make fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) in grants available to applicants that apply for funding and are approved in accordance with this article. The board may use up to 5 percent of the funding appropriated for purpose of this section to design and administer the program.

(b) The board shall develop criteria, policies, and guidelines for the award of supportive service grant funds consistent with this article.

(c) These criteria, policies, and guidelines shall consider, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) The ability of applicants to leverage additional funds in support of the program.

(2) The availability and likelihood of full-time employment in a quality living-wage job in the regional labor market based on the successful completion of training.

(3) Identification and recruitment of individuals from disadvantaged populations described in subdivision (j) of Section 14005 and Section 14034, including economically disadvantaged persons, displaced workers or those at risk of dislocation, and disconnected youth and youth at risk of disconnection.

(4) Integration of supportive services with industry-recognized skills training connected directly to quality jobs.

(5) Priority for grant applicants that are or that partner with High Road Training Partnerships.

(6) Priority for grant applicants that serve individuals located in the central valley.

(7) Priority for grant applicants that work with disconnected youth and youth at risk of disconnection.

(8) Meaningful partnerships, reflected in each project applicant budget, with community-based organizations that have demonstrated experience in serving the target populations.

(9) Coordination with local workforce development boards, local governments, employers, social services agencies, labor organizations, community colleges, and other stakeholders.

(10) Tracking of participants into the labor market to measure program efficacy.

(11) The ability to direct resources in a timely manner for supportive services to assist individuals experiencing barriers to participating in and completing training.

(12) Outreach and technical assistance being provided to prospective applicants, especially in rural and small population areas.

(d) The criteria, guidelines, and policies developed pursuant to this section shall be exempt from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The board shall make the criteria, guidelines, and policies available to the public by posting them on its internet website.

14055.1.

The California Workforce Development Board shall develop necessary policies to ensure that grants awarded pursuant to Section 14055 are consistent with the intent of this article.


SB61