Removing Barriers to Employment Act: Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative.

Existing law, 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, among other things, carry out analyses of the economic conditions in the local region. This bill would enact the Removing Barriers to Employment Act, which would establish the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative administered by the California Workforce Development Board. The bill would specify that the purpose of the initiative is to create a grant program to provide individuals with barriers to employment the services they need to enter, participate in, and complete broader workforce preparation, training, and education programs aligned with regional labor market needs. The bill would specify that people completing these programs should have the skills and competencies to successfully enter the labor market, retain employment, and earn wages that lead to self-sufficiency and economic security. The bill would require the board to develop criteria for the selection of grant recipients, as specified. The bill also would specify the criteria by which grants are required to be evaluated, the populations that are eligible to be served by grants, and the activities eligible for grant funding. The bill would make the funding of the initiative subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for that purpose and would make implementation of the initiative contingent on the board notifying the Department of Finance that sufficient moneys have been appropriated. The bill would create the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative Fund, as specified, in the State Treasury for the purpose of carrying out its provisions.