Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative.

Existing law, the California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, makes programs and services available to individuals with employment barriers and requires the California Workforce Development Board to assist 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. Existing law establishes the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative, which includes a grant program administered by the board to support prescribed education and training activities. Existing law creates the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative Fund, as specified, in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund are subject to appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of carrying out these provisions in support of the initiative. Implementation of the initiative is contingent upon the board notifying the Department of Finance that sufficient moneys have been appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose. Existing law specifies that the initiative is not intended to duplicate or replicate existing programs or to create new workforce and education programs, but rather to provide supplemental funding and services to ensure the success of individuals either preparing to enter or already enrolled in workforce and education programs operating under the policy vision of this division and the state plan under this division. This bill would instead provide that the initiative is intended to focus on innovative approaches to, and proven practices for, addressing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in the labor market. Existing law states that the primary purpose of the initiative is 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. Existing law establishes specific goals for people completing these programs. Existing law requires special emphasis to be given to grant applications that integrate individuals from target populations into career pathway programs aligned with regional labor market needs. This bill would further provide that the program should strive to address racial and ethnic exclusion and inequity in the labor force and enhance racial and economic justice. The bill would provide that projects should create pipelines to quality jobs, upward mobility, and income security for workers historically excluded from quality jobs and economic prosperity. Existing law requires the board to develop criteria for the selection of grant recipients, to include prescribed requirements, establishes requirements for grant applications, requires grants to be evaluated using specific criteria, specifies the populations that are eligible to be served by grants, and specifies the activities eligible for grant funding. This bill would revise the existing grant selection criteria requirements, the grant application requirements, the grant evaluation criteria, the populations that are eligible to be served by grants, and the activities eligible for grant funding. The bill would require the board to issue an interim and a final report, to be posted on its internet website within certain timeframes, containing information on the programmatic impact on the target populations, the fiscal savings associated with the program, and other specified information.