Employment: Preapprenticeship Pathways to Employment Pilot Program.

The entire Reentry Pilot Project (Section 14050, Article 4.5 of the Unemployment Insurance Code) was removed from the bill. This program would have required the California Workforce Development Board to establish a pilot in Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties providing workforce training and transitional support to formerly incarcerated individuals committed to skilled trades careers.

The bill's title and legislative counsel digest were updated to reflect that it now covers only the Preapprenticeship Pathways to Employment Pilot Program, removing all references to the Reentry Pilot Project. The act description no longer mentions adding or repealing Article 4.5 of the Unemployment Insurance Code.

Removed the requirement that union-affiliated apprenticeship training be defrayed by underwriting 25 percent of the total cost per participant, along with the stipend requirements (transportation, equipment, and living cost/technology stipends) that were part of the Reentry Pilot Project.

Removed the eligibility framework for formerly incarcerated individuals in three pilot counties who would have been served by designated qualified nonprofit organizations managing and monitoring funds.

Removed the January 1, 2030 sunset date that applied to the Reentry Pilot Project, as well as the requirement for a comprehensive report to the Legislature within six months of the pilot's conclusion assessing effectiveness and feasibility for statewide expansion.

Added a new Preapprenticeship Pathways to Employment Pilot Program (Penal Code Sections 6275-6277) requiring CDCR, in partnership with the Department of Industrial Relations and building/construction trades councils, to establish in-facility preapprenticeship training for incarcerated individuals by January 1, 2028.

The bill now spans two separate code sections: Article 4.5 of the Unemployment Insurance Code (post-release Reentry Pilot Project) and a new Chapter 9.8 of the Penal Code (in-facility preapprenticeship program), involving two different lead agencies.

The new program is available to incarcerated individuals who are within 24 months of release and express interest in careers in the skilled construction and building trades.

CDCR must implement the preapprenticeship program at at least one men's facility and one women's facility, with equitable access across all facilities including gender-responsive institutions.

The program must include instruction based on the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), covering carpentry, ironwork, sheet metal, laborers, and operating engineers, plus classroom instruction in construction safety, trade mathematics, blueprint reading, and industry orientation coordinated with local joint apprenticeship training committees.

Participants must receive career readiness and case management services including employment/training services, behavioral health and substance use services, housing support, transportation assistance, family and childcare support, legal services (expungement, record sealing), digital and financial literacy services, and basic needs support.

Participants who complete the program must receive an MC3 certification from a certified training provider.

CDCR must submit annual reports to the Legislature beginning January 1, 2029, including enrollment numbers, completion numbers, placements into registered apprenticeships or related employment, facility-level breakdowns, and identified barriers to access.

The new preapprenticeship program has a sunset date of January 1, 2032 (four years after the post-release Reentry Pilot Project's sunset of January 1, 2030).

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the Assembly identified a state-mandated local program or fiscal impact requiring appropriation consideration.

Added a new Article 4.5 (Section 14050) to the Unemployment Insurance Code establishing a Reentry Pilot Project in Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties to provide workforce training and transitional support to formerly incarcerated individuals committed to skilled trades careers.

Added legislative findings (new Section 1) explaining that the three selected counties receive a large percentage of formerly incarcerated individuals released from CDCR and have developed reentry service infrastructure, and that the California Workforce Development Board is well positioned to oversee the project.

Requires the California Workforce Development Board to designate a qualified nonprofit organization in each pilot county to manage and monitor funds and be accountable for proper expenditure and reporting.

Requires qualified nonprofits to provide three types of stipends to eligible participants: a transportation stipend, an equipment stipend (tools and protective gear), and a living cost and technology stipend (housing stability and digital resources).

Requires that union-affiliated apprenticeship training be defrayed by underwriting 25 percent of the total cost per participant.

The article becomes operative only upon an appropriation of funds by the Legislature. The fiscal note changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating a new state spending obligation was created.

Requires the board to evaluate the program based on participant employment rates and retention in skilled trades, reduction in recidivism rates, and long-term fiscal impact including cost savings from reduced incarceration rates.

Requires the board to submit a comprehensive report to the Legislature no later than six months after the pilot project concludes, assessing effectiveness and feasibility for statewide expansion. The article sunsets on January 1, 2030.