Today's Law As Amended
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) California has the fifth largest economy in the world and leads the country in innovation and diversity.
(b) California is committed to developing a plan to become the most competitive, durable, equitable, and sustainable economy in the world where technological innovation strengthens the middle class.
(c) Technology, when put to work for the benefit of human society, has fueled progress throughout history, unlocking the growth of high-quality goods and services coupled with overall price reductions and dramatic reductions in poverty, disease, and famine, as well as leaps in science and the arts.
(d) Exponential growth in technological innovation, including automation and artificial intelligence, as well as broader economic trends of wage stagnation, declining workforce participation, rising income inequality, and growth in part-time, lower-wage jobs, compel California to update its planning around education, employment, and the economy as a whole to better understand, anticipate, and shape the future of work in the short and long term.
(e) The California Master Plan on Tech Equity is necessary to prepare California residents for the future of work and to ensure advancements in technology serve the construction of a durable middle class and sustainable economy.
SEC. 2.
Chapter 3.7 (commencing with Section 8299) is added to Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:CHAPTER 3.7. The California Master Plan on Tech Equity
8299.
This chapter shall be known as the Tech Equity Act.8299.1.
(a) There is established in state government the Commission on Tech Equity. The commission shall be comprised of six members appointed in accordance with subdivision (c) and shall conduct its business in accordance with this chapter.(b) Members of the commission shall be individuals with knowledge of, and expertise in, work, workforce development, labor, civil rights, technology, and privacy, whether by experience or training.
(c) Commission membership shall consist of the following:
(1) Four members appointed by the Governor, including at least one representative from organized labor, one from a civil rights organization, one from academia, and one from the private sector.
(2) One member appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.
(3) One member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.
(4) The Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development and the Controller shall serve as ex officio members of the commission.
8299.2.
The Commission on Tech Equity shall do all of the following:(a) (1) Convene a public process to gather input and to understand the economic, social, workplace, and technological landscape of innovation and technology in California.
(2) Focus on key areas related to workers, the workplace and state workforce, the state budget, economy, safety net, and other areas related to the public good, which shall include:
(A) Privacy.
(B) Workforce.
(C) Media.
(D) Democracy.
(E) Competition.
(F) Inequality.
(b) Commission research to understand the impact of innovation and technology in key areas identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(c) Advise the Governor, the Legislature, and state agencies, departments, and commissions on the impact of technology and innovation on workers, the workplace and state workforce, the state budget, economy, safety net, and other areas related to the public good identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(d) Develop recommendations on a policy framework to manage the development, deployment, regulation, taxation, and fair distribution of the benefits of innovation and technology that advance the interests of workers and the public in key areas, as defined.
(e) Submit its recommendations to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795, and to the Governor no later than November 1, 2022.