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AB-2903 California Workforce Development Board: Salton Sea geothermal resources area: Equitable Access Program.(2021-2022)

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Date Published: 04/06/2022 09:00 PM
AB2903:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 06, 2022
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 24, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2903

Introduced by Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia

February 18, 2022

An act to add Section 14016 to the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to employment.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2903, as amended, Eduardo Garcia. California Workforce Development Board: Salton Sea geothermal resources area: Equitable Access Program.
Existing law 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. Existing law requires the board to assist the Governor with specified tasks, including developing and continuously improving the statewide workforce investment system.
This bill would establish the Equitable Access Program to be administered by the board to prioritize employment opportunities in construction, manufacturing, technical, maintenance, operations, or reclamation activities for local residents in the Salton Sea geothermal resources area. The bill would would, among other things, require the board, in administering the program, to provide technical assistance to, and establish a framework for, preapprenticeship preapprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, and other training programs using the high road construction careers model or high road training partnerships model, and to monitor and track the rate residents of the Salton Sea geothermal resources area are hired on construction projects in the Salton Sea geothermal resources area that involve battery manufacturing and lithium-based technology.
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) Lithium is becoming an increasingly critical resource as the state, and the world, moves toward a clean energy future to tackle the climate crisis. This metal is a crucial component of batteries needed to power electric vehicles, enable a 100-percent clean electrical grid, and move the state’s homes and industries away from fossil fuels.
(b) California has abundant untapped lithium reserves, including in geothermal brine more than a mile underground near the Salton Sea. The state is poised to become a global leader in the deployment of new, environmentally sound technologies that can coproduce lithium with renewable electricity from geothermal power plants in the Imperial Valley. Experts estimate the region could satisfy more than one-third of today’s global lithium demand. Building out a world-class battery manufacturing ecosystem in tandem with lithium production and processing would also increase economic opportunities in the Salton Sea region, delivering quality jobs and community benefits to the region.
(c) There is a need to drive investments and job growth in the Salton Sea region that, for decades, has suffered from one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

SEC. 2.

 Section 14016 is added to the Unemployment Insurance Code, to read:

14016.
 (a) The Equitable Access Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the board. The board shall develop and administer the program to prioritize employment opportunities for local residents in construction, manufacturing, technical, maintenance, operations, or reclamation activities located in the Salton Sea geothermal resources area, including, but not limited to, projects that improve the accessibility of employment opportunities by providing language translation, interpretation, and assistance services.
(b) The program shall do both all of the following:
(1) Provide technical assistance to, and establish a framework for, preapprenticeship preapprenticeship, registered apprenticeship, and other training programs using the high road construction careers model or high road training partnerships model, as defined in Section 14005.
(2) Monitor and track the rate residents of the Salton Sea geothermal resources area are hired on construction projects involving battery manufacturing and lithium-based technology in the Salton Sea geothermal resources area.
(3) Monitor and track the rate residents of the Salton Sea geothermal resources area are employed in the operations and maintenance of geothermal power plant and lithium recovery facilities in the Salton Sea geothermal resources area.
(4) Provide technical assistance to, and establish a framework for, the creation of infrastructure that will provide residents of the Salton Sea geothermal resources area a share of the benefit from the program’s projects.
(5) Provide technical assistance to, and establish a framework for, the creation of infrastructure that will develop labor standards that deliver community benefits, economic development, and labor opportunities.