Bill Text: CA AB630 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB630 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB630-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 19, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 630

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Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula

February 12, 2021

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An act to add Article 9 (commencing with Section 12100.80) 12100.100) to Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to economic development.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 630, as amended, Arambula. Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program.

Existing law, the Economic Revitalization Act, establishes the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as “GO-Biz,” in state government within the Governor’s office under the control of a director. The act requires GO-Biz to serve as the Governor’s lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth.

This bill would establish the Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program within GO-Biz for the purpose of supporting inclusive, cross-jurisdictional, and innovative processes that lead to online tools and resources to support job and earnings opportunities, and economic recovery support, online platforms that support job and earning opportunities and economic recovery with a strong focus on underserved and economically challenged communities.

This bill would require GO-Biz to develop and implement a process for awarding competitive grants to eligible applicants. The bill would define an eligible applicant as an online platform that provides support for job and earnings opportunities, as well as additional resources serving in-need communities, that is for use by the public with no restrictions and that adheres to California privacy laws. Under the bill, an online platform would be an eligible applicant if it, among other things, serves marginalized communities and serves to uplift and provide resources to all communities and people in need of opportunities and reskilling. to meet specified requirements, including, among other things, maintenance of an online platform that connects users with economic opportunities, training programs, and services. The bill would require GO-Biz, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to issue grants to qualified online platforms based on a process for the awarding of competitive grants to eligible applicants that requires submission of a proposal narrative, proposed budget required to act as a resource to all economically impacted Californians, a proposed budget, and a proposed impact assessment and timeline that includes progress reports and final deliverables. The bill would require grant recipients to submit an annual report to GO-Biz on how it used the grant funding that it was issued.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Now, more than ever, As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians need a clear, accessible tool to help access information and resources that will help them remain on their feet during a time of unfathomable economic uncertainty.

(b) Growing inequality, which disproportionately impacts communities of color, and the erosion of upward mobility in California, call for state policy to be intensely focused on increasing economic opportunity and security for all Californians.

(c)All data found to support the need for purposes of this bill is based on statistical data and analysis in the real time however the overall basis of the data is relevant well into our future of economic recovery.

(d)

(c) Communities of color are being hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic caused by COVID-19. Studies show persons in communities of color are contracting the virus at much greater rates and also being hit hardest by the economic fallout and unemployment.

(e)The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recognized this point, citing occupation as one reason racial and ethnicity minority groups are being hit hardest by infection. People from some racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately represented in essential work settings including health care facilities, farms, factories, grocery stores, and public transportation. Some people who work in these settings have more chances to be exposed to the virus due to several factors, including close contact with the public or other workers, not being able to work from home, and not having paid sick days.

(f)Communities of color in California are seeing higher infection rates, with Latinx communities being hit hardest in California. Latinos make up nearly 39 percent of the state’s population but 55 percent of its COVID-19 cases. For every 100,000 Latino residents, 767 have tested positive. For every 100,000 Black residents, 396 have tested positive. By comparison, for every 100,000 White residents, 261 have confirmed infections.

(g)According to the Los Angeles Times, “Experts say the biggest outbreaks have been in southern California and the central valley. In those regions, the economies are particularly reliant on Latino workers, and a number of Latino residents tend to live in densely packed communities where COVID-19 can easily spread through extended families.”

(h)According to the Los Angeles Times, in Stockton, county figures say about 31 percent of overall cases are in the Latino community; however the newspaper reports that “some on the front lines estimate that up to 70 percent of cases from the recent hike have hit in that demographic, in a region where they account for about 42 percent of the population, according to census figures.”

(i)According to a Los Angeles Times report, California has the following statistics as of July 12: 2,700,000 people on unemployment; a 14.9 percent unemployment rate; 288,995 new claims in the first week of July 2020.

(j)According to a Capitol Public Radio survey, communities of color in the Sacramento region have seen the greatest financial hit. When asked if their income has declined somewhat or significantly, the following reported a decrease in income: 62 percent of Black respondents, 62 percent of people who identify as Latino, 53 percent of Asian respondents, and 39 percent of White residents.

(k)This is a trend that carries over nationally. Disparities

(d) Disparities in the economic toll nationally were nearly immediate in the spring of 2020. In May, the numbers were already dire. A report by the United States Department of Labor revealed that while the unemployment rate for Whites reached 14.2 percent in April, a historic high, 16.7 percent of African Americans were out of work and the unemployment rate among Latinos soared to 18.9 percent, the highest on record.

(l)The accommodation and food services sector in California has the greatest number of reported job losses since February 2020: 759,000. The California Policy Lab found about 20 percent of all new unemployment claims in the County of Sacramento have come from people who had been employed in accommodations and food services. Another 15.6 percent were in retail trade and 13.2 percent were in health and social services.

(e) Since beginning to rise from the depth of the pandemic, recovery has not been equal for all, with the racial employment gap widening. Data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics show that while the unemployment rate for Whites 16 years of age and older has fallen to 5.8 percent, unemployment rates for African American and Latinos are at 9.9 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.

(m)No matter the moment at which time a declaration of recovery is made, the reality is that it will be a recovery for the most privileged two-thirds of people in the United States.

(n)Yet, California lacks the process or platform to realize long-lasting economic recovery for the people in the lowest one-third of the economy.

(o)Such a platform should serve to connect vulnerable populations and those most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to essential resources, employment opportunities, and job and skills retraining.

(p)Policies are needed to support all communities and coordination is needed to ensure the security of earnings opportunities, childcare, and skills advancement, specifically for those most financially vulnerable. These coordinated efforts are particularly critical to the economic recovery of communities across the state in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

(q)The philanthropic community, both in and outside of California, is seeking avenues to invest in communities across California in a strategic, yet transformative manner that includes opportunities to leverage or pool additional dollars to deepen impact.

(r)There is an urgent need to create a state program that provides competitive grants for multijurisdictional organizations that focus on getting Californians back to work and the support they need to do so successfully.

(f) No matter when a declaration of recovery is made, the realty is that it will be a recovery for the most privileged two-thirds of people in the United States.

(s)

(g) There is an urgent need to create pathways for the state, private business, philanthropic organizations, and others to financially support inclusive planning and decisionmaking processes reflective of a shared vision of a California for all, across the state’s underserved regions for investment.

SEC. 2.Article 9 (commencing with Section 12100.80) is added to Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:

9.Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program

12100.80.

For purposes of this article:

(a)“Program” means the Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program created pursuant to Section 12100.81 and administered in accordance with this article.

(b)“Eligible applicant” means an online platform providing support for job and earnings opportunities as well as additional resources serving in-need communities that is for use by the public with no restrictions and that adheres to California privacy laws.

12100.81.

SEC. 2.

 Article 9 (commencing with Section 12100.100) is added to Chapter 1.6 of Part 2 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:

Article  9. Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program

12100.100.

 (a) There is hereby created, in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Online Jobs and Economic Support Resource Grant Program for the purpose of supporting inclusive, cross-jurisdictional, and innovative processes that lead to online tools and resources to support job and earnings opportunities and economic recovery online platforms that support job and earnings opportunities and economic recovery with a strong focus on underserved and economically challenged communities.

(b) The goals of the program are to achieve all of the following:

(1) Support resources and tools that assist Californians impacted by job loss due to COVID-19 and shorten the overall average period of unemployment statewide.

(2) Provide pathways to rapid redeployment of workers to needed industries and reskilling of workers to help offset the impact of worker displacement.

(3) Uplift Californians and serve as a tool to aid in the economic recovery of the State state and to increase the economic mobility of workers in the lower one-third of earners.

12100.82. 12100.101.

 An online platform shall be an eligible applicant if the online platform meets shall meet all of the following requirements:

(a) Has a A robust, targeted outreach plan to ensure amplification of of, and access to to, the online platform by communities hardest hit by job loss amidst the pandemic, including minorities and economically challenged disadvantaged Californians.

(b) Experience serving under-represented and under-served populations.

(b)Is collaborative

(c) Collaborate with stakeholders and partners across California to guarantee all applicable statewide resources are surfaced on the platform. These include, but are including, but not limited to, regional workforce boards, appropriate state agencies, and statewide training providers.

(c)While serving marginalized communities, the platform shall serve to uplift and provide resources to all communities and people in need of job opportunities and reskilling.

(d) Maintain an online platform that shall, at a minimum:

(1) Contain search functions to connect users with the following:

(A) Economic opportunities, prioritizing high-road, high-quality jobs.

(B) Training programs that offer the ability to develop new skills and to expand on existing skills.

(C) Essential life services, including free or reduced cost services for medical care, food, shelter, and child care.

(2) Be able to serve the entire state.

(3) Comply with California privacy laws.

12100.83. 12100.102.

 The office shall develop and implement a process to award competitive grants to eligible applicants that meet the requirements pursuant to of this article. At a minimum, the process shall meet all of the following conditions: require eligible applicants to provide all of the following:

(a) Require submission of a proposal narrative and proposed budget required to act as a resource to all economically impacted Californians. A proposal narrative.

(b) A proposed budget.

(b)Require submission of a

(c) A proposed impact assessment and timeline, including progress reports and final deliverables.

12100.103.

 A grant recipient shall be required to submit an annual report to the office on how it used the grant funding it was issued that includes all of the following:

(a) The number of individuals who used the online platform.

(b) A description of the resources created to support job and earning opportunities, training sessions, and support services.

(c) Aggregate demographic data on the program’s users amongst under-served and under-represented communities, including users from disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities.

12100.84. 12100.104.

 Upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature to the office for the purpose of implementing this article, the office shall make grants to qualified online platforms applicants consistent with Section 12100.83. 12100.102. The office shall post notice of the appropriation on the home page of its internet website and send notice of the appropriation to the the Legislative Counsel.