State and local workforce investment boards: funding.

The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides for workforce investment activities, including activities in which states may participate. Existing law establishes the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) , and specifies that the CWIB is responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California's workforce investment system. Existing law contains various programs for job training and employment investment, including work incentive programs, as specified, and establishes local workforce investment boards to perform various duties related to the implementation and coordination of local workforce investment activities. This bill would require local workforce investment boards to spend a certain percentage of available federal funds for adults and dislocated workers on workforce training programs in a manner consistent with federal law, as prescribed. Existing law prescribes the duties of the CWIB with regard to the development and implementation of local workforce investment plans, as specified. This bill would authorize the CWIB to raise specified minimum expenditures. This bill would require a local workforce investment board that does not meet the expenditure requirements described above to provide the Employment Development Department with a corrective action plan regarding those expenditures, and would also make that local workforce investment board ineligible to receive certain discretionary funding. Because the bill imposes new duties on local government workforce investment boards, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions for costs mandated by the state pursuant to this act, but would recognize that local agencies and school districts may pursue any available remedies to seek reimbursement for these costs.