Private postsecondary education: California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009: labor market outcome data reporting.

(1) Existing law, the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, provides, among other things, for student protections and regulatory oversight of private postsecondary schools in the state. The act is enforced by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education within the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would require an institution subject to the act to collect and retain for each graduate completing a program at that institution on or after January 1, 2020, individual identifying information, the program the graduate was enrolled in, and specified student loan debt information. The bill would require the institution to report that information to the bureau annually according to a schedule and format determined by the bureau. The bill would require the bureau to match the data reported by institutions pursuant to this provision with wage data from the Employment Development Department, as specified. The bill would require this data to be reported to the Employment Development Department to fulfill specified requirements of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The bill would require the bureau to make available on its internet website certain program-level and institution-level statistics regarding the earnings levels of students and student debt burdens. The bill would require the labor market outcome data reported under the bill to, at a minimum, provide data relating to graduates at 2 years and at 5 years after their graduation. The provisions related to reporting, matching, and internet posting would not be operative until the Director of Consumer Affairs certifies that the bureau's information technology system has been updated and is capable of processing data as required by this bill. The bill would require the bureau to notify institutions subject to the act when this certification has occurred, and would require institutions to comply with the bill's provisions within 120 days from the date they receive this notification. (2) Existing law requires the Director of Employment Development to permit the bureau to access relevant quarterly wage data, as necessary, for the bureau's evaluation and reporting of program performance outcomes as required and permitted by various state and federal laws, including the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. Existing law makes a person who knowingly accesses, uses, or discloses this confidential information without authorization guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would permit the bureau to access and use any relevant quarterly wage data necessary for the labor market outcome reporting data match requirement described above. The bill would specify that this data would be provided to the extent permitted by state and federal law and regulations. By providing this information to the bureau, the bill would expand the crime related to unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of this information, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1095 of the Unemployment Insurance Code proposed by AB 593 and AB 1296 to be operative only if this bill and either AB 593 or AB 1296, or both, are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (4) 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 is required by this act for a specified reason.