Construction: workforce development: public contracts.

(1) Existing law establishes the Department of Transportation in the Transportation Agency. 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. Under existing law, the California Workforce Development Board assists the Governor in the administration, promotion, and expansion of high road construction careers. This bill would require the Department of Transportation to work in partnership with the California Workforce Development Board to support California's high road construction careers program. The bill would require the department to reserve a minimum aggregate total of $50,000,000 of federal funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to be allocated over 4 years to support the program. (2) Existing law authorizes a public entity to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into, a project labor agreement, as defined, for a construction project only if the agreement includes specified taxpayer protection provisions. Existing law authorizes the members of the governing board of a local public entity to choose by majority vote whether to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into a project labor agreement that includes taxpayer protection provisions for a specific project or projects. This bill, on or after January 1, 2026, would authorize a state agency to use, enter into, or require contractors to enter into, a project labor agreement that applies to a project or set of projects with aggregate construction costs in excess of $35,000,000 only if the agreement also includes provisions to address community benefits, as described. (3) Existing law establishes specified procedures governing contracts between public entities and their contractors and subcontractors. Existing law also establishes the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the Government Operations Agency, and the Transportation Agency within state government and sets forth their regulatory duties. This bill would require the above-described state agencies to convene relevant stakeholders to provide input on recommendations to establish material terms to be included as a material part of a contract. The bill would require these agencies to meet with those stakeholders in the process of developing recommendations, and to consult with specified state entities, including the Civil Rights Department, as prescribed. The bill would require those recommendations to be provided to the Governor and the Legislature by March 30, 2024, and also presented to the California Workforce Development Board in a regularly scheduled public meeting. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.