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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-13</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-19</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Caloza</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Caloza</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title>An act to add Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 3160) to Division 3 of the Labor Code, relating to employment, and making an appropriation therefor.</ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>employment, and making an appropriation therefor</ns0:RelatingClause>
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<ns0:Subject>Labor: apprenticeship: California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law establishes in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law requires the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish a Women in Construction Priority Unit to, among other things, provide resources
for employers and project owners, including public agencies, to improve construction worksite culture, address barriers to employment, and develop training and materials for workforce pipeline professionals specific to women and nonbinary individuals in construction.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would establish the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency for purposes of awarding competitive
grants to eligible entities, as defined, that provide preapprenticeship training programs designed to prepare women for entry into registered apprenticeship programs or other state-approved workforce pathways. The bill would require the grants to be used for specified purposes, including to provide direct participant stipends to offset lost wages and enable full participation in preapprenticeship training programs. The bill would require the agency to prioritize applications from eligible entities that have programs serving women who meet specified criteria. The bill would impose reporting requirements on grantees and would require the agency to provide a summary report of the data received to the Legislature. The bill would authorize the agency to issue rules, regulations, guidelines, policies, or procedures necessary to implement the bill’s provisions described above, including application criteria, grant requirements, and performance measures.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the agency for purposes of the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program. The bill would continuously appropriate moneys made available for purposes of the program. By continuously appropriating moneys made available for the program and by making a one-time appropriation, the bill would make an appropriation.</html:p>
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<ns0:VoteRequired>TWO_THIRDS</ns0:VoteRequired>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 3160) is added to Division 3 of the
<ns0:DocName>Labor Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_12E55E88-E122-468F-AAAE-935E13043660" type="CHAPTER">
<ns0:Num>5.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>3160.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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California’s economy depends on a skilled workforce capable of meeting current and projected labor demands in high-growth industries, including construction and other skilled trades that offer family-sustaining wages and long-term career mobility.
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(b)
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Wome, particularly low-income women, women of color, and women who are primarily caregivers, remain significantly underrepresented in registered apprenticeship programs and other high-road workforce pathways due to persistent structural barriers.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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Preapprenticeship programs are an effective and evidence-based strategy for
preparing individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship programs. However, the lack of income support during training continues to be a primary barrier to participation and completion for women.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
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California does not currently have a dedicated state-funded program to support preapprenticeship training specifically designed to serve women, nor does it provide direct stipends to offset lost wages during training.
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<html:p>
(e)
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At the federal level, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program is the only funding source nationally dedicated to supporting women’s entry into apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. However, WANTO funding is limited, highly competitive, and insufficient to meet statewide demand.
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<html:p>
(f)
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Establishing a state-funded preapprenticeship program that
includes participant stipends and supportive services will reduce financial barriers, improve completion and placement outcomes, strengthen California’s apprenticeship pipeline, and advance economic mobility for women and their families.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_96A069B8-6EBC-4B06-BDDC-D8FC5A431FF6">
<ns0:Num>3160.1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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“Agency” means the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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(1)
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“Eligible entities” means entities with demonstrated experience in serving women through workforce development programs.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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“Eligible entities” may include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations, workforce development organizations, labor-management partnerships, community colleges, and other public education institutions.
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<html:p>
(c)
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“Program” means the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend
Program, as established by this chapter.
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<ns0:Num>3160.2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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The California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program is hereby established within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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The agency shall administer a competitive grant program, until exhaustion of all moneys made available for the program, in accordance with this chapter to award funds to eligible entities that provide preapprenticeship training programs designed to prepare women for entry into registered apprenticeship programs or other state-approved workforce pathways.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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In awarding grants, the agency shall prioritize applications from eligible entities that have programs serving women who meet one or more of the following criteria:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Low-income status.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Unemployed or underemployed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Single parents or primary caregivers.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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Residents of communities disproportionately impacted by poverty or unemployment.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
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Individuals from populations historically underrepresented in apprenticeship and skilled trades.
</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>3160.3.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>Grant funds awarded pursuant to this chapter shall only be used for the following purposes:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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Direct participant stipends to offset lost wages and enable full participation in preapprenticeship training programs.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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Training-related costs, including instruction, curriculum development, tools, personal protective equipment, certifications, and work-readiness supports.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Supportive services necessary to improve participant retention and completion, including childcare assistance, transportation support, case management, and referrals for housing or family stabilization services.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Career navigation, job placement, and transition support into registered apprenticeship programs or employment.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
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Administrative and program management costs, as determined by the agency.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_C00FE22E-67EC-405B-85A6-A067EFE5C7D7">
<ns0:Num>3160.4.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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Each grantee shall report outcome data to the agency, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
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Number of participants enrolled and completed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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Amount and distribution of stipends.
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(3)
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Placement into registered apprenticeship programs or employment.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
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Retention outcomes at 6 and 12 months.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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The agency shall provide a summary report to the Legislature, in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, to support ongoing oversight, budget evaluation, and
potential program expansion.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_9FDB854B-E721-4AD5-8350-3CCF73449C33">
<ns0:Num>3160.5.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, moneys made available for purposes of implementing this chapter shall be continuously appropriated for those purposes without regard to fiscal years.</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_E80072F3-E899-484E-898E-177E9B6AFC1E">
<ns0:Num>3160.6.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The agency may issue rules, regulations, guidelines, policies, or procedures necessary to implement this chapter, including application criteria, grant requirements, and performance measures.</html:p>
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_6AF972AF-525A-494D-AEA4-7DD5897647B9">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The sum of fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency for purposes of implementing and awarding grants under Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 3160) of Division 3 of the Labor Code, as added by this act.</html:p>
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