Senate Standing Committee on Education

Come to order in 60 seconds.

The Senate Education Committee will come to order. Good afternoon. The Senate continues to welcome the public in person and via the teleconference service. For individuals wishing to provide public comment, today's participant number is 877-226-8163. Again, that's 877-226-8163. And the access code is 736-2836. Again, that's 736-2836. We are holding our Committee hearing here in the Capitol. I ask all Members of the Committee to be present in room 112, so we can establish a quorum and begin.

Actually, we're beginning our hearing as a Subcommittee, but establish a quorum. I ask the testimony this afternoon of main witnesses in support of opposition be limited to two people per side at the maximum, with two minutes for each person. All others may add on and simply state your name, organization, and your position. Again, we do not have a quorum. We will start as a Subcommittee. We have one Bill on today's agenda. SB 531 from Committee Member Senator Ochoa Bogh. Senator Ochoa Bogh. Welcome. You may proceed when you are ready.

Thank you. Mr. Chair, Members, I'm pleased to present Senate Bill 531, which will encourage partnerships between local education agencies and businesses in their communities, while providing safe, work based learning opportunities for our students. SB 531 simply seeks to correct an unintended consequence of AB 130, a 2021 budget Bill.

Although AB 130 sought to address an issue with non classroom based charter schools, it unintentionally affected all local education agencies by requiring student work Experience program partners to conduct criminal background checks on every single employee working at the same job location as the student.

The Department of Education conducted a survey of local education agencies regarding this new requirement and found that for cost reasons, a large number of work experience partners had to terminate their contracts with the LEAs, which meant a majority of work experience programs, as well as the workability program that served students with disabilities, were no longer available.

With the number of work experience opportunities severely reduced, students who want to work need to apply for a student work permit and find employment at a businesses that is not required to adhere to employee background check requirements. SB 531 will encourage community businesses back into partnerships with the local education agencies. As long as businesses meet certain background check requirements, parental approval is obtained and there are regular check in with the students in the workplace.

Student safety remains a top priority, and SB 531 will simply increase the number of work experience opportunities available to students while ensuring there are necessary safeguards in place to protect students in these workplaces. With me today is Lee Angela Reed. Is she here? No, she's not here. Sorry, no witnesses here today with it. So, SB 531 fixes an unintended consequence of prior budget legislation and is a reasonable solution that ensures our students can continue obtaining job skills in a safe work environment.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Very good. And so we do not have any witnesses in support. At least not yet. Okay. If somebody does come, we'll allow them to proceed out of order. Are there any witnesses here in opposition to the Bill? Seeing none, let us establish I'm sorry, we do have a witness now. Welcome, Mr. Baca.

Mr. Chair, Jeff Baca, representing the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, 23 school district superintendents in Riverside County. In support.

In support. Thank you. Any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none. Let us quickly establish a quorum. Madam, please call the roll.

Newman, here. Ochoa Bogh, here. Cortese, here. Glazer, absent. McGuire, absent. Smallwood-Cuevas, here. Wilk, absent.

Very good. We do have a quorum. Let us now move to the teleconference line. Is there anybody on the teleconference line? Moderator, also named Josh, if you could query the line for anybody who'd like, testify in support of or in opposition to the measure SB 531.

For support opposition to SB 531, please press one, then zero on your telephone keypad. We have no support or opposition.

Good. I appreciate your help today. Let's come back to the deus. Any questions or comments from Members of the Committee? No. For my part, thank you for doing the work. To solve this unintended consequence of other legislation, I need a motion. But if we have a motion from a Member. We've got a motion for Senator Cortese. Would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Very good, madam console, please call the roll.

File item one SB 531 Ochoa Bogh. The motion is that the Assembly amendments be concurred in. Newman, aye. Ochoa Bogh, aye. Cortese, aye. Glazer, absent. McGuire, absent. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Wilk, absent.

Very good. The measure has four votes and it will move out of this Committee. And with that, I am actually going to adjourn the Committee. So thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here. And with that, the Senate Committee on Education is adjourned.