April 7, 2010 was an historic milestone for CCCAOE. On that date, CCCAOE’s first co-sponsored bill, AB 1903 (Fong), was unanimously approved by the Assembly Labor Committee.

AB 1903 would direct the Employment Development Department to develop a comprehensive, intuitive website linking job openings, skills assessment and training opportunities at institutions of higher education. In simple English, job seekers could go to one site to find which companies are hiring, what skills are needed and which colleges are offering the relevant training. In this economy, what can be more valuable?

\Needless to say, the bill is far from finished. The Employment Development Department, while not formally opposing, has tagged it with a $9.6 million development cost and $1.3 million annual operating expense. In this day and age, when any bill costing over 50 cents is automatically referred to the nebulas world of the “Suspense File,” we have no idea whether AB 1903 will survive.

Nonetheless, the April 7, hearing was one for the ages. CCCAOE President-Elect Hazel Hill testified for the measure alongside Jim Custeau, former President of the California Automotive Teachers Association and current governor for the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (the other co-sponsor of the bill). Both emphasized the need for the state to simplify the job seeking process while focusing on the linkage between opportunity and education.

Legislators of both parties on the Labor Committee were “one-upping” each another to demonstrate their support for the underlying concept of a “universal portal” website for job seekers. With California’s unemployment rate at 12.6 percent, AB 1903 allows lawmakers to prove they’re focused on the state’s top three priorities: “jobs, jobs, jobs.” At one point during the vote, one of the legislators declared he was “highly supportive” of AB 1903, which, at the time, I thought should count for two votes.

While AB 1903 still has a long road ahead, the April 7, hearing did something remarkable for those who care about community college CTE and Economic Development. It elevated CCCAOE from an organization which comments on public policy to that which puts forth its own ideas. That’s a huge leap forward, one that cements CCCAOE as a serious and necessary player on these vital topics.

Postscript: On May 28, AB 1903 was held by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on its Suspense File. That renders the bill dead for this legislative session. The concepts contained in AB 1903 remain popular in the Legislature, however, with the possibility of continuing discussions through the budget process.

. . .Jonathan Lightman, Executive Director~FACCC