RCRC has expressed opposition for Assembly Bill 680, authored by Assembly Member Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), which would enact the California Jobs Plan Act of 2021 and update guidelines for projects funded by the Greenhouse Gas reduction Fund (GGRF).
AB 680 would update the funding guidelines for the GGRF by July 1, 2023, including requiring prevailing wage for construction projects funded in full or part by GGRF grants. AB 680 would also require entities receiving grants of $1 million or more for construction projects to provide evidence of a project labor agreement, and would give preference to applicants that demonstrate a partnership with an educational institution or training program targeting residents of disadvantaged, tribal, and low-income communities in the same region as the proposed project. Should the measure pass, AB 680 could have profound impacts on the ability for rural local governments to complete community wildfire prevention and forest resilience projects funded by GGRF programs due to the ambiguous definition of “construction” and the preferential treatment for regions with already-established workforce development programs.
AB 680 passed the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee on June 28, 2021 and will next be heard Wednesday, July 7, 2021 in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. RCRC’s letter of opposition is available here. For more information, contact Staci Heaton, RCRC Senior Regulatory Affairs Advocate by email or John Kennedy, RCRC Legislative Advocate by email, or call (916) 447-4806.