AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2026
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 8, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 18, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 16, 2026
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 19, 2026
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
94
Introduced by Assembly Member Caloza
February 13, 2026
An act to amend Section 107.7 of, and to add Section 107.7.3 to, the Labor Code, relating to employment.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: no
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
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.
This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the department to establish, through the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program for the purpose of increasing equitable access to building and construction career pathways
for Program, and would state the goals of the program, including, among other things, providing women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations in California. The bill would require the department to issue a competitive request for applications for qualified organizations, as defined. The bill would authorize the grants to be used only for specified purposes, including to provide direct participant stipends to offset lost wages and enable full participation in with opportunities to train for a construction career with greater access to preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that are registered with the division.
This bill would require the department to prioritize applications from qualified organizations that have programs serving women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations who meet specified criteria. The bill would impose reporting requirements on grantees, as applicable, and would require
the department to provide a summary report of the data received to the Legislature. The bill would authorize the department 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. above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 107.7 of the Labor Code is amended to read:
107.7.
For purposes of this chapter, all of the following definitions shall apply:
(a) “Department” means the Department of Industrial Relations.
(b) “Director” means the Director of Industrial Relations.
(c) “Registered” means registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.
(d) “Unit” means the Women in Construction Priority Unit.
SEC. 2.
Section 107.7.3 is added to the Labor Code, immediately following Section 107.7.2, to read:
107.7.3.
(a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature of funds to the department, the department, through its Division of Apprenticeship Standards, shall establish and administer the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program.
(c) The department shall issue a competitive request for applications for qualified organizations that provide registered preapprenticeship programs and registered apprenticeship programs designed to prepare women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations for entry into the building and construction trades.
(d) “Qualified organizations” include community-based organizations, workforce boards, unions, nonprofit organizations, local education agencies, and registered construction apprenticeship and preapprenticeship program sponsors.
(1) A qualified organization shall either be a registered preapprenticeship program or apprenticeship program, or be in collaboration with one, as validated with letters of support.
(2) A qualified organization shall have a demonstrated history of operating at least two preapprentice or apprentice cohorts focused on equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations in the building and construction industry over the past four years, or marketed, recruited, or advocated for women or nonbinary individuals in registered construction preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
(e) In awarding grants, the department shall prioritize applications from qualified organizations that have programs that serve women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations who meet one or more of the following criteria:
(1) Low-income status.
(2) Unemployed or underemployed.
(3) Single parents or primary caregivers.
(4) Residents of communities disproportionately impacted by poverty or unemployment.
(5) Individuals from populations historically underrepresented in apprenticeship and skilled trades.
(f) Grant funds awarded pursuant to this section may be used only for the following purposes:
(1) Direct participant stipends to offset lost wages and enable full participation in registered preapprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs.
(2) Supportive services necessary to improve participant retention and completion, including childcare assistance, transportation support, case management, and referrals for housing or family stabilization services.
(3) Career navigation, job placement, and transition supportive services for preapprentices and apprentices to move into registered apprenticeship programs or employment.
(4) Outreach to women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations interested in careers in the building and construction industry.
(5) Worksite culture improvements, with a focus on mentoring, community building, and mental health support for apprentices, as well as training for apprentices and journey workers, contractors, and managers on a worksite.
(6) Administrative and program management costs, as determined by the department.
(g) Each grantee shall report outcome data to the department, including, but not limited to, all of the following, if applicable to the purpose of the grant:
(1) Either of the following:
(A) Number of participants enrolled in a registered preapprenticeship program, and how many enrollees completed the program.
(B) Number of participants enrolled in a registered apprenticeship program, and how many enrollees completed the program.
(2) Amount and distribution of stipends.
(3) Amount and distribution of supportive services.
(4) Amount and uses of outreach funding.
(5) Gender demographics for program participants.
(6) Employment retention outcomes at 6 and 12 months postprogram exit for registered preapprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs.
(h) The department 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.
(b) The goals of the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program shall include all of the following:
(1) Provide women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations with opportunities to train for a construction career with greater access to registered preapprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs.
(2) Increase awareness among women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations of preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that create an on-ramp into a career in the building and construction industry.
(3) Increase the number of women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations registered in, and completing, construction preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.
(4) Increase the number of women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations employed in the construction trades.
(5) Increase retention of women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations in the construction trades.
(c) The department may issue rules, regulations, guidelines, policies, or procedures necessary to implement this section, including application criteria, grant requirements, and performance measures.
section.