2008 Florida Legislative Goals
Key Issues...
Immigration
HB 73/SB 388 Oppose
Associated Builders and Contractors oppose vehemently any effort to make the business community more responsible than the government for enforcement of the immigration laws of this nation or state. We are partners in this effort. Under current law businesses are required to obtain identification and either a single class A document or combination of class B or C documents and file applicable I9s. Any proposed state law which would demand more of the business community than is required by existing federal law is unfair. We are not experts in document forgery. We are not experts in enforcing immigration laws; that is the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement responsibility. Please do not support any legislation which expects the business community to assume the risk and/or responsibilities for |something which the government, with all it’s resources and power, has not even been able to effectively achieve.
Crane Operators
Certification/Licensure
HB 609/SB 1316 Support
Please oppose any effort to create a new “license” for crane operators. The preferred method and one practiced in recent years by the Legislature is “certification”, so long as it includes a “safe harbor” and “preemptive” provision.
We cannot risk another “JLA like” situation whereby contractors are having to deal with 67 different standards.
Apprenticeship
Workforce Development
CEPRI's January 2004 report, "A New Emphasis and Funding Methodology for Adult and Career Education"
“Apprenticeship programs have been proven to be highly effective training mechanisms leading to high wage employment for program completers. By any standard, they are a valuable option in the menu of programs available for career and technical training. In fundamental ways, apprenticeship programs differ greatly from traditional offerings of career and technical training. The connection to business and industry is required and imbedded within the program. Ultimately, the credential is not awarded by the college or district offering the related training instruction but by the apprenticeship sponsor.”
“On the first issue, the current system is characterized by local control. A variety of training arrangements have been locally negotiated and there is no ‘standard’ model of operation for programs. The funding levels vary widely from reported direct costs per funded OCP of $500 to almost $4,000. In some cases, local disagreements have emerged between apprenticeship sponsors and local districts or colleges regarding funding relationships. Under the current funding methodology, there are no incentives to put more resources into apprenticeship partnerships. Without funding in their base appropriation, an institution would have to move resources from existing programs in order to provide program support for apprenticeship programs. For institutions with funding in their base, as state revenue for adult and career programs has fallen, the natural inclination is to focus on other certificate and degree programs in which new revenue can be generated through tuition and fees.”
“As with traditional career and technical training programs, funding for new programs is a problem in the current funding methodology. Business and industry sponsors who want to start new programs have a hard time finding partners at colleges or districts who do not have residual base funding from the enrollmentbased funding model. In the LEA survey, 87 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that the current workforce funding system does not provide incentives to either start new or expand existing apprenticeship programs.”
80% of the new jobs in the next 20 years will require Workforce Development training and/or certificates. Please support increased Workforce Development funding.
Immigration
HB 73/SB 388 Oppose
Associated Builders and Contractors oppose vehemently any effort to make the business community more responsible than the government for enforcement of the immigration laws of this nation or state. We are partners in this effort. Under current law businesses are required to obtain identification and either a single class A document or combination of class B or C documents and file applicable I9s. Any proposed state law which would demand more of the business community than is required by existing federal law is unfair. We are not experts in document forgery. We are not experts in enforcing immigration laws; that is the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement responsibility. Please do not support any legislation which expects the business community to assume the risk and/or responsibilities for |something which the government, with all it’s resources and power, has not even been able to effectively achieve.
Crane Operators
Certification/Licensure
HB 609/SB 1316 Support
Please oppose any effort to create a new “license” for crane operators. The preferred method and one practiced in recent years by the Legislature is “certification”, so long as it includes a “safe harbor” and “preemptive” provision.
We cannot risk another “JLA like” situation whereby contractors are having to deal with 67 different standards.
Apprenticeship
Workforce Development
CEPRI's January 2004 report, "A New Emphasis and Funding Methodology for Adult and Career Education"
“Apprenticeship programs have been proven to be highly effective training mechanisms leading to high wage employment for program completers. By any standard, they are a valuable option in the menu of programs available for career and technical training. In fundamental ways, apprenticeship programs differ greatly from traditional offerings of career and technical training. The connection to business and industry is required and imbedded within the program. Ultimately, the credential is not awarded by the college or district offering the related training instruction but by the apprenticeship sponsor.”
“On the first issue, the current system is characterized by local control. A variety of training arrangements have been locally negotiated and there is no ‘standard’ model of operation for programs. The funding levels vary widely from reported direct costs per funded OCP of $500 to almost $4,000. In some cases, local disagreements have emerged between apprenticeship sponsors and local districts or colleges regarding funding relationships. Under the current funding methodology, there are no incentives to put more resources into apprenticeship partnerships. Without funding in their base appropriation, an institution would have to move resources from existing programs in order to provide program support for apprenticeship programs. For institutions with funding in their base, as state revenue for adult and career programs has fallen, the natural inclination is to focus on other certificate and degree programs in which new revenue can be generated through tuition and fees.”
“As with traditional career and technical training programs, funding for new programs is a problem in the current funding methodology. Business and industry sponsors who want to start new programs have a hard time finding partners at colleges or districts who do not have residual base funding from the enrollmentbased funding model. In the LEA survey, 87 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that the current workforce funding system does not provide incentives to either start new or expand existing apprenticeship programs.”
80% of the new jobs in the next 20 years will require Workforce Development training and/or certificates. Please support increased Workforce Development funding.
For more information, please contact:
Tallahassee
Rick Watson, ABC Legal Counsel
Associated Builders & Contractors of Florida
Post Office Box 10038, Tallahassee, Florida 32302
(850) 222-0000 Phone (850) 222-9059 Fax
rick@rwatsonandassociates.com
District
Peter M. Dyga, Vice President Government Affairs
Florida East Coast Chapter
Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc.
3730 Coconut Creek Parkway, Suite 200
Coconut Creek, Florida 33066
(954) 984-0075 Phone (954) 984-4905 Fax
pdyga@abceastflorida.com
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