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Assembly Clears Two Holden Bills

AB 1586 Expands State Hiring Priorities for Unemployed & AB 1921 Transparency in Contracts

For immediate release:

Sacramento – Assemblymember Chris Holden's bills to put more Californians to work and provide transparency in government contracts have passed the Assembly.

AB 1586 is a workforce development bill that would move unemployed Californians to the front of the hiring line by requiring certain state contractors to give priority to workers who are currently receiving unemployment benefits or to workers that have exhausted their unemployment benefits.

"Californians have struggled for years now with some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, even though we've seen some improvement over the past year," said Assemblymember Holden. "So even though the jobless rate has fallen, the pain lingers, and there are still many people who can't find jobs or who have given up trying. Hopefully, people trapped in long-term unemployment will see this as a way out."

AB 1921 provides more transparency in state contracts by ensuring the right to review how taxpayer funds are being spent. The measure requires a contractor doing business with the state in excess of $25,000, to agree to provide records on how that money is being spent. The bill is designed to provide more public awareness in how these contracts function.

AB 1586 passed off the Assembly floor 52-23 and AB 1921 passed off the Assembly Floor 55-15.