Eligible training provider list.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas's workforce development legislation modifies how California maintains its list of approved training providers, establishing new protections and review processes for organizations delivering federally-funded workforce training programs.

The bill creates a formal framework preventing training providers from being removed from the state's eligible provider list if they have submitted verification of continued eligibility requirements through their local workforce development board. It institutes a standardized two-year review cycle, requiring local boards to submit provider eligibility assessments to the Employment Development Department by September 30 of even-numbered years for the preceding two fiscal years.

These changes expand the duties of local workforce development boards, which must now conduct regular provider reviews according to the new timeline. The bill designates this as a state-mandated local program, allowing local agencies to seek reimbursement for associated costs pending determination by the Commission on State Mandates. The measure maintains alignment with federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requirements while adding state-specific protections and procedures for maintaining provider eligibility.