CA AB2642

Establishes the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, led by the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, to provide grants for remedial education and work readiness training for individuals with multiple barriers to employment.

Requires grant recipients to use at least 90 percent of funds for direct services to clients, with eligible activities including English language training, GED acquisition, skills training, apprenticeship programs, mentoring, and case management.

Mandates competitive grant selection based on demonstrated capacity of community-based organizations and workforce development boards to serve targeted populations including disconnected youth, displaced workers, persons with limited English proficiency, formerly incarcerated individuals, veterans, and persons with disabilities.

Requires the Secretary to post annual reports on the agency website by January 1, 2018 and each year thereafter providing status updates on initiative implementation and aggregating grantee performance data on participant outcomes.

Makes implementation contingent on Legislative appropriation and the Secretary notifying the Department of Finance that sufficient funds have been appropriated to the Consolidated Work Program Fund.