Koretz Urges Governor to Sign Offshoring Data Bill

Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) today urged the Governor to sign his Assembly Bill 1339, an important measure to provide statewide policymakers with empirical information about the offshoring of jobs from California which passed the Legislature today.

"Offshoring is a growing problem that threatens the economic livelihood of this great state", said Assemblyman Koretz. "Last year, the Governor vetoed numerous bills that attempted to address this problem before it is too late. I implore the Governor to sign this modest measure that simply allows us to have the empirical information necessary to continue to debate this issue in an informed manner."

AB 1339 requires the Employment Development Department (EDD) to provide the Legislature with a quarterly report of offshoring data that it currently collects from employers. Currently EDD, in conjunction with the federal Department of Labor, collects certain data related to the movement of work outside of California based on unemployment insurance filings. This data is limited in that it only covers situations in which there has been a layoff of 50 or more employees within a five-week period.

Because EDD is already collecting this data, AB 1339 does not impose any new obligations on the department or employers.

"Although this data is limited in scope and is far from a complete picture, it is critical that state policymakers have consistent access to whatever data is out there," said Koretz.

AB 1339 is sponsored by the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO. "This is an important measure that simply lets our policymakers know the extent of this growing problem," said Angie Wei, the Federation's Legislative Director. "We'll see if the Governor wants us to have an intelligent debate about offshoring or prefers that we continue to put our heads in the sand."

AB 1339 passed the Senate on a 25-14 vote and will be on the Governor's desk within the next few days.