7139-7139.10
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 7139-7139.10
7139. This article shall be known as the Construction Management Education Sponsorship Act of 1991. 7139.1. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following: (a) There is a demand and increasing need for construction management education programs and resources within the postsecondary education system that prepare graduates for the management of construction operations and companies regulated by the Contractors' State License Law and enforced by the Contractors' State License Board. (b) Although construction management programs do exist within the state university system, these programs are woefully underfunded and insufficiently funded to provide training on state-of-the-art management information systems for either graduates or extension programs for continuing education of licensed contractors. Construction industry associations have provided some assistance through direct grants and scholarships, but the industrywide service of these programs and the need for additional assistance mandates broad based industrywide support. (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that by enabling contractors to designate a portion of their licensure fee and providing a format for contractors to contribute funds to construction management education, this article will receive broad based industry support. In addition, this article allows the contractor to demonstrate the importance of construction management education. This assistance will enable greater development of construction management curricula and will improve the overall quality of construction by providing construction management training to California licensed contractors and their current and future management personnel. 7139.2. (a) There is hereby created the Construction Management Education Account (CMEA) as a separate account in the Contractors' License Fund for the purposes of construction management education. Funds in the account shall be available for the purposes of this article upon appropriation by the Legislature. (b) The Contractors' State License Board shall allow a contractor to make a contribution to the Construction Management Education Account at the time of the contractor license fee payment. The license fee form shall clearly display this alternative on its face and shall clearly inform the licensee that this provision is a contribution to the Construction Management Education Account and is in addition to the fees. (c) The board may accept grants from federal, state, or local public agencies, or from private foundations or individuals, in order to assist it in carrying out its duties, functions, and powers under this article. Grant moneys shall be deposited into the Construction Management Education Account. 7139.3. (a) The board may award grants to qualified public postsecondary educational institutions for the support of courses of study in construction management. (b) Any organization of contractors, or organization of contractor organizations, incorporated under Division 2 (commencing with Section 5000) of the Corporations Code may request the board to award grants pursuant to subdivision (a) directly to qualified public postsecondary educational institutions of its choice. However, the total amount of money that may be awarded to one public postsecondary educational institution pursuant to subdivision (a) may not exceed an amount equal to 25 percent of the total funds available under this article. (c) The board shall establish an advisory committee to recommend grant awards. The advisory committee shall be known as the Construction Management Education Account Advisory Committee and shall consist of 11 members, with at least one representative from each of the following: Associated General Contractors of California, Associated Builders and Contractors, California Building Industry Association, National Electrical Contractors Association, Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractor's Association, Southern California Contractor's Association, Associated General Contractors of San Diego, Engineering and Utility Contractors Association, Engineering Contractors Association, California Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractor's Association, and one member representing the California State University and University of California construction management programs accredited by the American Council for Construction Education. Advisory committee member terms shall be for three years and the representatives shall be appointed by each identified group. Members of the advisory committee shall not receive per diem or reimbursement for traveling and other expenses pursuant to Section 103. (d) The mission of the Construction Management Education Account Advisory Committee is to maintain, and increase the quality and availability of, education programs for the construction industry. The primary focus is to provide financial resources not now available to accredited construction management programs in California colleges and universities to maintain and upgrade facilities and provide greater access by the industry to modern construction standards and management practices. The advisory committee shall do all of the following: (1) Confirm the qualifications of programs applying for grants. (2) Award less than full grants when the account has insufficient funds to award full grants to all qualifying programs. (3) Receive and review year-end reports of use and impact of funds. (4) Affirm applications for American Council for Construction Education accreditation and, when funds are available, award grants to complete the accreditation process. (5) Promote close ties between feeder junior colleges and four-year construction management programs. (6) Support development of new educational programs with specific emphasis on outreach to the construction industry at large. 7139.4. Qualified public postsecondary educational institutions shall provide postsecondary construction management programs at the baccalaureate or higher level that either award or provide one of the following: (a) A bachelor of science construction management degree accredited by the American Council for Construction Education. (b) A degree with an American Council for Construction Education accredited option, including, but not limited to, engineering technology and industrial technology. (c) A bachelor of science or higher degree program documenting placement of more than 50 percent of their graduates with California licensed contractors. The placement of a person who holds a master or doctorate degree in the faculty of a construction program shall be counted as though placed with a California licensed contractor. (d) The development of a construction management curriculum to meet the American Council for Construction Education criteria. 7139.5. Grants shall be made pursuant to this article to public postsecondary educational institutions that meet the qualifications specified in Section 7139. 4 in the following amounts: (a) Three thousand dollars ($3,000) per graduate during the past academic year for institutions qualifying under subdivision (a) of Section 7139.4. (b) Three thousand dollars ($3,000) per graduate during the past academic year for institutions qualifying under subdivision (b) of Section 7139.4. (c) Three thousand dollars ($3,000) per graduate placed with California licensed contractors during the past academic year for institutions qualifying under subdivision (c) of Section 7139.4. These funds shall be used for the purpose of becoming accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and shall be available for up to three years. The board may continue to provide this grant to an institution that in its judgment is meeting the intent of this act and is continuing its development towards accreditation. (d) Institutions qualifying under subdivision (d) of Section 7139.4 may receive a grant in an amount up to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per year for up to two years. Thereafter, these institutions may receive grants based upon the criteria described in subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive. The board may continue to award a grant to an institution that in its judgment is meeting the intent of this article and is continuing its development towards accreditation. 7139.6. (a) The grants issued pursuant to Sections 7139.3 and 7139.5 may be used for all of the following: (1) Instructional materials and support, equipment, curriculum development, and delivery. (2) Support and development of outreach, continuing education, and cooperative education or internship programs. (3) Administrative and clerical support positions. (4) Faculty recruitment and development, to include support for postgraduate work leading to advanced degrees, visiting lecturer compensation and expenses, teaching assistant positions, and faculty positions. (b) Grant moneys may also be used to support general classroom and laboratory operating expenses and related administrative supplies, including, but not limited to, reference materials, testing equipment, and equipment maintenance. The list of support items in this subdivision and subdivision (a) are intended to be descriptive rather than limiting. "Support" does not include faculty salary supplements. 7139.7. The board shall report to the Legislature annually on the condition of the grant program and shall include in the report the names of the public postsecondary educational institutions involved, the amount of funds granted to each of those educational institutions, the purposes for which the funds were granted to each of those recipients, the number of students involved, the number of placements made to the construction industry for the previous academic year, and any other information the board considers relevant to the program. 7139.8. The president of each public postsecondary educational institution receiving a grant under this article shall submit, with its respective request for a grant each year following the initial year for which grants are issued, a report to the board delineating the amount of the past grant awarded from the Construction Management Education Account to that institution and the utilization of those funds. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) The number of graduates placed with the California licensed contractors during the previous academic year. (b) The expected enrollment in construction management courses in the upcoming academic year. (c) Continuing education and extension courses offered during the previous academic year and their enrollments. 7139.9. The board may allocate up to fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) per year from the Construction Management Education Account for the administration of this article. 7139.10. It is the intent of the Legislature that state funding for the grants authorized to be awarded under this section be provided only from the Contractors' License Fund to the extent that funds are available in that fund and that no other state funding be provided for those grants.