SECTIONS 7139-7139.10 - California Statutes

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.