ACR 28 is a concurrent resolution that frames state support for expanding women's participation in the construction trades and asks for a public observance in early March 2025. It is not a lawmaking vehicle; rather, it compiles findings about workforce shortages, apprenticeship benefits, and barriers women face and uses a formal proclamation to elevate those issues.
The resolution matters because it links public messaging to workforce objectives: it promotes apprenticeships as a debt‑free career pathway, endorses efforts to improve recruitment and retention of women, and encourages activities — from K–12 outreach to business development — intended to enlarge the pool of skilled workers for California construction employers.
At a Glance
What It Does
This nonbinding concurrent resolution collects a series of 'whereas' findings about women in construction and formally proclaims a week in March 2025 as Women in Construction Week. It asks the Governor to issue a complementary proclamation and directs the Assembly Chief Clerk to transmit copies of the resolution to the author for distribution.
Who It Affects
The resolution signals priorities to construction employers, apprenticeship sponsors, unions, workforce agencies, and career counselors; it also targets women and women‑owned businesses as the primary intended beneficiaries of outreach and recruitment activities.
Why It Matters
Though ceremonial, the measure puts legislative weight behind apprenticeship pathways and diversity objectives and references existing state policy efforts; that can influence agency priorities, public messaging, grant programs, and employer recruitment practices without changing statutory obligations.
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What This Bill Actually Does
ACR 28 compiles a set of findings about the underrepresentation of women in the construction trades and uses a formal proclamation to encourage public programs and education activities. The resolution frames apprenticeships as a key career pathway that can avoid student‑loan debt and lead to family‑supporting wages.
It also emphasizes the role of women‑owned business enterprises in improving working conditions and expanding entrepreneurial opportunities in construction.
The resolution cites workforce statistics and state apprenticeship data to underpin its conclusions. It notes low female participation in apprenticeships and trade jobs, describes barriers that keep women out of or push them out of the field, and highlights the importance of joint labor‑management building trades apprenticeship programs in graduating women who go on to union jobs with collective bargaining protections.
The text explicitly endorses prior state policy efforts and sets an aspirational objective for increased female participation in the industry.Operationally, ACR 28 asks the Governor to issue a proclamation urging Californians to observe Women in Construction Week and requests that the Assembly transmit copies for distribution. There is no appropriation, regulatory change, or new program created in the resolution itself; its leverage comes through public visibility, encouragement of outreach by employers and training programs, and an explicit statement of legislative intent to support recruitment and retention efforts.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The resolution proclaims the week of March 2, 2025 through March 8, 2025 as Women in Construction Week.
It sets an aspirational target mentioned in the text to increase female participation in construction trades to at least 20 percent by 2029.
The bill records national participation figures cited in the findings: women occupy about 9 percent of apprenticeships and roughly 10.9 percent of construction trade jobs.
ACR 28 highlights Division of Apprenticeship Standards data showing joint labor‑management building trades apprenticeship programs graduate over 90 percent of women apprentices in California’s state‑approved system and notes those graduates are union members covered by collective bargaining agreements.
The resolution explicitly references and supports earlier state efforts (Assembly Bill 2358 of 2018 and Senate Bill 530 of 2019) as part of the policy context for improving recruitment and retention of women.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Findings that justify the proclamation
This section aggregates the factual predicates the Legislature relied on: national and state participation statistics, the economic need for a diversified workforce, the role of apprenticeships as a debt‑free pathway, the benefits of women‑owned enterprises, and prior state statutes. Practically, these clauses do the heavy lifting of the resolution — they state the problems and underlying evidence that make a public proclamation seem warranted.
Formal proclamation of Women in Construction Week
This operative clause formally proclaims the week in early March 2025 as Women in Construction Week and requests that the Governor issue a complementary proclamation. Because this is a concurrent resolution, it has no force to create programs or funding; its effect is to authorize and encourage public observance and outreach efforts at state and local levels.
Administrative step to distribute the resolution
The final clause directs the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to transmit copies of the resolution to the author for appropriate distribution. This is a standard, low‑substance administrative instruction that ensures stakeholders and interested parties can receive the text — it does not obligate agencies to act or to allocate resources.
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Who Benefits
- Women seeking careers in construction — the resolution elevates apprenticeships and outreach that can increase awareness and reduce informational barriers to entry.
- Apprenticeship sponsors and building trades programs — the resolution spotlights apprenticeship pathways and may increase referrals and enrollment, particularly into joint labor‑management programs.
- Women‑owned construction businesses — the measure endorses development of women‑owned enterprises, which can improve access to contracts and support entrepreneurship.
- Employers facing skilled‑labor shortages — broader recruitment of women expands the available talent pool and can help long‑term capacity and competitiveness.
- K–12 and workforce educators and career counselors — the resolution provides a legislative talking point and justification for career‑technical outreach to encourage students into trades pathways.
Who Bears the Cost
- State executive office (Governor’s office) — issuing a proclamation and coordinating observances requires staff time, though no new funding is provided.
- Apprenticeship programs and training providers — increased recruitment goals may require additional outreach, mentorship, or support services without attendant funding in the resolution.
- Employers and contractors — meeting the resolution’s stated objectives could create pressure to invest in recruitment, workplace accommodations, harassment prevention, and training.
- Labor unions and joint‑management partnerships — if outreach expands, these programs may need to scale capacity for training and supervision, which carries operational costs.
- Workforce agencies and local governments — stakeholders may face expectations to run events, update materials, or prioritize grants, potentially stretching limited budgets.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is symbolic recognition versus substantive change: the resolution promotes an ambitious participation goal and highlights apprenticeships, but it offers no funding, enforcement, or operational plan — so policymakers must choose between relying on public messaging and voluntary action or following up with concrete investments and regulatory measures to make the aspiration real.
ACR 28 is a statement of intent and public posture rather than a funding or regulatory mandate. That means the resolution can increase visibility and influence policymaking indirectly, but it does not create enforcement mechanisms, appropriations, or timelines with accountability attached.
The measure names an aspirational target and cites prior statutes and data, yet it leaves unanswered who will pay for the expanded outreach, mentorship, safety improvements, or training capacity needed to move participation figures materially.
The resolution also leans on a particular pathway — joint labor‑management apprenticeship programs and unionized careers — as a success story for women, which raises implementation questions. Relying on apprenticeships and union pipelines can be effective, but expanding entry for women requires parallel investments in site safety, workplace culture, childcare and transportation supports, and anti‑harassment enforcement.
Without accompanying funding, regulatory changes, or detailed implementation plans, there is a risk the resolution produces ceremonial recognition and modest short‑term publicity but limited durable gains in representation.
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