Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
04/11/2022 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB132 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 132 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 132-SCHOOL APPRENTICESHIP PROGS; TAX CREDITS
9:07:44 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL
NO. 132(FIN) "An Act relating to technical education and
registered apprenticeships."
[CSHB 132(FIN) was previously heard on 3/11/2022.]
9:08:03 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE moved to adopt the proposed Senate committee
substitute (SCS) for HB 132, work order 32-LS0476\R, as the
working document.
9:08:17 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND objected for purposes of discussion.
9:08:28 AM
ED KING, Staff, Senator Roger Holland, Alaska State Legislature,
stated that the Senate committee substitute (SCS) for HB 132 was
significantly different than the bill that was referred to the
committee. He paraphrased the prepared summary of changes from
Version N to Version R:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Section 1: No change.
Section 2: Amended the duties of the department of
education for clarity and conformity to
changes made in section 4.
Section 3: New section, which creates a report to the
legislature that parallels the middle
college reporting requirement in SB 32.
Section 4: New section, mostly reinserted from version
B. This section allows a school district to
contract with agencies for dual credit CTE
programs Which will be available to high
school students. These programs include
vocational education, pre-apprenticeship,
apprenticeship, work-based learning, and
on-the-job experience programs.
Section 5: No change from section 3 of version N.
Section 6: New section to make clear that both the
departments of education and the department
of labor have a duty to support school
districts offering concurrent CTE programs.
Section 7: No change from section 6 of version B.
Section 8: No change from section 7 of version B.
Section 9: No change from section 8 of version B.
Section 10: Added an effective date of July 1, 2022.
Deletion: Section 4 of version N was deleted.
9:10:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZACH FIELDS, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 132, via teleconference, stated that it
made sense to combine this bill with HB 108. He offered his
support for the committee substitute. He highlighted that the
outstanding question was the relative importance of tax credits
to help expand apprenticeships. The current bill removes the tax
credits. He offered his view that the tax credits work well to
scale up apprenticeships in South Carolina. He deferred to the
committee to determine whether to include the tax credits. He
offered his belief that HB 132 was a strong bill either way.
9:11:54 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND removed his objection; he found no further
objection, and SCS CSHB 132, work order 32-LS0476\R, was
adopted.
9:12:04 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND turned to invited testimony.
9:12:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KEN MCCARTY, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 108, stated that students could consider
the type of career that interested them. These students could
enroll in college classes. However, HB 132 emphasizes concurrent
enrollment for trade and strengthens that process. He related
that the tax credits represented a means to get the workforce
invested in helping students in secondary education. He noted
that the workforce currently was desperate for workers, so it
wasn't necessary to provide any additional incentive. He
highlighted the need for a long-term workforce in Alaska.
9:13:57 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked what provisions from his bill were added to
HB 132.
9:14:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY highlighted that the key provision in HB
108 was to provide neutrality so every student would have an
opportunity to join the workforce. Some apprenticeship programs
might accept three of 100 students interested in their programs.
His bill would allow every secondary school student to earn
industry certification by an industry-standard person certified
to teach by the Department of Education and Early Development.
He related that the instructor would come to the school, or the
student would attend a trade center for training. This would
allow students to obtain certification earlier by participating
in concurrent vocational education, training, and on-the-job
trade experience.
9:15:54 AM
SENATOR HUGHES related her understanding that an earlier version
of HB 132 provided training within the trade unions. Still, this
bill would allow students to obtain the same training outside
the trade union.
9:16:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY agreed. He said that certification in the
trades involves a lot of pieces. Under his bill, students 14
years and older could begin the textbook portion of their
training because OSHA rules limit hands-on work that younger
teens can perform. He related that his bill reduced the age from
17 to 16 to allow teens an opportunity to obtain lab experience.
Another provision expanded the opportunities for teens to work
for their families, not limiting them to work for their parents
but also in businesses owned or operated by an adult sibling,
grandparent, aunt, or uncle. Another component would expand the
hours the teens could work from 9 pm to 10 pm because Alaska has
so many daylight hours.
CHAIR HOLLAND related his understanding that the students could
work the additional hour from 9 pm to 10 pm daily.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY responded that it would add the
additional hour per day, with a maximum of 23 hours per week
outside school hours.
9:18:43 AM
CHRIS DIMOND, Regional Manager, Carpenters Union - Alaska,
Anchorage, Alaska, provided invited testimony supporting HB 132.
He stated that HB 132 would expand work opportunities for Alaska
students. He emphasized that the bill would allow students to
create real-life work experiences while in high school and
decide if the job was the career path they wanted to take.
MR. DIMOND stated that construction could be a demanding job,
and apprentices often enter the program after high school
without any prior job experience. Some realize a year into the
apprenticeship program that they don't know what the job truly
entails, so they drop out of the program. It would allow them to
assess the job's culture and physical demands. He emphasized
that Alaska has a workforce shortage. He anticipated that the
Carpenters Union would need 200 300 jobs this season before
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was implemented. He
encouraged the legislature to work with school districts to
incentivize further career pathways by providing more career and
technical education (CTE), perhaps including mandatory electives
to familiarize students with the types of jobs available to them
besides college.
9:20:47 AM
MR. DIMOND stated that first-year apprentices with 2,000 hours
of work could earn $93,000, including retirement and health
care. He noted that a journeyman could earn $140,000 with full
benefits. He said students go through the programs and incur no
debt. He highlighted that the Carpenters Union had created a
Career Connections program used by the Juneau School District.
The coursework was designed by carpenters and could be taught by
any teacher. For instance, a substitute teacher could teach a
class without disrupting student training.
MR. DIMOND commented that the program was half the cost of the
current National Center for Construction Education and Research
(NCCER) program used in most Alaska schools. He characterized
the Carpenters Union program as more interactive. He highlighted
that once students graduate, they would have an advantage during
the interview process to join the apprenticeship program over
someone with no experience. He acknowledged that 16 and 17-year-
old apprentices on the job site would need careful supervision
while using power tools, but the program provides real-life
experience.
9:23:39 AM
SENATOR HUGHES wondered if HB 132 was more urban-focused and not
geared toward rural areas. She asked how this bill might open
students in remote areas.
9:24:13 AM
MR. DIAMOND answered that he saw the need to open up
opportunities to rural students. He noted several bills before
the legislature and funding for workforce development that could
allow training outside Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. In
conjunction with the training programs, work opportunities must
also exist. He said some rural students would go through the
program and return home. He said they did not want to travel for
work, which was understandable, but creating more work
opportunities in rural communities would go hand-in-hand with HB
132.
9:25:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS offered his belief that HB 132 would open
doors by bringing apprenticeship and other CTE instruction to
rural schools. He acknowledged the logistical challenges. He
recalled that the first step was to leverage the regional
training centers including, Yuut Eltnaurviat in Bethel and
Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC) in
Nome. He highlighted that NACTEC was managed in partnership with
the Bering Strait School District. He predicted that if HB 232
were to pass, it would immediately provide more opportunities in
Nome and Bethel. He related one goal was to consider how to work
with the Denali Commission and other stakeholders to bring more
training opportunities to rural Alaska. As Mr. Dimond stated, it
would require a project, perhaps a multi-year rural one that was
large enough for rural students to complete most of their
apprenticeship program.
SENATOR HUGHES remarked that it was good news to know that rural
teens would have some opportunities in their area.
9:27:02 AM
DON ETHERIDGE, Lobbyist, American Federation of Labor and
Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Alaska, Juneau,
Alaska, provided invited testimony in support of HB 132. He
stated that he was speaking on behalf of the AFL-CIO Alaska and
Alaska Works Partnership Program. He stated that AFL-CIO had
worked to expand training to rural districts and contractors for
many years. He offered AFL-CIO's full support of HB 132. He
offered his belief that it would provide younger people an
opportunity to learn before entering an apprenticeship program.
He related that one student struggled in high school math, but
during his apprenticeship program, he learned trigonometry and
could estimate the board feet of lumber a tree would produce. He
related that he served on a board that helped at-risk youth work
programs, giving them a chance to get a GED while earning money.
He characterized the program in HB 132 as similar, one that
could keep kids off the streets.
9:29:52 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND acknowledged that this program would give kids a
chance to work with their hands and get an idea of how the real-
world workforce works.
MR. ETHERIDGE stated that he graduated from high school after
taking some shop classes. He noted that the program was not
strictly designed for the union trades but for any
apprenticeship program that was federally registered.
9:31:23 AM
At ease
9:31:45 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting and asked Mr. King to
review the changes in HB 132 after incorporating HB 108 into the
bill.
9:31:57 AM
MR. KING suggested it might be beneficial for members to review
Article 2. Concurrent Career and Technical Education Programs in
Section 4 on page 5, beginning on line 2. He read:
Sec. 14.35.100. State policy.
It is the policy of this state to provide public
secondary school students who are at least 14 years of
age the opportunity to participate in concurrent
career and technical education programs, including
vocational education, pre-apprenticeship,
apprenticeship, work-based learning, and on the-job
experience programs.
MR. KING stated that this would simultaneously allow students to
obtain high school credit and career advancement.
9:32:58 AM
MR. KING referred to Sec. 14.35.105, Program contracts on page
5, beginning on line 12. He emphasized that this language
provides an optional program that school districts may elect to
participate in, and this provision outlines how school districts
would participate in the program. He summarized that the school
districts would negotiate contracts with outside agencies to
provide the training for students.
MR. KING referred to subsection (b) that indicates what the
contract must include, which he reviewed:
(1) a description of the program, including the
program curriculum;
(2) the number of eligible students who may
participate in the program each year;
(3) the tuition paid by the school district for each
student for program participation, including whether
the agency will provide scholarships and fee waivers
to reduce the cost for a participating school
district;
(4) a requirement that agency instructors comply with
AS 14.35.125;
9:33:38 AM
MR. KING suggested that it may be beneficial for the department
to clarify how paragraph (4) would work.
9:33:52 AM
MR. KING suggested that paragraph (5) was a direct reference to
the existing AS 14.20.025, type M certificates, which would only
be issued if a school district sponsored the instructor. This
language would and a situation where a school district engages
with an agency but subsequently does not request the
certificate, thereby preventing the agency from fulfilling its
requirements.
(5) a statement from the school district that it will
request issuance of a certificate for eligible agency
instructors;
9:34:29 AM
MR. KING indicated that paragraph (6) showed how the program
would provide high school credit and credit towards the
advancements of a professional certificate or professional
license.
(6) if applicable, a statement that all instruction
provided in the program meets industry standards for
credit toward certification based on agency accredited
national, regional, or programmatic instruction
standards, or toward a requirement for a professional
license issued by the Department of Commerce,
Community, and Economic Development;
9:34:36 AM
MR. KING reviewed paragraph (7).
(7) the method by which the program will credit a
student for coursework in the program and how that
credit will satisfy the credit requirements for
students concurrently in a public secondary school;
9:34:45 AM
MR. KING stated that the rest of the paragraphs were basic
contract terms.
9:35:00 AM
MR. KING referred to page 6, beginning on line 16, to Sec.
14.35.110. He stated that Sec. 14.35.110 provides a program
list.
Sec. 14.35.110. Program list. A school district shall
annually compile and publish on the school district's
Internet website a list of concurrent vocational
education, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, work-
based learning, and on-the-job experience programs
that the school district contracts with to provide
concurrent career and technical education.
9:35:12 AM
MR. KING reviewed Sec 14.35.115.
Sec. 14.35.115. Student enrollment. (a) A student is
eligible to participate in a concurrent career and
technical education program if the student (1) is
enrolled in a public school in the state; (2) has
completed eighth grade; (3) is at least 14 years of
age; (4) has not received a high school diploma; and
(5) complies with the program requirements.
MR. KING explained that the language requiring a student be at
least 14 years of age and not have received a high school
diploma was to avoid a situation where a precocious student
under 14 is in high school or someone over 14 years of age has
not yet entered high school.
MR. KING related that Sec. 14.35.120 relates to program
information, ensuring that students know the program exists so
they can participate.
9:36:15 AM
MR. KING stated that Sec. 14.13.125 provides instructor
certification.
Sec. 14.35.125. Instructor certification. A person may
not instruct students in a concurrent vocational
education, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, work-
based learning, or on-the-job experience program
unless the person possesses a valid teaching
certificate issued under AS 14.20.010 - 14.20.040 and,
if providing vocational education, holds industry
standard master skill certification or the equivalent
in the area of instruction.
9:35:53 AM
SENATOR STEVENS joined the committee.
9:36:42 AM
SENATOR HUGHES related her understanding that this was intended
for high school. She referred to page 7, which discusses making
information available to parents and students in grades 8 12.
She asked whether middle school students would participate or if
it begins in high school, and this language would inform 8th
graders of the opportunities as they enter high school.
MR. KING responded that the concurrent high school and
professional certification credit can't start until high school.
The information goes to the 8th grade, so the students know
about the program. He stated that the 14-year-old requirement
was more directed towards a worker's permit and the ability for
one of these students to get on-the-job training and to comply
with the Department of Labor & Workforce Development standards
for working.
9:37:57 AM
SENATOR HUGHES recalled discussing whether 8th graders could
begin earning high school credit. She asked whether any
districts offered it.
MR. KING deferred to Mr. Billings.
9:38:47 AM
BRAD BILLINGS, Career and Technical Education Administrator,
Innovation and Education Excellence, Department of Education and
Early Development, Juneau, Alaska, responded that the department
reviewed the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
of 20015 (Perkins VI) that serve students. The department
extended the use of the Perkins VI funds to include grades 7-12.
th
He stated that whether credit could be awarded for a 7th or 8
grade student would be up to the local school board.
9:39:58 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether any districts allowed high school
credit for 7th and 8th grade students, particularly 8th grade
students who were 14 years old.
9:40:08 AM
MR. BILLINGS offered to research the matter and report back to
the committee.
9:40:18 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE stated that HB 132 was written for public
secondary students. He wondered if students attending a private
school could participate in a similar program.
SENATOR HOLLAND asked whether he was referring to including
private homeschooled students.
SENATOR MICCICHE clarified that homeschooled students are public
school students. He said his question relates to private school
students.
SENATOR HUGHES stated that there are also private homeschools.
She stated that she had just attended a convention, so she was
also curious about it.
9:41:27 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE offered his belief that the legislature tends
to divide schools and students in an unhealthy way. He pointed
out that some students may choose CTE early on, but people tend
to push students toward a college path.
9:42:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS stated that some pre-apprenticeship
programs, such as the Alaska Primary Care Association's pre-
apprenticeship programs in health care or Alaska Works
Partnership, do not limit their programs to public school
students. He suggested that a private school student in a
community where APCA offered a pre-apprenticeship program would
be available to all students.
9:42:58 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked whether the word public" should be
removed on page 5, line 4.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS responded that the underlying HB 132
language was trying to support DEED, DOLWD, and the University
of Alaska to collaborate. He stated that in the sense that the
legislature was telling school systems that it values CTE, the
public school makes sense because the state does not appropriate
money for private schools.
9:44:32 AM
SENATOR HUGHES agreed with Senator Micciche. She noted one topic
that the private homeschool convention mentioned earlier was
some parents were taking their children out of the public school
system because the traditional academic book learning doesn't
work for their students. She highlighted that if the bill
applied to private students, they could fill the need Mr. Dimond
said the 200-300 carpenters currently needed,.
9:45:54 AM
MR. KING pointed out that the bill was focused on the direction
of using public funds and the purpose of those funds. He stated
that private schools control their curriculum. He indicated that
if the private school wanted to provide high school credit for
that program, it would be a matter for the private school. The
legislature would not need to direct that since there was no
regulation or oversight for private schools.
MR. BILLINGS deferred to the bill sponsor. He noted that the
federal funds would pass through the school district. The
federal government requires a school district receiving the
Perkins VI funding would offer that a private school within
their boundaries would be able to participate in the Perkins VI-
funded activities.
9:47:33 AM
SENATOR STEVENS stated that the legislature was concerned about
all students, public and private, so he did not see an issue
with removing the term "public."
9:47:58 AM
SENATOR HUGHES offered her belief that private and public
homeschools can participate in some music and sports programs,
so that might be a way this bill can work for those students.
She wondered if each district determined that as an option.
9:49:08 AM
MR. BILLINGS stated that he was aware of two federally-funded
programs, Title I and Perkins VI that require states to offer
those opportunities to private school students. He highlighted
that it would be a local school district decision regarding
how to structure it and what they offer. The difference here was
that the bill refers to state funds and not the federal funds
that have that requirement attached.
9:50:05 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE offered to discuss a parallel path for those
students offline. He stated that at some point, kids start
making their own decisions. The parents may decide whether they
will attend private school or public school. One decision these
students might make could be CTE. The legislature has been
discussing creating a workforce and not sorting kids. He
highlighted that some of the best professionals he had hired
were CTE mechanical engineers that started in a hands-on
mechanic program before attending college. He offered his view
that each path a student takes is the right path.
9:53:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY thanked the committee for hearing the
bill. He offered his view that members were interested in all
students. He explained that what inspired him to introduce the
bill was a freshman in Kodiak who went fishing with his parents,
made a lot of money, and bought a truck. The teacher was telling
the class that they needed to go to college. The student pointed
to the new truck and asked why he needed to attend college
because he had a promising fishing career. He said that the
program was available to all students.
9:55:14 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS stated that the apprenticeship programs
are open to everyone, whether in public, private, or homeschool.
He emphasized that this bill ensured that the departments were
working hard to make those opportunities available to as many
students as possible.
9:55:57 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND held HB 132 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 132 version R.pdf |
SEDC 4/11/2022 9:00:00 AM SEDC 4/20/2022 9:00:00 AM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 Summary of Changes (N to R).pdf |
SEDC 4/11/2022 9:00:00 AM |
HB 132 |