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Regular Session, 2014
SENATE BILL NO. 125
BY SENATOR NEVERS
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. Provides relative to agricultural education. (gov sig)
AN ACT1
To amend and reenact R.S. 17:185.4 and to enact R.S. 17:185.5 and 185.6 and R.S.2
36:651(G)(4), relative to agricultural education; to create the Agricultural Education3
Commission and provide for its membership, compensation, duties, staffing, and4
meetings; to provide for the creation of an agricultural education immersion pilot5
program; to provide relative to funding and effectiveness; and to provide for related6
matters.7
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:8
Section 1. R.S. 17:185.4 is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 17:185.5 and9
185.6 are hereby enacted to read as follows:10
§185.4. Agricultural Education Commission11
A. The Agricultural Education Commission is hereby created in the12
Department of Education for the purpose of providing guidance and advice to13
the state superintendent of education and the State Board of Elementary and14
Secondary Education regarding agricultural education programs and activities15
in elementary and secondary schools.16
B. The commission shall be composed of the following members:17 SB NO. 125
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(1) The state superintendent of education, or his designee.1
(2) The commissioner of higher education, or his designee.2
(3) The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College3
System, or his designee.4
(4) The vice-president for agriculture for the Louisiana State University5
System, or his designee.6
(5) The chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Center, or7
his designee.8
(6) The director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, or his9
designee.10
(7) The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry,11
or his designee.12
(8) The president of the Louisiana Agriscience Teachers Association, or13
his designee.14
(9) The president of the Louisiana Future Farmers of America15
Association.16
(10) The chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Louisiana 4-H17
Foundation, or his designee.18
(11) The state executive director of the Louisiana Future Farmers of19
America Association, or his designee.20
(12) The president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, or his21
designee.22
(13) The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, or his23
designee.24
(14) The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or25
his designee.26
(15) The president of the Louisiana Association for Business and27
Industry, or his designee.28
B. Members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the29 SB NO. 125
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appointing authority and vacancies shall be filled in the manner of the original1
appointment.2
C. Members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed3
for expenses as provided by the appointing authority.4
D.(1) The state superintendent of education shall call the first meeting5
of the commission no later than September 1, 2014, and a chairman shall be6
elected from among the membership at such meeting.7
(2) The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman, but not8
less than once quarterly.9
(3) The Department of Education shall provide staff support to assist the10
commission in performing its duties and responsibilities.11
E. The commission shall:12
(1) Assist the state superintendent of education in the ongoing evaluation13
of agricultural education programs in elementary and secondary schools.14
(2) Review the state action plan for agricultural education and make15
recommendations to the state board regarding changes in policy or curricula16
deemed necessary to ensure that the state's agricultural education programs17
and initiatives are responsive to the needs of students and the agricultural18
community.19
(3) Continually review the state's agricultural education delivery system20
and provide advice and guidance to the state superintendent of education21
regarding content standards and curricula, development of agriculture-related22
industry-based certifications, professional development opportunities for23
agricultural educators, and other strategies designed to promote agricultural24
literacy and student awareness of the wide array of educational and career25
opportunities in agriculture-related fields.26
(4) Assist in the development of partnerships and alliances with27
agriculture-related industries and other stakeholders.28
(5) Provide advice and support in the development and creation of29 SB NO. 125
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agriculture immersion programs in elementary and secondary schools that1
allow students to develop an understanding of the importance of agriculture and2
agriculture-related fields and occupations to the state, the nation, and the world.3
§185.5. Agricultural Education Immersion Program; pilot4
A. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall create a5
pilot program to provide for the establishment of agricultural education6
immersion programs that provide students with a high quality educational7
program that integrates agriculture-related instruction throughout all8
disciplines included in the curriculum.9
B. Agricultural immersion programs created pursuant to this Section10
shall:11
(1) Provide an articulated, sequentially structured, total agricultural12
education program that prepares students for entrance into a postsecondary13
educational program or other certification that leads to a career.14
(2) Provide each student with an academically rigorous curricula, work-15
based learning experiences, and student leadership opportunities within an16
agricultural context.17
(3) Integrate agriculture throughout the curriculum in a systematic18
manner that prepares students for successful careers in a wide array of19
agriculture-related industries and occupations, including food and crop science,20
soil science, animal science, fiber production, farm production, renewable21
resources, agricultural research, and agribusiness management and marketing.22
(4) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities that allow students to earn23
college credit hours that can be transferred to a postsecondary institution and24
industry-based certifications that qualify a student for employment upon25
graduation from high school.26
§185.4. §185.6. Effectiveness27
The state action plan agricultural education immersion pilot program established28
pursuant to this Subpart shall be implemented upon the appropriation of funds as29 SB NO. 125
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expeditiously as possible through any source of funding made available for this purpose.1
Section 2. R.S. 36:651(G)(4) is hereby enacted to read as follows:2
§651. Transfer of boards, commissions, departments, and agencies to Department of3
Education; boards, commissions, and agencies within Department of4
Education5
* * *6
G. The following agencies, as defined by R.S. 36:3, are transferred to and7
hereafter shall be within the Department of Education as provided in Part III of8
Chapter 22 of this Title:9
* * *10
(4) The Agricultural Education Commission (R.S. 17:185.4).11
* * *12
Section 3. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not13
signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature14
by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If15
vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become16
effective on the day following such approval.17
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jeanne C. Johnston.
DIGEST
Nevers (SB 125)
Present law requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to
approve a state action plan for a nonmandatory comprehensive agricultural education
program for kindergarten through grade 12 in the state's public schools. Further provides for
the instructional strategies, guidelines, instructional materials, and professional development
activities to be included in the plan.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law creates and provides relative to the Agricultural Education Commission as
follows:
(1)The purpose of the commission is to provide guidance and advice to the state
superintendent of education and BESE regarding agricultural education programs
and activities in elementary and secondary schools.
(2)The commission shall be composed of 15 members, as follows: SB NO. 125
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words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
(a)The state superintendent of education, or his designee.
(b)The commissioner of higher education, or his designee.
(c)The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System,
or his designee.
(d)The vice-president for agriculture for the Louisiana State University System,
or his designee.
(e)The chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Center, or his
designee.
(f)The director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, or his designee.
(g)The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, or his
designee.
(h)The president of the Louisiana Agriscience Teachers Association, or his
designee.
(i)The president of the Louisiana Future Farmers of America Association.
(j)The chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Louisiana 4-H Foundation, or
his designee.
(k)The state executive director of the Louisiana Future Farmers of America
Association, or his designee.
(l)The president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, or his designee.
(m)The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, or his designee.
(n)The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or his
designee.
(o)The president of the Louisiana Association for Business and Industry, or his
designee.
(3)Commission members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and vacancies
shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.
(4)Commission members serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for
expenses as provided by the appointing authority.
(5)Requires the state superintendent of education to call the first meeting of the
commission no later than September 1, 2014, and provides that a chairman shall be
elected from among the membership at the first meeting.
(6)The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman, but not less than once
quarterly.
(7)The Department of Education shall provide staff support to assist the commission in
performing its duties and responsibilities.
(8)Provides for the commission's duties as follows:
(a)Assist the state superintendent of education in the ongoing evaluation of
agricultural education programs in elementary and secondary schools. SB NO. 125
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words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
(b)Review the state action plan for agricultural education and make
recommendations to the state board regarding changes in policy or curricula
deemed necessary to ensure that the state's agricultural education programs
and initiatives are responsive to the needs of students and the agricultural
community.
(c)Continually review the state's agricultural education delivery system and
provide advice and guidance to the state superintendent of education
regarding content standards and curricula, development of agriculture-related
industry-based certifications, professional development opportunities for
agricultural educators, and other strategies designed to promote agricultural
literacy and student awareness of the wide array of educational and career
opportunities in agriculture-related fields.
(d)Assist in the development of partnerships and alliances with agriculture-
related industries and other stakeholders.
(e)Provide advice and support in the development and creation of agriculture
immersion programs in elementary and secondary schools that allow students
to develop an understanding of the importance of agriculture and agriculture-
related fields and occupations to the state, the nation, and the world.
Proposed law requires BESE to create a pilot program to provide for the establishment of
agricultural education immersion programs that provide students with a high quality
educational program that integrates agriculture-related instruction throughout all disciplines
included in the curriculum. Further provides that agricultural immersion programs shall:
(1)Provide an articulated, sequentially structured, total agricultural education program
that prepares students for entrance into a postsecondary educational program or other
certification that leads to a career.
(2)Provide each student with an academically rigorous curricula, work-based learning
experiences, and student leadership opportunities within an agricultural context.
(3)Integrate agriculture throughout the curriculum in a systematic manner that prepares
students for successful careers in a wide array of agriculture-related industries and
occupations, including food and crop science, soil science, animal science, fiber
production, farm production, renewable resources, agricultural research, and
agribusiness management and marketing.
(4) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities that allow students to earn college credit hours
that can be transferred to a postsecondary institution and industry-based
certifications that qualify a student for employment upon graduation from high
school.
Present law provides that the state action plan for agricultural education shall be
implemented upon appropriation of funds for that purpose.
Proposed law provides instead that implementation of the agricultural education immersion
pilot program required by proposed law shall be implemented as expeditiously as possible
through any source of funding made available for that purpose.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 17:185.4; adds R.S. 17:185.5 and 185.6 and R.S. 36:651(G)(4))