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Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 125
BY SENATORS NEVERS, APPEL, GUILLORY, LAFLEUR, THOMPSON,
WALSWORTH AND WHI TE
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
(1) The state superintendent of education, or his designee.18
(2) The commissioner of higher education, or his designee.19
(3) The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College20
System, or his designee.21
(4) The vice president for agriculture for the Louisiana State University22
System, or his designee.23
(5) The chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Center, or24
his designee.25
ACT No. 450 SB NO. 125 ENROLLED
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(6) The director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, or his1
designee.2
(7) The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry,3
or his designee.4
(8) The president of the Louisiana Agriscience Teachers Association, or5
his designee.6
(9) The president of the Louisiana FFA.7
(10) The chairman of the board of trustees for the Louisiana 4-H8
Foundation, or his designee.9
(11) The state executive director of the Louisiana FFA, or his designee.10
(12) The president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, or his11
designee.12
(13) The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, or his13
designee.14
(14) The executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or15
his designee.16
(15) The president of the Louisiana Association for Business and17
Industry, or his designee.18
(16) The president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, or his19
designee.20
(17) The president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, or21
his designee.22
B. Members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the23
appointing authority and vacancies shall be filled in the manner of the original24
appointment.25
C. Members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed26
for expenses as provided by the appointing authority.27
D.(1) The state superintendent of education shall call the first meeting28
of the commission no later than September 1, 2014, and a chairman shall be29
elected from among the membership at such meeting.30 SB NO. 125 ENROLLED
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(2) The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman, but not1
less than once quarterly.2
(3) The Department of Education shall provide staff support to assist the3
commission in performing its duties and responsibilities.4
E. The commission shall:5
(1) Assist the state superintendent of education in the ongoing evaluation6
of agricultural education programs in elementary and secondary schools.7
(2) Review the state action plan for agricultural education and make8
recommendations to the state board regarding changes in policy or curricula9
deemed necessary to ensure that the state's agricultural education programs10
and initiatives are responsive to the needs of students and the agricultural11
community.12
(3) Continually review the state's agricultural education delivery system13
and provide advice and guidance to the state superintendent of education14
regarding content standards and curricula, development of agriculture-related15
industry-based certifications, professional development opportunities for16
agricultural educators, and other strategies designed to promote agricultural17
literacy and student awareness of the wide array of educational and career18
opportunities in agriculture-related fields.19
(4) Assist in the development of partnerships and alliances with20
agriculture-related industries and other stakeholders.21
(5) Provide advice and support in the development and creation of22
agriculture immersion programs in elementary and secondary schools that23
allow students to develop an understanding of the importance of agriculture and24
agriculture-related fields and occupations to the state, the nation, and the world.25
§185.5. Agricultural Education Immersion Program; pilot26
A. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall create27
a pilot program to provide for the establishment of agricultural education28
immersion programs that provide students with a high-quality educational29
program that integrates agriculture-related instruction throughout all30 SB NO. 125 ENROLLED
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disciplines included in the curriculum.1
B. Agricultural immersion programs created pursuant to this Section2
shall:3
(1) Provide an articulated, sequentially-structured, total agricultural4
education program that prepares students for entrance into a postsecondary5
educational program or other certification that leads to a career.6
(2) Provide each student with an academically rigorous curriculum,7
work-based learning experiences, and student leadership opportunities within8
an agricultural context.9
(3) Integrate agriculture throughout the curriculum in a systematic10
manner that prepares students for successful careers in a wide array of11
agriculture-related industries and occupations, including food and crop science,12
soil science, animal science, fiber production, farm production, renewable13
resources, agricultural research, and agribusiness management and marketing.14
(4) Provide dual-enrollment opportunities that allow students to earn15
college credit hours that can be transferred to a postsecondary institution and16
industry-based certifications that qualify a student for employment upon17
graduation from high school.18
§185.6. Effectiveness19
The state action plan agricultural education immersion pilot program20
established pursuant to this Subpart shall be implemented upon the appropriation of21
funds as expeditiously as possible through any source of funding made available22
for this purpose.23
Section 2. R.S. 36:651(G)(4) is hereby enacted to read as follows:24
§651. Transfer of boards, commissions, departments, and agencies to Department25
of Education; boards, commissions, and agencies within Department26
of Education27
* * *28
G. The following agencies, as defined by R.S. 36:3, are transferred to and29
hereafter shall be within the Department of Education as provided in Part III of30 SB NO. 125 ENROLLED
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Chapter 22 of this Title:1
* * *2
(4) The Agricultural Education Commission (R.S. 17:185.4).3
* * *4
Section 3. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not5
signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature6
by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If7
vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become8
effective on the day following such approval.9
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED: