ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 215
BY REPRESENTATIVE MINCEY
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Department of Education and the Louisiana Workforce Commission
to work jointly to study the feasibility of establishing a program to incentivize
businesses to work in partnership with high schools to offer job training and
internship programs for students which will help prepare students for careers in high-
wage, high-demand industries and to report their findings to the House Committee
on Ways and Means prior to the convening of the 2024 Regular Session.
WHEREAS, the House Committee on Ways and Means, in hearings during the 2023
Regular Session, particularly House Bill No. 637 by Representative Mincey, received
testimony from interested parties concerning the establishment of an income and corporate
franchise tax credit for companies that employ eligible students as interns in work-based
programs designed to educate students in classroom settings as well as incorporate on-the-
job training in high-wage, high-demand industry sectors; and
WHEREAS, during discussion on House Bill No. 637, questions were raised
regarding the establishment of a broader program that would encourage more businesses to
participate and methods to notify schools of the possibility of participating in such a
program; and
WHEREAS, more details need to be determined concerning the high-wage, high-
demand industry sectors that should be targeted in this program including but not limited to
details concerning the number of internships that should be eligible for the incentive, the
number of credit hours that students should earn for participating in the program,
determining regional or economic priorities, and pay levels of internships in order for the
program to be mutually beneficial to businesses, school systems, and students; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has a history of offering incentives in the form of tax credits,
exemptions, deductions, and rebates when the state is attempting to develop a business
industry for the benefit of all citizens of the state; and
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WHEREAS, the Louisiana Workforce Commission is the state agency that is charged
with developing a skilled workforce for Louisiana citizens and meeting the needs of industry
sectors located in this state; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Education is charged with developing the education
curriculum for students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade in order to prepare students
to be successful in college or to achieve career credentials; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Education and the Louisiana Workforce Commission
are the two state agencies in the best position to develop a program that satisfies the
educational needs of students and to develop skills to enable students who are not necessarily
candidates for higher education to be trained through internship programs to prepare them
to be career-ready for the betterment of their futures while meeting the needs of employers
and industry sectors for the betterment of the state of Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Department of Education and the
Louisiana Workforce Commission to work jointly to study the feasibility of establishing a
program to incentivize businesses to work in partnership with high schools to offer job
training and internship programs for students which will help prepare students for careers
in high-wage, high-demand industries and to report their findings to the House Committee
on Ways and Means prior to the convening of the 2024 Regular Session.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and the Louisiana
Workforce Commission should work closely with all stakeholders and interested parties to
develop this program including but not limited to representatives from the Louisiana
Association of School Superintendents, the Louisiana School Boards Association, the
Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and
YouthForce NOLA.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission and the state superintendent of education.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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