HLS 25RS-683 ENGROSSED 2025 Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO. 373 BY REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana. SCHOOLS/HIGH SCHOOL: Requires the Workforce Investment Council to perform an annual return on investment analysis relative to industry-based credentials earned in high school and provides for student data collection and sharing for this purpose 1 AN ACT 2To amend and reenact R.S. 17:3914(N)(1)(a), to enact R.S. 17:3138.13, and to repeal R.S. 3 17:3914(C)(1)(j) and (N)(1)(c), relative to career and technical education; to require 4 the Louisiana Workforce Commission to perform an annual return on investment 5 analysis with respect to industry-based credentials earned in high school; to provide 6 for the purpose and content of the analysis; to require an annual report on the 7 analysis to certain legislative committees and the State Board of Elementary and 8 Secondary Education; to provide with respect to the collection and sharing of certain 9 student data for the purpose of the analysis; and to provide for related matters. 10Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: 11 Section 1. R.S. 17:3914(N)(1)(a) is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 1217:3138.13 is hereby enacted to read as follows: 13 §3138.13. Return on investment analysis; industry-based credentials 14 A. The Louisiana Workforce Commission shall perform an annual return on 15 investment analysis, including but not limited to employment rates and wage 16 outcomes, for the purpose of evaluating the relationship between industry-based 17 credentials earned by high school students and the students' attainment of high-wage, 18 high-demand jobs that are aligned with state workforce priorities. Page 1 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 25RS-683 ENGROSSED HB NO. 373 1 B. The commission shall submit a written report on the analysis to the House 2 Committee on Education, the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations, 3 the Senate Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial 4 Relations, and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education not later than 5 February first annually. The commission shall report student information only in the 6 aggregate and shall not include any student's personally identifiable information as 7 defined in R.S. 17:3914(B)(1) in the report. 8 * * * 9 §3914. Student information; privacy; legislative intent; definitions; prohibitions; 10 parental access; penalties 11 * * * 12 N.(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section to the contrary, each 13 public secondary school governing authority shall do the following: 14 (a) For the sole purpose of evaluating state and federal programs that prepare 15 students for postsecondary education, workforce training, and employment, 16 including the return on investment analysis conducted by the Louisiana Workforce 17 Commission pursuant to R.S. 17:3138.13, collect the social security number of each 18 student who is pursuing a diploma, not later than the beginning of the student's senior 19 year, subject to the permission of the student's parent or legal guardian or the 20 permission of the student if he has reached the age of majority. In order to facilitate 21 the performance of this analysis, each governing authority shall share the collected 22 social security numbers, matched to the corresponding student names and unique 23 student identification numbers, with the state Department of Education, and the 24 department shall share them with the commission. The department and the 25 commission shall keep the social security numbers confidential except for this 26 purpose. 27 * * * 28 Section 2. R.S. 17:3914(C)(1)(j) and (N)(1)(c) are hereby repealed in their entirety. Page 2 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 25RS-683 ENGROSSED HB NO. 373 DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HB 373 Engrossed 2025 Regular Session Hughes Abstract: Requires the La. Workforce Commission to conduct an annual return on investment analysis on industry-based credentials earned in high school and provides for the collection and sharing of certain student data for this purpose. Proposed law requires the La. Workforce Commission to perform an annual return on investment (ROI) analysis for the purpose of evaluating the relationship between industry- based credentials earned by high school students and the students' attainment of high-wage, high-demand jobs aligned to workforce priorities. Requires the commission to submit a written report to the House and Senate education and labor committees and the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary Education by Feb. first annually and prohibits the commission from including any student's personally identifiable information (PII) in the report. Present law prohibits any employee of a public school system from providing a student's PII to any person or public or private entity. Provides exceptions to this prohibition and authorizes sharing student information under certain circumstances. Proposed law retains present law. Present law requires the governing authority of each public high school, not later than the beginning of senior year and for the sole purpose of evaluating state and federal programs that prepare students for postsecondary education, workforce training, and employment, to collect social security numbers of each student pursuing a diploma. Proposed law includes the proposed law ROI analysis in this purpose, requires such governing authorities to share the social security numbers, matched to the corresponding student names and unique student identification numbers, with the state Dept. of Education and for the department to share them with the commission, and requires the department and the commission to hold the numbers confidential except for this purpose. Present law requires the student's permission for the collection of his social security number if he has reached the age of majority or parental permission if he has not and requires schools to provide a form for granting such permission. Proposed law removes present law. Present law prohibits an official or employee of a public school system from requiring the collection of certain student information, including social security numbers, unless voluntarily disclosed by the parent or legal guardian. Proposed law removes the prohibition on requiring the collection of social security numbers and otherwise retains present law. (Amends R.S. 17:3914(N)(1)(a); Adds R.S. 17:3138.13; Repeals R.S. 17:3914(C)(1)(j) and (N)(1)(c)) Summary of Amendments Adopted by House The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Education to the original bill: 1. Require La. Workforce Commission rather than La. Workforce Investment Council to conduct the ROI analysis. Page 3 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 25RS-683 ENGROSSED HB NO. 373 2. Provide that social security numbers shared with the department by school governing authorities be matched to the corresponding student names and unique student identification numbers. Page 4 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.