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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3377 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3009
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Josh S. Cutler and Kate Lipper-Garabedian
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act creating a workforce skills cabinet supporting pathways to success.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Josh S. Cutler6th Plymouth1/20/2023Kate Lipper-Garabedian32nd Middlesex1/20/2023Kenneth I. Gordon21st Middlesex1/24/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex2/8/2023Alan Silvia7th Bristol2/10/2023Steven S. Howitt4th Bristol2/13/2023Adam Scanlon14th Bristol2/17/2023Christopher M. Markey9th Bristol2/21/2023Russell E. Holmes6th Suffolk2/22/2023Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire2/22/2023David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth2/22/2023Kay Khan11th Middlesex2/23/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/27/2023Shirley B. Arriaga8th Hampden2/28/2023 1 of 5
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3377 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3009
By Representatives Cutler of Pembroke and Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose, a petition
(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3009) of Josh S. Cutler, Kate Lipper-Garabedian and others
for legislation to establish a workforce skills cabinet to serve as a cross-agency governance
structure to improve and expand workforce skills and college and career readiness. State
Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act creating a workforce skills cabinet supporting pathways to success.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General laws, as appearing in the 2018 official edition, is
2hereby amended by inserting, after Section 17A, the following section:-
3 “Section 17B. (a) There is hereby established within the Office of the Governor a
4Workforce Skills Cabinet, hereinafter referred to as the “Cabinet,” to serve as a cross-agency
5governance structure for the purpose of advising the Governor and relevant Executive Branch
6agencies as well as the General Court, and aligning the programs and policies of the Executive
7Offices of Labor and Workforce Development, Education and Housing and Economic
8Development to improve and expand workforce skills and college and career readiness to meet
9the varying current and future needs of the Commonwealth and its regions.
10 (b) The Cabinet shall consist of: the secretary of the executive office of education; the
11secretary of the executive office of labor and workforce development; the secretary of the 2 of 5
12executive office of housing and economic development; the commissioner of the department of
13elementary and secondary education; the commissioner of the department of higher education;
14the chairperson of the workforce development board established by section 7 of chapter 23H of
15the MGL; the executive director of the Massachusetts Workforce Association; three members
16appointed by the Governor representing business or industry who - (i) are owners of businesses,
17chief executive or operating officers of businesses, or other executives or employees with
18optimum policymaking or hiring authority; or, (ii) represent organizations that represent
19businesses or industries; three members appointed by the governor representing workers or labor
20organizations; two members appointed by the governor who represent the perspectives and
21interests of current or future workforce participants, including educators or the parents of school
22age students; and three members appointed by the governor from amongst other college and
23career readiness and workforce development stakeholder groups.
24 (c) The appointed members shall each serve three year terms at the pleasure of the
25governor and serve without compensation.
26 (d) The governor shall select an individual from amongst its membership to chair the
27cabinet. The chair shall serve at the pleasure of the governor.
28 (e) The cabinet shall meet monthly and their meetings shall be public.
29 (f) In addition to, and within, the general mission of the cabinet as stated in subparagraph
30(a), the cabinet shall:
31 (i) facilitate alignment, collaboration, strategic planning, and joint execution among
32participating state agencies, offices, and other stakeholders around the development of workforce 3 of 5
33development strategies for the Commonwealth and the expansion of college and career readiness
34pathways for all, with an emphasis on high school programs;
35 (ii) shall conduct a biennial study of all college and career pathway programs that focuses
36on equity of access to said programs as well as the alignment of said programs with current and
37future workforce needs, including recommendations on creating a process to phase out programs
38that are not aligned;
39 (iii) shall develop and release an annual report on the state’s top current and future labor
40market needs;
41 (iv) shall oversee the improvement of data collection and reporting on pathways
42programs by facilitating data linkages between agencies, creating mechanisms to analyze
43meaningful growth data by specific pathways programs, and building new public-facing data
44tools;
45 (v) shall advise the departments of elementary and secondary education and higher
46education with regard to student acquisition of the employability skills that should be achieved in
47their preparation for career success; and,
48 (vi) shall submit an annual report to the chairs of the house and senate committees on
49ways and means, the chairs of the joint education committee, and the chairs of the joint
50committee on higher education detailing the Cabinet’s work over the past year.
51 (g) The cabinet shall be staffed by a full time Executive Director who shall be an
52employee of the office of the governor, selected in consultation with the cabinet. 4 of 5
53 (h) The cabinet shall have the ability to receive funding to hire additional technical and
54administrative staff, to award contracts and grants, and to take actions necessary to fulfilling its
55responsibilities stated herein or as otherwise assigned by the governor.
56 SECTION 2. (a) The workforce skills cabinet created, in SECTION 1, shall be charged
57with developing a set of strategic goals for the Commonwealth, its agencies and education and
58training institutions, in coordination with the governor’s office and in consultation with the
59department of elementary and secondary education, regarding the expansion of college and
60career pathway programs for students that enhance and improve the likelihood of successful
61outcomes for high school graduates in college and career endeavors. The goals shall include the
62achievement of universal access for all of the state’s high school students to said pathway
63programs, which shall include, but not be limited to, Early College programs,
64vocational/technical education programs, Innovation Pathway programs, STEM-Tech
65Academies, and other similar programs and courses of study. The cabinet will include, in its
66consideration of the establishment of said goals, that each pathway program should contain at
67least one, or more, of the following elements:
68 (i)the ability of students to earn college credit while in high school;
69 (ii)the ability of students to earn industry recognized credentials in high school;
70 (iii)the ability of students to participate in a meaningful and relevant work-based
71learning experience while in high school; and,
72 (iv)the ability of students to receive dedicated career counseling while in high school. 5 of 5
73 (b) The cabinet will develop, in consultation with the governor’s office and the
74departments of elementary and secondary education and higher education, a plan for the
75achievement of the goals established in accord with subsection (a) that includes strategies to be
76implemented, timelines for meeting interim outcomes and final outcome, resources to be
77allocated, and any other consideration, including an accounting of the persistent inequities
78inherent in not achieving said goals. The cabinet will report annually on its progress and that of
79the Commonwealth and its agencies in achieving universal student access to student learning
80pathways and establish milestone outcomes toward that achievement whose progress will be
81reported on as part of its annual reporting.