Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H3009 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3377 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3009
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Josh S. Cutler and Kate Lipper-Garabedian
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act creating a workforce skills cabinet supporting pathways to success.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	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
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3377 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3009
18	18	By Representatives Cutler of Pembroke and Lipper-Garabedian of Melrose, a petition
19	19	(accompanied by bill, House, No. 3009) of Josh S. Cutler, Kate Lipper-Garabedian and others
20	20	for legislation to establish a workforce skills cabinet to serve as a cross-agency governance
21	21	structure to improve and expand workforce skills and college and career readiness. State
22	22	Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
26	26	(2023-2024)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act creating a workforce skills cabinet supporting pathways to success.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General laws, as appearing in the 2018 official edition, is
32	32	2hereby amended by inserting, after Section 17A, the following section:-
33	33	3 “Section 17B. (a) There is hereby established within the Office of the Governor a
34	34	4Workforce Skills Cabinet, hereinafter referred to as the “Cabinet,” to serve as a cross-agency
35	35	5governance structure for the purpose of advising the Governor and relevant Executive Branch
36	36	6agencies as well as the General Court, and aligning the programs and policies of the Executive
37	37	7Offices of Labor and Workforce Development, Education and Housing and Economic
38	38	8Development to improve and expand workforce skills and college and career readiness to meet
39	39	9the varying current and future needs of the Commonwealth and its regions.
40	40	10 (b) The Cabinet shall consist of: the secretary of the executive office of education; the
41	41	11secretary of the executive office of labor and workforce development; the secretary of the 2 of 5
42	42	12executive office of housing and economic development; the commissioner of the department of
43	43	13elementary and secondary education; the commissioner of the department of higher education;
44	44	14the chairperson of the workforce development board established by section 7 of chapter 23H of
45	45	15the MGL; the executive director of the Massachusetts Workforce Association; three members
46	46	16appointed by the Governor representing business or industry who - (i) are owners of businesses,
47	47	17chief executive or operating officers of businesses, or other executives or employees with
48	48	18optimum policymaking or hiring authority; or, (ii) represent organizations that represent
49	49	19businesses or industries; three members appointed by the governor representing workers or labor
50	50	20organizations; two members appointed by the governor who represent the perspectives and
51	51	21interests of current or future workforce participants, including educators or the parents of school
52	52	22age students; and three members appointed by the governor from amongst other college and
53	53	23career readiness and workforce development stakeholder groups.
54	54	24 (c) The appointed members shall each serve three year terms at the pleasure of the
55	55	25governor and serve without compensation.
56	56	26 (d) The governor shall select an individual from amongst its membership to chair the
57	57	27cabinet. The chair shall serve at the pleasure of the governor.
58	58	28 (e) The cabinet shall meet monthly and their meetings shall be public.
59	59	29 (f) In addition to, and within, the general mission of the cabinet as stated in subparagraph
60	60	30(a), the cabinet shall:
61	61	31 (i) facilitate alignment, collaboration, strategic planning, and joint execution among
62	62	32participating state agencies, offices, and other stakeholders around the development of workforce 3 of 5
63	63	33development strategies for the Commonwealth and the expansion of college and career readiness
64	64	34pathways for all, with an emphasis on high school programs;
65	65	35 (ii) shall conduct a biennial study of all college and career pathway programs that focuses
66	66	36on equity of access to said programs as well as the alignment of said programs with current and
67	67	37future workforce needs, including recommendations on creating a process to phase out programs
68	68	38that are not aligned;
69	69	39 (iii) shall develop and release an annual report on the state’s top current and future labor
70	70	40market needs;
71	71	41 (iv) shall oversee the improvement of data collection and reporting on pathways
72	72	42programs by facilitating data linkages between agencies, creating mechanisms to analyze
73	73	43meaningful growth data by specific pathways programs, and building new public-facing data
74	74	44tools;
75	75	45 (v) shall advise the departments of elementary and secondary education and higher
76	76	46education with regard to student acquisition of the employability skills that should be achieved in
77	77	47their preparation for career success; and,
78	78	48 (vi) shall submit an annual report to the chairs of the house and senate committees on
79	79	49ways and means, the chairs of the joint education committee, and the chairs of the joint
80	80	50committee on higher education detailing the Cabinet’s work over the past year.
81	81	51 (g) The cabinet shall be staffed by a full time Executive Director who shall be an
82	82	52employee of the office of the governor, selected in consultation with the cabinet. 4 of 5
83	83	53 (h) The cabinet shall have the ability to receive funding to hire additional technical and
84	84	54administrative staff, to award contracts and grants, and to take actions necessary to fulfilling its
85	85	55responsibilities stated herein or as otherwise assigned by the governor.
86	86	56 SECTION 2. (a) The workforce skills cabinet created, in SECTION 1, shall be charged
87	87	57with developing a set of strategic goals for the Commonwealth, its agencies and education and
88	88	58training institutions, in coordination with the governor’s office and in consultation with the
89	89	59department of elementary and secondary education, regarding the expansion of college and
90	90	60career pathway programs for students that enhance and improve the likelihood of successful
91	91	61outcomes for high school graduates in college and career endeavors. The goals shall include the
92	92	62achievement of universal access for all of the state’s high school students to said pathway
93	93	63programs, which shall include, but not be limited to, Early College programs,
94	94	64vocational/technical education programs, Innovation Pathway programs, STEM-Tech
95	95	65Academies, and other similar programs and courses of study. The cabinet will include, in its
96	96	66consideration of the establishment of said goals, that each pathway program should contain at
97	97	67least one, or more, of the following elements:
98	98	68 (i)the ability of students to earn college credit while in high school;
99	99	69 (ii)the ability of students to earn industry recognized credentials in high school;
100	100	70 (iii)the ability of students to participate in a meaningful and relevant work-based
101	101	71learning experience while in high school; and,
102	102	72 (iv)the ability of students to receive dedicated career counseling while in high school. 5 of 5
103	103	73 (b) The cabinet will develop, in consultation with the governor’s office and the
104	104	74departments of elementary and secondary education and higher education, a plan for the
105	105	75achievement of the goals established in accord with subsection (a) that includes strategies to be
106	106	76implemented, timelines for meeting interim outcomes and final outcome, resources to be
107	107	77allocated, and any other consideration, including an accounting of the persistent inequities
108	108	78inherent in not achieving said goals. The cabinet will report annually on its progress and that of
109	109	79the Commonwealth and its agencies in achieving universal student access to student learning
110	110	80pathways and establish milestone outcomes toward that achievement whose progress will be
111	111	81reported on as part of its annual reporting.