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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2767 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 564
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Jeffrey N. Roy
_________________
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 incentivizing the awarding of industry-recognized credentials.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Jeffrey N. Roy10th Norfolk1/19/2023John Barrett, III1st Berkshire2/14/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex2/14/2023Alan Silvia7th Bristol2/14/2023Steven S. Howitt4th Bristol2/14/2023Adam Scanlon14th Bristol2/15/2023Christopher M. Markey9th Bristol2/22/2023 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2767 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 564
By Representative Roy of Franklin, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 564) of Jeffrey
N. Roy and others relative to industry-recognized certification awards paid by the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act incentivizing the awarding of industry-recognized credentials.
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 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 official edition,
2are hereby amended by adding the following four new sections:-
3 Section 37. (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Elementary and Secondary
4Education shall pay each school district a certification award calculated as follows:
5 (i) $1,000 for each student in the district who earns an industry-recognized certification
6for an occupation that has high employment value, as determined by the executive office of labor
7and workforce development through the publication of the annual list required of it pursuant to
8Chapter 23, section 26 of the General Laws as amended by Chapter 179 of the Acts of 2022, or
9an industry recognized certification that is recognized by any public institution of higher learning
10in the commonwealth as a basis for academic credit in such institution. 2 of 3
11 (ii) $800 for each student in the district who earns an industry-recognized certification
12that does not meet the criteria of the previous paragraph but addresses regional demands
13identified by the local MassHire Workforce Board.
14 The school district receiving a certification award must allocate at least 80% of any
15certification award to the school whose students obtained the qualifying certification. The
16allocation may not be used to supplant funds otherwise provided for the basic operation of the
17school. The school receiving a certification award must use the award to support or maintain the
18program, including the payment of stipends for instructors and the subsidization of fees for low
19income students to obtain the certification.
20 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department may pay a certification development award
21to a school district to support the development of programs to assist students in obtaining
22industry-recognized certifications described in subsection (a)(i). School districts may use a
23certification development award to develop instructors able to prepare students to obtain
24certification, to obtain equipment and other instructional materials to be used for such
25preparation, or any other purpose directly related to developing programs to assist students in
26obtaining a qualifying certification.
27 (c) The Department shall each year prepare an annual report on the progress made under
28this section including:
29 (i) The number of public school students who are seeking certifications for high demand
30occupations, identifying the number of such students who are low-income, ELL and/or SPED.
31 (ii) The certifications earned by such students, including the number of each such
32certifications earned. 3 of 3
33 (iii) An analysis of the extent, if any, to which the funding provided for the program
34during the year was insufficient to make the awards under this section.
35 SECTION 2. Section 1 of this act will take effect immediately upon its passage.