EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0837*
HOUSE BILL 837
F5, F1 4lr1596
HB 1247/23 – HRU CF SB 33
By: Delegates Wu, Arentz, Buckel, Crutchfield, Hartman, Hill, Hutchinson,
Kaufman, and Pasteur Pasteur, Attar, Atterbeary, Ebersole, Fair,
Feldmark, Griffith, Grossman, Henson, R. Long, Miller, Mireku–North,
Palakovich Carr, Patterson, Roberts, Vogel, Wells, Wilkins, Wims, and
Young
Introduced and read first time: January 31, 2024
Assigned to: Ways and Means
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 23, 2024
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
More Opportunities for Career–Focused Students Act of 2024 2
FOR the purpose of requiring certain county boards of education to consider the pursuit of 3
certain certificates, certifications, or apprenticeships as the equivalent of pursuing 4
postsecondary education and provide a method for certain individuals to authorize 5
the release of certain student information to certain apprenticeship sponsors and 6
employers; requiring each public high school to inform students of certain 7
employment and skills training opportunities in a certain manner; requiring a 8
county board to pay for a student to take an apprenticeship entrance exam or 9
industrial certification exam under certain circumstances assist public high schools 10
in a certain task; and generally relating to career education and apprenticeships 11
opportunities. 12
BY adding to 13
Article – Education 14
Section 4–142 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
Article – Education 19 2 HOUSE BILL 837
Section 7–203.1 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 3
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
Article – Education 6
4–142. 7
(A) IN THIS SECTION , “PLATFORM” MEANS A COLLEGE AND CAREER 8
READINESS SOFTWARE P ROGRAM THAT HELPS SC HOOL SYSTEMS AND SCH OOLS 9
ALIGN STUDENT STRENGTHS AND INTERE STS TO POSTSECONDARY GOALS AND 10
CAREERS. 11
(B) A COUNTY BOARD THAT US ES A PLATFORM SHALL : 12
(1) CONSIDER THE PURSUIT OF A VOCATIONAL CERT IFICATE, AN 13
INDUSTRY CERTIFICATI ON, OR AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AS THE EQUIV ALENT 14
OF PURSUING POS TSECONDARY EDUCATION ; AND 15
(2) PROVIDE IN THE PLATFO RM A METHOD FOR A ST UDENT OR A 16
STUDENT’S PARENT OR GUARDIAN TO CHOOSE TO AUTHORI ZE THE RELEASE OF TH E 17
STUDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATI ON AND PLATFORM RESU LTS TO: 18
(I) APPRENTICESHIP SPONSO RS REGISTERED W ITH THE 19
DIVISION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ADULT LEARNING UNDER § 11–405 20
OF THE LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ARTICLE; AND 21
(II) EMPLOYERS REGISTERED WITH THE MARYLAND 22
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OR LOCAL WORKFO RCE DEVELOPMENT BOAR DS. 23
(C) EACH PUBLIC HIGH SCHO OL SHALL, IN THE SAME MANNER I N WHICH 24
THE SCHOOL INFORMS S TUDENTS OF POSTSECON DARY EDUCATIONAL OPT IONS, 25
INFORM STUDENTS OF E MPLOYMENT AND SKILLS TRAINING OPPORTUNITI ES 26
AVAILABLE THROUGH : 27
(1) APPRENTICESHIP SPONSO RS REGISTERED WITH T HE DIVISION 28
OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ADULT LEARNING UNDER § 11–405 OF THE 29
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ARTICLE; AND 30
(2) EMPLOYERS REGISTERED WITH THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT 31
OF LABOR OR LOCAL WORKFO RCE DEVELOPMENT BOAR DS; AND 32
HOUSE BILL 837 3
(3) SCHOOLS LICENSED BY T HE MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION 1
COMMISSION THAT PROVI DE TRAINING , RETRAINING, OR ENHANCEMENT IN 2
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS . 3
(B) WHEN INFORMING STUDEN TS ABOUT OPPORTUNITI ES UNDER THIS 4
SECTION, EACH PUBLIC HIGH SCH OOL SHALL HIGHLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES IN 5
HIGH–SKILLED CAREERS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE COMP LETION OF A COLLEGE 6
DEGREE AND ARE IN HI GH DEMAND IN THE STATE. 7
(C) EACH COUNTY BOARD SHA LL ASSIST PUBLIC HIG H SCHOOLS IN 8
COMPLETING THE REQUI REMENTS OF THIS SECT ION. 9
7–203.1. 10
(a) (1) [For fiscal years 2003 and 2004, the Department shall distribute grants 11
to Tier I counties, as defined in § 1–101 of the Economic Development Article, for the 12
administration of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test to 10th grade students. 13
(2)] For fiscal year 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year, the Department 14
shall distribute grants to each county for the administration of the Preliminary Scholastic 15
Aptitude Test to 10th grade students. 16
[(b)] (2) Subject to the availability of funding in the State budget, the amount of 17
each county’s grant shall be in an amount sufficient for the administration of the test to all 18
10th grade students in the county. 19
(B) (1) (I) IN THIS SUBSECTION TH E FOLLOWING WORDS HA VE THE 20
MEANINGS INDICATED . 21
(II) “APPRENTICESHIP ENTRAN CE EXAM ” MEANS THE 22
TRADE–SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT USED TO EVALUATE A STUDENT ’S BASIC APTITUDE 23
BEFORE THE STUDENT B EGINS THE PRACTICAL AND TECHNICAL TRAINI NG PHASE 24
OF AN APPRENTICESHIP . 25
(III) “INDUSTRIAL CERTIFICAT ION EXAM ” MEANS THE 26
INDUSTRY–RECOGNIZED ASSESSMEN T THAT DOCUMENTS A S TUDENT’S 27
PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT OF INDUS TRY STANDARDS AND RE SULTS IN THE 28
RECEIPT OF A CERTIFI CATE, A LICENSE, OR ANY OTHER CREDENT IAL. 29
(2) IF A COUNTY BOARD PAY S FOR ANY STUDENT TO TAKE AN 30
ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION , A PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE 31
TEST/NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFYING TEST, OR A SCHOLASTIC 32
APTITUDE TEST, THE COUNTY BOARD SHA LL PAY FOR A STUDENT TO TAKE AN 33
APPRENTICESHIP ENTRA NCE EXAM OR INDUSTRI AL CERTIFICATION EXA M. 34
4 HOUSE BILL 837
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2024. 2
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.