EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G 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.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*sb0033*
SENATE BILL 33
F5, F1 (4lr0631)
ENROLLED BILL
— Education, Energy, and the Environment/Ways and Means —
Introduced by Senator Rosapepe Senators Rosapepe, Augustine, Hester, Kagan,
and Lewis Young
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
President.
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 2 SENATE BILL 33
Article – Education 1
Section 4–142 2
Annotated Code of Maryland 3
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 4
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5
Article – Education 6
Section 7–203.1 7
Annotated Code of Maryland 8
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 9
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 11
Article – Education 12
4–142. 13
(A) IN THIS SECTION , “PLATFORM” MEANS A COLLEGE AND CAREER 14
READINESS SOFTWARE P ROGRAM THAT HELPS SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND S CHOOLS 15
ALIGN STUDENT STRENG THS AND INTERESTS TO POSTSECONDARY GOALS AND 16
CAREERS. 17
(B) A COUNTY BOARD THAT US ES A PLATFORM SHALL : 18
(1) CONSIDER THE PURSUIT OF A VOCATIONAL CERT IFICATE, AN 19
INDUSTRY CERTIFICATI ON, OR AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AS THE EQUIVA LENT 20
OF PURSUING POSTSECO NDARY EDUCATION ; AND 21
(2) PROVIDE IN THE PLATFO RM A METHOD FOR A ST UDENT OR A 22
STUDENT’S PARENT OR GUARDIAN TO CHOOSE TO AUTHORI ZE THE RELEASE OF TH E 23
STUDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATI ON AND PLATFORM RESU LTS TO: 24
(I) APPRENTICESHIP SPONSO RS REGISTERED WITH T HE 25
DIVISION OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ADULT LEARNING UNDER § 11–405 26
OF THE LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ARTICLE; AND 27
(II) EMPLOYERS REGISTERED WITH THE MARYLAND 28
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OR LOCAL WORKFO RCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS. 29
(C) EACH PUBLIC HIGH SCHO OL SHALL, IN THE SAME MANNER I N WHICH 30
THE SCHOOL INFORMS S TUDENTS OF POSTSECON DARY EDUCATIONAL OPT IONS, 31
INFORM STUDENTS OF E MPLOYMENT AND SKILLS TRAINING OPPORTUNITI ES 32
AVAILABLE THROUGH : 33
SENATE BILL 33 3
(1) APPRENTICESHIP SPONSO RS REGISTERED WITH THE DIVISION 1
OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ADULT LEARNING UNDER § 11–405 OF THE 2
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ARTICLE; AND 3
(2) EMPLOYERS REGISTERED WITH THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT 4
OF LABOR OR LOCAL WORKFO RCE DEVELOPMENT BOAR DS; AND 5
(3) SCHOOLS LICENSED BY THE MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION 6
COMMISSION THAT PROVI DE TRAINING , RETRAINING, OR ENHANCEMENT IN 7
EMPLOYMENT SKILLS . 8
(B) WHEN INFORMING STUDEN TS ABOUT OPPORTUNITI ES UNDER THIS 9
SECTION, EACH PUBLIC HIGH SCH OOL SHALL HIGHLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES IN 10
HIGH–SKILLED CAREERS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE COMPL ETION OF A COLLEGE 11
DEGREE AND ARE IN HI GH DEMAND IN THE STATE. 12
(C) EACH COUNTY BOARD SHA LL ASSIST PUBLIC HIG H SCHOOLS IN 13
COMPLETING THE REQUI REMENTS OF THIS SECT ION. 14
7–203.1. 15
(a) (1) [For fiscal years 2003 and 2004, the Department shall distribute grants 16
to Tier I counties, as defined in § 1–101 of the Economic Development Article, for the 17
administration of the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test to 10th grade students. 18
(2)] For fiscal year 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year, the Department 19
shall distribute grants to each county for the administration of the Preliminary Scholastic 20
Aptitude Test to 10th grade students. 21
[(b)] (2) Subject to the availability of funding in the State budget, the amount of 22
each county’s grant shall be in an amount sufficient for the administration of the test to all 23
10th grade students in the county. 24
(B) (1) (I) IN THIS SUBSECTION TH E FOLLOWING WORDS HA VE THE 25
MEANINGS INDICATED . 26
(II) “APPRENTICESHIP ENTRAN CE EXAM ” MEANS THE 27
TRADE–SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT USED TO EVALUATE A S TUDENT’S BASIC APTITUDE 28
BEFORE THE STUDENT B EGINS THE PRACTICAL AND TECHNICAL TRAINI NG PHASE 29
OF AN APPRENTICESHIP . 30
(III) “INDUSTRIAL CERTIFICAT ION EXAM ” MEANS THE 31
INDUSTRY–RECOGNIZED ASSESSMEN T THAT DOCUMENTS A S TUDENT’S 32 4 SENATE BILL 33
PERFORMANCE AND ACHI EVEMENT OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND RESULT S IN THE 1
RECEIPT OF A CERTIFI CATE, A LICENSE, OR ANY OTHER CREDENT IAL. 2
(2) IF A COUNTY BOARD PAY S FOR ANY STUDENT TO TAKE AN 3
ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMINATION , A PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE 4
TEST/NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFYING TEST, OR A SCHOLASTIC 5
APTITUDE TEST, THE COUNTY BOARD SHA LL PAY FOR A STUDENT TO TAKE AN 6
APPRENTICESHIP ENTRA NCE EXAM OR INDUSTRI AL CERTIFICATION EXA M. 7
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 8
1, 2024. 9
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.