The House Committee on Education convened at 2 p.m. on January 30, 2019 briefly to have consideration of two bills. Both were reported to the floor with the recommendation that they do pass.
House Bill 2004 was reported back to the Education Committee by the assigned Subcommittee, which proposed an amendment that changed the definition of “apprentice” within the language of the bill, thus changing the applicability slightly.
House Bill 2004 would encourage communication between those in public West Virginia high schools preparing to go into a technical field, and the community and technical colleges that offer those corresponding programs. The bill would facilitate the ability for students to earn credit toward licensure while they’re still in high school, making it a seamless transition into their technical programs.
The bill was also drafted with the intent to help these students graduate early and become license quicker for fields that have a high demand for more employees within the state.
The proposed amendments would add the State Fire Commission to the list of applicable programs, as well as define “apprentice” as a student with the state enrolled in a registered and credible apprenticeship program. The bill also adjusted its language technically.
House Bill 2004 was accepted by the Committee, and voted to advance to the House Floor with the recommendation that it pass.
The House Committee on Education also had a consideration of House Bill 2363, a bill to revise the reportage requirements of the Upper Kanawha Valley Resiliency and Revitalization Program. The bill would extend the length of the program by ending it on June 30, 2024 rather than 2021. The bill would also require the program to report to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance every October.
The bill also requires that the reports be issued to the county school boards of Kanawha and Fayette Counties so that the boards could evaluate the effectiveness of the program.
House Bill 2363 was passed by the House Committee on Education without amendments, and is to be reported to the House Floor in the coming weeks with the recommendation that it do pass.
