Second Regular Session Sixty-eighth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 12-0513.01 Julie Pelegrin x2700 HOUSE BILL 12-1227 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Young, SENATE SPONSORSHIP (None), House Committees Senate Committees State, Veterans, & Military Affairs A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning postsecondary certificate programs that combine basic education course work with skills training. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) The bill directs the state board of community colleges and occupational education (board), conditional on the availability of moneys, to design a certificate program through which persons who are identified as needing basic skills remedial course work or who are eligible for adult literacy education may obtain a career and technical education certificate within 12 months by taking courses that integrate basic skills training with college-level occupational skills training. The board will collaborate with and may enter into memorandums of understanding with the department of education and the department of labor in designing the certificate program to ensure that it can be implemented locally in collaboration with the family literacy education grant program and the work force investment program. A community college or local district junior college that chooses to implement the certificate program shall collaborate with the local entities that provide family literacy education and work force investment programs, if any. The board shall report annually to the general assembly concerning implementation of the certificate programs. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add part 9 to article 60 of title 23 as follows: PART 9 INTEGRATED BASIC EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING 23-60-901. Definitions. As used in this part 9, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Adult literacy education" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-2-124 (2) (a), C.R.S. (2) "Board" means the state board for community colleges and occupational education created in section 23-60-104. (3) "Certificate program" means the program designed by the board pursuant to section 23-60-902 (1). (4) "Eligible adult" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-2-124 (2) (c), C.R.S. (5) "Local education provider" has the same meaning as provided in section 22-2-124 (2) (i), C.R.S. 23-60-902. Integrated basic education and skills training - certificates. (1) Subject to the availability of state or federal moneys for the purposes of this part 9, the board shall design a certificate program through which persons who are identified as needing basic skills remedial course work or who are eligible for adult literacy education may obtain a career and technical education certificate within twelve months by taking courses that integrate basic skills training with college-level occupational skills training. The board is encouraged to collaborate with and may enter into memorandums of understanding with the department of education and the department of labor as necessary to ensure that the certificate program can be implemented locally in coordination with the family literacy education grant program created in section 22-2-124, C.R.S., and the work force investment program created in section 8-71-205, C.R.S. (2) At a minimum, the certificate program shall: (a) Be available to persons who meet the definition of an "eligible adult" in section 22-2-124 (2) (c), C.R.S., or are identified as needing basic skills remedial course work based on scores on the basic skills placement or assessment tests in English and mathematics, which tests meet the standards adopted by the commission pursuant to section 23-1-113.3; (b) Include only career and technical certificate programs that a student can complete within twelve months; and (c) Require that each course offered through the certificate program integrates basic skills instruction and college-level occupational skills training and is jointly designed and taught by a basic skills instructor and an occupational skills instructor who are available in the classroom together for at least fifty percent of the instructional time. (3) A community college in the state system of community and technical colleges or a local district junior college may choose to implement the certificate program. A community college or junior college that chooses to implement the certificate program shall collaborate with and may enter into memorandums of understanding with the following entities within the community college's or junior college's service areas: (a) The local education provider, if any, that provides family literacy education programs; and (b) The local work force board, if any, as provided in section 8-71-216, C.R.S. 23-60-903. Annual reports. (1) Each community college and local district junior college that chooses to implement the certificate program shall, at the completion of each academic year in which the community college or local district junior college implements the certificate program, submit a report to the board that provides the following information: (a) The career and technical education certificate programs that were offered; (b) The number of students who enrolled in each career and technical education certificate program and the number of students who successfully completed each program; and (c) The percentage of students who obtained employment in the areas in which they obtained certificates, if said information is available. (2) The board shall annually summarize the reports received pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and submit the summary report to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees; except that the board need not submit a summary report in any year in which it does not receive reports pursuant to subsection (1) of this section. SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 8-71-205, add (7) as follows: 8-71-205. Work force investment program - creation - administration. (7) The department may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state board for community colleges and occupational education as necessary to ensure that the integrated basic education and skills training certificate program described in section 23-60-902, C.R.S., can be implemented locally in coordination with the work force investment program. SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 8-71-216, amend (1) (k) and (1) (l); and add (1) (m) as follows: 8-71-216. Required and optional partners of work force boards. (1) Required partners. Each work force board, with the agreement of the local elected officials, is authorized to designate or certify the following partners for purposes of participating in the delivery of services for the one-stop system or work force investment program in the work force investment area: (k) Programs under chapter 41 of title 38, U.S.C., concerning local veterans' employment representatives and disabled veterans' outreach programs; and (l) Employment and training programs administered by the federal department of housing and urban development; and (m) Integrated basic education and skills training certificate programs implemented pursuant to part 9 of article 60 of title 23, C.R.S. SECTION 4. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-2-124, add (7.5) as follows: 22-2-124. Family literacy education grant program - rules. (7.5) The department may enter into a memorandum of understanding with the state board for community colleges and occupational education as necessary to ensure that the integrated basic education and skills training certificate program described in section 23-60-902, C.R.S., can be implemented locally in coordination with the family literacy education grant program. SECTION 5. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 8, 2012, if adjournment sine die is on May 9, 2012); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2012 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.