HB2097: Career Pathways System Advisory Council; established, report.

HOUSE BILL NO. 2097

Offered January 9, 2013
Prefiled January 9, 2013
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 25.1, consisting of a section numbered 2.2-2674.2, relating to the Career Pathways System Advisory Council.
Patron-- James

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 26 of Title 2.2 an article numbered 25.1, consisting of a section numbered 2.2-2674.2, as follows:

Article 25.1.
Career Pathways System Advisory Council.

2.2-2674.2. Career Pathways System Advisory Council established; purpose; membership; work group.

A. The Career Pathways System Advisory Council (the Council) is established as an advisory council, within the meaning of 2.2-2100, in the executive branch of state government. The purpose of the Council is to ensure the coordination and collaboration of career and technical education, adult education, and workforce development programs through business-driven sector strategies that provide for sequences of education and training articulated with higher levels of education and regional and state workforce needs and that also provide career coaching and advising support services and experiential learning. The Council will coordinate with the Virginia Workforce Council to advise the Governor and General Assembly on progress toward achieving education and workforce readiness goals in the Commonwealth. The Council shall be tasked with increasing levels of cooperation and resource sharing between education and workforce programs whose representatives serve on the Council to improve efficiencies and effectiveness of the Virginia Workforce Network.

B. The Council shall consist of 12 members serving ex officio with voting privileges as follows: the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Commissioner of the Virginia Employment Commission, the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Director of the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services, or their respective designees. Ex officio members of the Council shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.

C. The Council shall be chaired by the Secretary of Education. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The Council shall meet at least quarterly each year. Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in 2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of expenses of the members shall be provided by each member's respective agency.

D. The Council shall convene a work group chaired by a designee of the Governor and composed of the designees of each of the participating agency heads. The work group shall assist and make recommendations to the Council for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this section. The work group shall meet at least quarterly.

E. The Council shall produce an annual scorecard on the Commonwealth's progress toward achieving education and workforce readiness goals. In coordination with the Virginia Workforce Council and the Council on Virginia's Future, the Council shall develop workforce readiness indicators, which shall include enrollment and graduation statistics in secondary, postsecondary, and adult education programs in science, technology, engineering, math, or health care-related areas; numbers of targeted industry certifications; and the Commonwealth's education and training capacity for key industry sectors. The scorecard shall also include a report on the progress of interagency collaboration and shared funding for the purposes of attaining select education and workforce development goals.

The scorecard shall be submitted annually to the Governor and the General Assembly for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports. The chairman shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the Council no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.

F. The Virginia Community College System shall provide staff support to the Council. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council, upon request.

G. This section shall expire on July 1, 2016.