SB261: Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board; comprehensive review of labor statistics categories.

SENATE BILL NO. 261

Offered January 12, 2022
Prefiled January 11, 2022
A BILL to direct the Virginia STEM Education Advisory Board to perform a comprehensive review of labor statistics categories, STEM+C workforce, and STEM education; report.
Patron-- Hashmi

Referred to Committee on Education and Health

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. The Virginia Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Advisory Board (the Board) shall perform a comprehensive review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics categories within the standard occupational classification system and assess deficit areas that do not capture Virginia's existing STEM+C (Computing) workforce profile for the purpose of better aligning K-12 and higher education priorities. The Board shall determine gaps in Virginia's tracking of these careers to better align the committee's tracking and coordination of STEM+C and shall share its findings with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment (the Office) to include in the Office's efforts to specifically align STEM and computer science (STEM+C) workforce and education. The scope of the review shall include, but is not limited to: health care, agriculture, military, advanced manufacturing, financial systems, and K-16 education careers that are not currently tracked or categorized by the federal government as STEM+C career fields. The Board shall submit its report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Communications, Technology and Innovation and the Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology no later than October 1, 2022.