SB 148-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2021 SESSION
21-0956
06/08
SENATE BILL 148-FN
AN ACT adopting omnibus legislation relative to vocational and career education,
environmental education, and emergency plans for sports injuries.
SPONSORS: Sen. Ward, Dist 8
COMMITTEE: Education
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ANALYSIS
This bill adopts legislation relative to:
I. Vocational rehabilitation.
II. Career and technical education.
III. Emergency plans for sports related injuries.
IV. Private postsecondary career schools.
V. Environmental and outdoor education and establishing the New Hampshire youth
environmental education and conservation council.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
 SB 148-FN - AS INTRODUCED
21-0956
06/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One
AN ACT adopting omnibus legislation relative to vocational and career education,
environmental education, and emergency plans for sports injuries.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 1 Sponsorship. This act consists of the following proposed legislation:
2 Part I: LSR 21-0956, repealing provisions relating to vocational rehabilitation and authorizing
3 the state board of education to adopt rules relative to the provision of vocational rehabilitation,
4 sponsored by Sen. Ward, Prime/Dist. 8.
5 Part II: LSR 21-0270, relative to career and technical education, sponsored by Sen. Watters,
6 Prime/Dist. 4; Sen. Carson, Dist. 14; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist. 13; Sen. Whitley, Dist. 15; Sen. Sherman,
7 Dist. 24; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist. 20; Sen Prentiss, Dist. 5; Sen. Hennessey, Dist. 1; Rep.Ladd, Graf.
8 4; Rep. Moffett, Merr. 9.
9 Part III: LSR 21-0863, requiring emergency action plans for sports related injuries, sponsored
10 by Sen. Gannon, Prime/Dist. 23; Sen. Carson, Dist. 14; Sen. Watters, Dist. 4; Sen. D'Allesandro,
11 Dist.20; Sen. Prentiss, Dist. 5; Sen. Sherman, Dist. 24; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist. 13; Sen. Whitley, Dist.
12 15; Rep. Weyler, Rock. 13.
13 Part IV: LSR 021-0987, relative to the definition of private postsecondary career school,
14 sponsored by Sen. Ward, Prime/Dist. 8.
15 Part V: LSR 21-0824, relative to environmental and outdoor education and establishing the New
16 Hampshire youth environmental education and conservation council, sponsored by Sen.Watters,
17 Prime/Dist. 4; Sen. Prentiss, Dist. 5; Sen. Carson, Dist. 14; Sen. Whitley, Dist. 15; Sen. Sherman,
18 Dist. 24; Sen. Soucy, Dist. 18.
19 2 Legislation Enacted. The general court hereby enacts the following legislation:
20 PART I
21 Repealing provisions relating to vocational rehabilitation and authorizing the state board of
22 education to adopt rules relative to the provision of vocational rehabilitation.
23 1 Repeal. The following are repealed:
24 I. RSA 200-C:7, relative to telecommunications equipment.
25 II. RSA 200-C:9, relative to definitions.
26 III. RSA 200-C:10, relative to the establishment and amount of subsidies.
27 IV. RSA 200-C:11, relative to eligibility standards.
28 V. RSA 200-C:12, relative to appeals.
29 VI. RSA 200-C:13, relative to insufficient funds.
30 VII. RSA 200-C:15, relative to rulemaking.
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1 VIII. RSA 200-C:19, III, relative to administering the telecommunications equipment
2 program.
3 2 Worker's Personal Care Assistance Program; Rulemaking Authority. Amend RSA 200-C:8 to
4 read as follows:
5 200-C:8 Rulemaking Authority.
6 The board of education shall adopt rules, under RSA 541-A, relative to[:
7 I. Procedures for disbursement of moneys from the program established under RSA 200-C:7.
8 II. Eligibility criteria for equipment under the program, including priority criteria assigned
9 to persons seeking equipment under the program.
10 III. Procedures for the purchase, maintenance and repair of special telecommunications
11 equipment] the provision of vocational rehabilitation services.
12 3 Vocational Rehabilitation Programs; Rulemaking Authority. Amend RSA 200-C:8 to read as
13 follows:
14 200-C:8 Rulemaking Authority. The board of education shall adopt rules, under RSA 541-A,
15 relative to:
16 I. [Procedures for disbursement of moneys from the program established under RSA 200-
17 C:7.
18 II.] Eligibility criteria for equipment under the program, including priority criteria assigned
19 to persons seeking equipment under the program.
20 [III.] II. Procedures for the purchase, maintenance and repair of special telecommunications
21 equipment.
22 4 Effective Date. Part I of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
23 PART II
24 Relative to career and technical education.
25 1 Regional Career and Technical Education; Definitions; Sending District. Amend RSA 188-E:2,
26 VIII(b) to read as follows:
27 (b) If a student attends a chartered public school, private school, or is home schooled,
28 the sending district shall be the school district in which the student resides.
29 2 Construction or Renovation of Career and Technical Education Centers. Amend RSA 188-E:3,
30 I to read as follows:
31 I. The commissioner, department of education, shall make grants available to designated
32 regional centers for construction of career and technical education facilities or renovation,
33 expansion, or replacement of existing regional career and technical education centers. The state
34 board shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A and RSA 21-N:9, II, which the commissioner shall
35 carry out, relative to requirements for approval of regional career and technical education centers to
36 receive funds for construction or renovation of such facilities. The rules shall include criteria which
37 guarantee potential sending districts an opportunity to enroll students in the regional career and
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1 technical education program, and basic criteria for planning such facilities through cooperative
2 development of plans by the career and technical education staff of the state department of
3 education and the local school district's staff. When such plans appear to be both educationally and
4 financially acceptable, the department's career and technical education staff shall recommend to the
5 commissioner that they be approved for funding.
6 3 Regional Career and Technical Education; Program. Amend RSA 188-E:5, II to read as
7 follows:
8 II. New Hampshire students have a right to a career and technical education.
9 Career and technical education of consistent quality shall be equally available to students and across
10 the state. Each career and technical education program pathway shall include embedded rigorous
11 academic skills and technical core competencies aligned with national business and industry
12 standards delivered through a relevant sequence of courses.
13 4 Career and Technical Education; Transportation. Amend RSA 188-E:8 to read as follows:
14 188-E:8 Transportation. The department of education is authorized to reimburse from its
15 regular budget the full cost of transportation for (a) regional career and technical education
16 students who attend regional career and technical education centers and for (b) at-risk students who
17 attend alternative education programs located at a regional career and technical education center or
18 other comprehensive high school. Transportation costs shall not exceed the rate adopted pursuant to
19 RSA 541-A by the state board. The sending district shall be responsible for providing
20 transportation and paying the transportation costs and shall then be reimbursed from state
21 funds.
22 5 Career and Technical Education; Funding for Renovation and Expansion. Amend RSA 188-
23 E:10, I to read as follows:
24 I. The department of education is responsible for maintaining a statewide system of regional
25 [vocational] career and technical education centers to provide and allow for a variety of career and
26 technical education programs funded within state budget appropriations. The treasurer of the state
27 of New Hampshire is hereby authorized to make funds available to the department of education for
28 the renovation and expansion of qualified regional career and technical education centers or regional
29 career and technical education programs authorized in the capital budget, provided that:
30 (a) The commissioner of the department of education shall ensure that all requests
31 submitted are both educationally and financially appropriate within the state capital project
32 authorization process;
33 (b) The commissioner of the department of education submits on a biennial basis in a
34 capital budget request a priority list of facilities and programs eligible for renovation and expansion,
35 provided that priority shall be given to programs that have been certified by an approved standard
36 or that need additional funds to become certified by an approved standard;
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1 (c) Each request for funding follows the capital budget procedure pursuant to RSA 9:3-a,
2 provided that no qualified project funded in a state capital budget as required in this section shall
3 have additional funds for the same project included in a subsequent proposal for capital
4 appropriation under RSA 9:3-a unless directed by the priority list of the department of education;
5 (d) Each school district requesting funds from the department of education establishes
6 and funds a renovation and expansion reserve fund, which shall be used by the school district to pay
7 renovation and expansion costs not funded by the state, and which may include funding for the
8 replacement of equipment; and
9 (e) The state shall fund not less than 50 percent nor more than 75 percent of the cost of a
10 qualified project approved pursuant to this section.
11 (f) In this section, "qualified" means the project:
12 (1) Demonstrates need connected to the labor market.
13 (2) [Accepts students from sending schools.
14 (3)] Demonstrates adequate numbers of students through enrollment figures based
15 on 3-year averages.
16 [(4)] (3) Demonstrates alignment with program competencies and academic
17 competencies required by the department of education.
18 [(5)] (4) Allows for matriculation into a postsecondary venue.
19 [(6)] (5) Meets all industry and building standards.
20 [(7)] (6) Meets the procedural requirements for requests under this section and any
21 other requirements in rules of the department of education.
22 [(8)] (7) Is a regional career and technical education center within a public school, or
23 a public academy as defined in RSA 194:23, II, in the state of New Hampshire.
24 [9] (8) Has the capacity to provide academic courses for students from the sending
25 districts who are approved for full-time attendance at the center.
26 6 New Subparagraph; Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education. Amend RSA 188-
27 E:10-b, I by inserting after subparagraph (h) the following new subparagraph:
28 (i) A high school counselor from a sending school district, appointed by the president of
29 the New Hampshire School Counselor Association.
30 7 Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education. Amend RSA 188-E:10-b, III to read as
31 follows:
32 III. Members of the advisory council appointed under subparagraphs I(f)-[(h)](i) shall serve
33 for terms of 3 years and may be reappointed, except that terms of initial appointments by the
34 commissioner under subparagraphs (f) and (h) shall be staggered.
35 8 New Paragraph; Career and Technical Education; Rulemaking. Amend RSA 188-E:10-b by
36 inserting after paragraph VI the following new paragraph:
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1 VII. By June 30, 2021, upon recommendation of the council, the department shall adopt
2 rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, establishing requirements for a career readiness credential.
3 9 Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs; Federal Authorization. Amend RSA
4 188-E:12 to read as follows:
5 188-E:12 Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs; Federal Authorization. In
6 accordance with 20 U.S.C. section 9271, the state shall include in its unified plan, all secondary
7 career and technical education programs authorized under 20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq., known as the Carl
8 D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 as amended by the Strengthening Career
9 and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act of 2018, Public Law 115-224.
10 10 Pre-Engineering and Technology Curriculum and Pre-Engineering and Technology Advisory
11 Council; Membership and Terms. Amend RSA 188-E:16, I(d) to read as follows:
12 (d) The [president] chancellor of the community college system of [the] New
13 Hampshire[ technical institute], or designee.
14 11 Advanced Manufacturing Education Advisory Council; Membership and Terms. Amend RSA
15 188-E:22, I(e) to read as follows:
16 (e) The [president] chancellor of the community college system of [the] New
17 Hampshire[ technical institute], or designee.
18 12 Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Program; Program Established. Amend RSA 188-E:26 to
19 read as follows:
20 188-E:26 Program Established. There is established a dual and concurrent enrollment program
21 in the department of education. Participation in the program shall be offered to high school and
22 career technical education center students in grades 10 through 12. The program shall provide
23 opportunities for qualified New Hampshire high school students to gain access and support for dual
24 and concurrent enrollment in career and technical education courses, STEM (science,
25 technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEM-related courses that are fundamental for
26 success in postsecondary education and to meet New Hampshire's emerging workforce needs.
27 13 Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Program; School Board Policy. Amend RSA 188-E:28, I to
28 read as follows:
29 I. [No later than July 1, 2018,] The school board of each school district shall develop and
30 adopt a policy permitting students residing in the district who are in grade 10, 11 or 12 to
31 participate in the dual and concurrent enrollment program. The policy shall, at a minimum, include
32 compliance with measurable educational standards and criteria approved by the CCSNH and that
33 meet the same standard of quality and rigor as courses offered on campus by the CCSNH. The
34 policy shall also comply with the standards for accreditation and program development established
35 by the National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. The policy shall include, but not
36 be limited to, student eligibility criteria, standards for course content, standards for faculty
37 approval, program coordination and communication requirements, tuition and fees, textbooks and
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1 materials, course grading policy, data collection, maintenance, and security, revenue and
2 expenditure reporting, and process for renewal of the agreement.
3 14 Department of Education; Community College System of New Hampshire; Dual and
4 Concurrent Enrollment Agreement. The department of education and the CCSNH shall develop and
5 approve a model dual and concurrent enrollment agreement that shall be used by the CCSNH and
6 the school board of a school district participating in the dual and concurrent enrollment agreement
7 program. The model agreement shall include standards established by the CCSNH, shall include
8 elements, standards, and criteria that have been approved by the department of education and
9 CCSNH, and shall serve as the framework for the development, implementation, and administration
10 of the dual and concurrent enrollment program in each school district by clearly defining the
11 procedures rela