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LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
962
BY
WAYS
AND
MEANS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
EDUCATION;
AMENDING
CHAPTER
12,
TITLE
72,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
THE
AD
-
2
DITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
72
-
1207,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ESTABLISH
PROVISIONS
RE
-
3
GARDING
A
RETURN
ON
INVESTMENT
ANALYSIS
OF
THE
IDAHO
LAUNCH
GRANT
PRO
-
4
GRAM;
PROVIDING
A
SUNSET
DATE;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
5
AN
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
6
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
7
SECTION
1.
That
Chapter
12,
Title
72,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
8
hereby
amended
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
SECTION
,
to
be
known
and
des
-
9
ignated
as
Section
72
-
1207,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
10
72
-
1207.
IDAHO
LAUNCH
GRANT
PROGRAM
RETURN
ON
INVESTMENT
ANALY
-
1
1
SIS.
(1)
At
least
biennially,
the
legislative
services
office
shall
conduct
12
a
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
Idaho
launch
grant
program
estab
-
13
lished
in
section
72
-
1205,
Idaho
Code,
and
student
outcomes
to:
14
(a)
Determine
the
alignment
of
the
program's
in
-
demand
careers
with
em
-
15
ployer
demand,
postsecondary
degree
or
certificate
programs,
and
in
-
16
dustry
-
valued
credentials;
17
(b)
Identify
the
program's
eligible
in
-
demand
careers
that
are
linked
18
to
high
-
skill
and
higher
-
wage
in
-
demand
occupations;
19
(c)
Evaluate
student
participation
and
outcomes,
such
as
postsecondary
20
attainment,
employment
status,
and
wage
earnings
associated
with
eli
-
21
gible
coursework
under
the
program
as
defined
in
section
72
-
1204,
Idaho
22
Code;
23
(d)
Provide
information
that
can
be
used
to
improve
the
alignment
and
24
quality
of
the
program
and
increase
access
and
successful
outcomes
for
25
all
students;
and
26
(e)
Provide
information
about
the
availability,
quality,
and
student
27
outcomes
of
the
program
and
its
eligible
institutions
under
the
program
28
as
defined
in
section
72
-
1204,
Idaho
Code,
to
support
students
and
fami
-
29
lies
in
making
informed
decisions
about
educational
options.
30
(2)
The
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
Idaho
launch
grant
program
31
provided
for
in
this
section
shall
be
conducted
in
collaboration
with
the
32
Idaho
workforce
development
council,
all
eligible
institutions
under
the
33
program,
representatives
from
business
and
industry,
and
any
other
appro
-
34
priate
stakeholders.
These
entities
shall:
35
(a)
Support
the
completion
of
a
high
-
quality
return
on
investment
anal
-
36
ysis
of
the
program
by
timely
collecting
and
providing
data
and
infor
-
37
mation
in
the
manner
specified
by
the
legislative
services
office
and
in
38
accordance
with
state
and
federal
law;
and
39
(b)
Support
the
implementation
of
recommendations
resulting
from
the
40
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program,
which
may
include
align
-
41
2
ment
or
revision
of
agency
or
entity
policies,
processes,
and
proce
-
1
dures.
2
(3)
The
legislative
services
office,
in
consultation
with
the
Idaho
3
workforce
development
council,
all
eligible
institutions
under
the
pro
-
4
gram,
representatives
from
business
and
industry,
and
any
other
appropriate
5
stakeholders,
shall
develop
and
publish
a
methodology
to
conduct
the
return
6
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program
and
its
outcomes.
The
methodology
7
shall
use
consistent
data
definitions,
criteria,
or
thresholds
across
edu
-
8
cation
systems
and
program
institutions,
to
the
extent
practicable.
9
(4)
The
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program
shall
include
but
10
is
not
limited
to
an
analysis
of:
1
1
(a)
Statewide
and
regional
labor
market
information,
including
cur
-
12
rent
and
projected
economic,
labor
market,
and
wage
data
reflecting
the
13
needs
of
the
state,
regional,
and
global
economy
and
workforce
that
in
-
14
cludes:
15
(i)
Development
of
a
methodology
to
classify
occupations
at
the
16
statewide
and
regional
levels
based
on
measures
of
skill,
demand,
17
wage,
and
growth;
and
18
(ii)
Identification
of
statewide
and
regional
employment
oppor
-
19
tunities
in
high
-
demand,
high
-
growth,
and
higher
-
wage
occupa
-
20
tions;
21
(b)
Alignment
of
current
program
in
-
demand
careers,
eligible
institu
-
22
tions,
and
eligible
coursework
with
statewide
and
regional
employment
23
opportunities,
including:
24
(i)
Identification
of
eligible
institutions
and
eligible
course
-
25
work
under
the
program
leading
to
high
-
skill,
high
-
demand,
high
-
26
growth,
and
higher
-
wage
occupations;
27
(ii)
Identification
of
gaps
in
program
offerings
leading
to
high
-
28
growth,
high
-
demand,
and
higher
-
wage
occupations;
29
(iii)
Identification
of
in
-
demand
careers,
eligible
institu
-
30
tions,
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program
that
do
not
lead
31
students
to
high
-
growth,
high
-
demand,
or
higher
-
wage
employment
32
opportunities;
33
(iv)
Postsecondary
certificate
or
degree
programs
offered;
and
34
(v)
Industry
-
valued
credentials
used
by
employers
in
the
state
in
35
hiring
and
promotion
decisions;
36
(c)
Experiences
of
participating
students
that
can
be
disaggregated
by
37
student
demographics,
eligible
institutions,
and
eligible
coursework
38
under
the
program
and
compared
to
experiences
of
nonparticipating
stu
-
39
dents,
including
but
not
limited
to:
40
(i)
Program
eligible
institution
enrollment,
progression,
and
41
completion,
including:
42
1.
Programs
offered
by
all
public
and
private
schools
or
43
postsecondary
institutions;
44
2.
Student
enrollment
in
each
eligible
coursework
offered
45
by
an
eligible
institution
under
the
program;
46
3.
Student
course
completion
and
credit
attainment
in
each
47
eligible
institution
under
the
program;
48
4.
Student
completion
of
each
eligible
coursework
under
the
49
program;
and
50
3
5.
Unmet
student
demand
for
each
eligible
institution
under
1
the
program,
including
waiting
lists
and
students
not
en
-
2
rolled
due
to
space
constraints;
3
(ii)
Industry
-
valued
credentials,
including:
4
1.
Student
enrollment
in
courses
or
institutions
aligned
5
with
each
industry
-
valued
credential;
6
2.
Student
participation,
including
attempts,
in
each
in
-
7
dustry
-
valued
credential
examination
or
assessment;
8
3.
Student
attainment
of
each
industry
-
valued
credential;
9
and
10
4.
Student
attainment
of
each
industry
-
valued
credential
1
1
that
articulates
to
postsecondary
credit;
12
(iii)
Postsecondary
credit
attainment,
including:
13
1.
Postsecondary
credits
or
hours
earned
as
part
of
the
pro
-
14
gram;
and
15
2.
Postsecondary
credits
or
hours
earned
outside
of
the
pro
-
16
gram;
and
17
(iv)
Work
-
based
learning
experiences,
including:
18
1.
The
type
of
each
work
-
based
learning
experience;
19
2.
The
characteristics
of
each
work
-
based
learning
experi
-
20
ence,
including
but
not
limited
to
the
duration,
whether
it
21
was
paid
or
unpaid,
or
whether
it
was
for
credit
or
no
credit;
22
3.
Placement
information
including
industry
code
(the
North
23
American
industry
classification
system)
and
occupation
24
code
(the
standard
industrial
classification);
25
4.
Pre
-
apprenticeship
and
youth
apprenticeship
program
en
-
26
rollment
and
progression;
and
27
5.
Apprenticeship
program
enrollment
and
progression;
and
28
(d)
Student
outcomes
that
can
be
disaggregated
by
student
demograph
-
29
ics,
eligible
institutions,
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program
30
compared
to
outcomes
of
students
not
participating
in
the
program,
in
-
31
cluding:
32
(i)
Enrollment
and
persistence
data
disaggregated
by
type
of
in
-
33
stitution,
including
technical
colleges,
two
(2)
year
colleges,
34
four
(4)
year
colleges,
or
private
providers,
and
by
type
of
cul
-
35
minating
credential,
including
certificates
or
diplomas
and
asso
-
36
ciate
or
bachelor's
degrees,
including:
37
1.
Enrollment
in
a
postsecondary
program;
38
2.
Postsecondary
persistence,
including
credit
or
hour
at
-
39
tainment;
and
40
3.
Postsecondary
degree
or
credential
attainment;
and
41
(ii)
Employment
outcomes,
including:
42
1.
Employment
status,
including
full
-
time
or
part
-
time
em
-
43
ployment;
44
2.
Employment
field
by
industry
code
(the
North
American
45
industry
classification
system)
and
occupation
code
(the
46
standard
industrial
classification);
47
3.
Wage
earnings;
and
48
4
4.
Other
indicators
of
quality
that
can
be
disaggregated
by
1
student
demographics,
eligible
institutions,
and
eligible
2
coursework,
including
educator
workforce,
including:
3
(A)
Current
educator
qualifications,
expertise,
and
4
specialized
knowledge;
5
(B)
Opportunities
for
educators
to
learn
new
skills
6
valued
by
employers;
7
(C)
Educator
positions
that
are
unfilled
or
filled
8
by
instructors
who
do
not
have
appropriate
knowledge,
9
skills,
or
experience;
and
10
(D)
Total
and
per
-
student
amount
of
program
funding
1
1
allocated
to
each
student
and
amount
spent
per
student
12
and
amount
reverted.
13
(5)
Using
the
findings
from
the
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
14
Idaho
launch
grant
program
provided
for
in
this
section,
the
legislative
15
services
office,
in
consultation
with
the
Idaho
workforce
development
coun
-
16
cil,
all
eligible
institutions
under
the
program,
representatives
from
17
business
and
industry,
and
any
other
appropriate
stakeholders,
shall
de
-
18
velop
recommendations
to
improve
labor
market
alignment,
quality,
student
19
access
and
outcomes,
and
operational
efficiencies
of
the
program.
These
20
recommendations
shall
include
detailed
information,
including
roles,
re
-
21
sponsibilities,
action
steps,
and
timelines
to
achieve
state
agency
policy,
22
process,
and
resource
allocation
strategies
that
will:
23
(a)
Increase
the
alignment
between
the
program
and
the
state's
economy,
24
including:
25
(i)
Offering
new
programs
that
lead
to
high
-
skill,
high
-
demand,
26
high
-
growth,
and
higher
-
wage
occupations
but
that
are
not
offered
27
by
eligible
institutions
under
the
program;
28
(ii)
Phasing
out
program
offerings
that
are
not
aligned
with
the
29
needs
of
employers
or
do
not
provide
program
participants
with
a
30
middle
-
wage
or
high
-
wage
job;
and
31
(iii)
Requiring
school
districts
and
eligible
institutions
to
32
align
offerings
to
ensure
seamless
pathways
for
students
from
33
grades
K
-
12
through
postsecondary
school;
34
(b)
Identify
and
address
gaps
between
student
groups
in
access,
partic
-
35
ipation,
and
successful
outcomes
through
the
program;
36
(c)
Identify
policies,
processes,
legal
and
resource
barriers,
or
37
other
barriers
that
prevent
students
from
accessing
or
succeeding
in
38
eligible
institutions
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program,
along
39
with
detailed
recommendations
for
the
agency
or
stakeholder
responsi
-
40
ble
for
removing
these
barriers;
and
41
(d)
Identify
and
develop
a
plan
and
timeline
to
collect
data
elements
42
needed
for
a
complete
and
high
-
quality
return
on
investment
analysis
of
43
the
program
that
are
not
currently
available
or
accessible.
44
(6)
By
December
31,
the
legislative
services
office
shall
submit
to
45
the
governor,
the
president
pro
tempore
of
the
senate,
and
the
speaker
of
46
the
house
of
representatives
a
summary
report
and
publicly
post
such
report
47
on
the
Idaho
legislature's
website
and
the
workforce
development
council's
48
website.
The
summary
report
shall
contain
detailed
supporting
data,
includ
-
49
ing,
at
a
minimum:
50
5
(a)
The
findings
of
the
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program
1
broken
down
by
student
demographics,
eligible
institution,
and
in
-
de
-
2
mand
career;
3
(b)
The
recommendations
to
improve
labor
market
alignment,
quality,
4
student
access
and
outcomes,
and
operational
efficiencies
across
the
5
eligible
institutions
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program;
6
(c)
A
list
of
existing
eligible
institutions
and
eligible
coursework
7
under
the
program
that
are
not
aligned
to
employer
demand
or
do
not
pre
-
8
pare
students
for
a
middle
-
wage
or
high
-
wage
job;
9
(d)
A
list
of
in
-
demand
knowledge,
skills,
and
competencies
from
em
-
10
ployers
that
are
currently
not
being
met
through
existing
eligible
in
-
1
1
stitutions
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program;
and
12
(e)
Beginning
with
the
second
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
pro
-
13
gram,
an
update
on
the
implementation
status,
activities,
and
outcomes
14
stemming
from
the
prior
report's
recommendations.
15
(7)
Following
the
release
of
the
summary
report,
the
legislative
ser
-
16
vices
office
and
collaborating
agencies
shall
publicly
present
the
findings
17
and
seek
feedback
from
stakeholders
across
the
state
to
inform
future
itera
-
18
tions
of
the
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program
under
this
section.
19
Stakeholder
engagement
and
feedback
shall
not
be
prevented
throughout
the
20
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
program
process.
21
(8)
By
January
1,
the
legislative
services
office
shall
provide
com
-
22
plete,
matched
data
sets
used
in
the
return
on
investment
analysis
of
the
23
program
to
the
Idaho
workforce
development
council,
all
eligible
institu
-
24
tions
under
the
program,
representatives
from
business
and
industry,
and
any
25
other
appropriate
stakeholders.
The
data
sets
shall
be
provided
in
a
manner
26
and
format
that:
27
(a)
Supports
continuous
program
improvement
and
robust
feedback
of
el
-
28
igible
institutions
and
eligible
coursework
under
the
program;
29
(b)
Allows
for
aggregated
findings
for
each
eligible
institution
and
30
eligible
coursework
under
the
program,
including
outcomes,
to
be
re
-
31
ported
publicly
to
students,
families,
and
community
members;
and
32
(c)
Complies
with
all
applicable
state
and
federal
laws.
33
SECTION
2.
The
provisions
of
Section
1
of
this
act
shall
be
null,
void,
34
and
of
no
force
and
effect
on
and
after
July
1,
2029.
35
SECTION
3.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
36
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
37
July
1,
2026.
38