Education - Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee and CTE Skills Standards Advisory Committee - Revisions and Repeal

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0296*

HOUSE BILL 296
F5 6lr0128
(PRE–FILED) CF 6lr0127
By: Chair, Ways and Means Committee (By Request – Departmental – Labor)
Requested: September 29, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Education – Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee and CTE Skills 2
Standards Advisory Committee – Revisions and Repeal 3

FOR the purpose of altering the purpose, composition, and duties of the Career and 4
Technical Education (CTE) Committee; repealing the CTE Skills Standards Advisory 5
Committee; requiring State agencies and certain workforce development and 6
education programs to use a certain list of occupations for certain purposes; and 7
generally relating to the CTE Committee and the CTE Skills Standards Advisory 8
Committee. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 7–205.1(g)(1)(iii) 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 14

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 15
Article – Education 16
Section 21–209 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 19

BY repealing 20
Article – Education 21
Section 21–210 22
Annotated Code of Maryland 23
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 24

BY adding to 25
Article – Education 26
2 HOUSE BILL 296

Section 21–210 and 21–211 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2022 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 3

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5

Article – Education 6

7–205.1. 7

(g) (1) Subject to paragraph (4) of this subsection, beginning in the 2023–2024 8
school year, each county board shall provide all students who meet the CCR standard 9
required under subsection (c) of this section with access to the following post college and 10
career readiness (post–CCR) pathways, at no cost to the student or the student’s parents, 11
including the cost of any fees: 12

(iii) A robust set of career and technology education programs that 13
are [recommended by the CTE Skills Standards Advisory Committee and] approved by the 14
CTE Committee and that allow students to complete: 15

1. A credit or noncredit certificate or license program, course, 16
or sequence of courses, including a program, course, or courses taken through dual 17
enrollment under § 15 –127 of this article, at a secondary or postsecondary institution, 18
through an Advanced Placement course at a secondary institution, or th rough an 19
apprenticeship sponsor that leads to an industry recognized occupational –credential or 20
postsecondary certificate; 21

2. A registered apprenticeship program approved by the 22
Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning within the Maryland Department 23
of Labor; or 24

3. A youth apprenticeship program, under Title 18, Subtitle 25
18 of this article. 26

21–209. 27

(a) There is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee. 28

(b) (1) The CTE Committee is a unit within the Governor’s Workforce 29
Development Board, ESTABLISHED UNDER TITLE 11, SUBTITLE 5 OF THE LABOR AND 30
EMPLOYMENT ARTICLE. 31

(2) The CTE Committee shall operate under the oversight of the 32
Accountability and Implementation Board, established under Title 5, Subtitle 4 of this 33
article. 34

HOUSE BILL 296 3

(c) (1) The purpose of the CTE Committee is to [build] DIRECT AND 1
COORDINATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF an integrated, globally competitive [framework] 2
AND ALIGNED SYSTEM for providing CTE to Maryland students in public schools, 3
institutions of postsecondary education, and the workforce. 4

(2) The CTE Committee shall strive to integrate CTE in secondary and 5
postsecondary institutions in the State. 6

(3) The CTE Committee shall consist of individuals who collectively reflect, 7
to the extent practicable, the INDUSTRIAL, geographical, racial, ethnic, cultural, and 8
gender diversity of the State. 9

(d) The CTE Committee is composed of the following members of the Governor’s 10
Workforce Development Board: 11

(1) The State Superintendent; 12

(2) The Secretary of Higher Education; 13

(3) The Secretary of Labor; 14

(4) The Secretary of Commerce; AND 15

(5) [The chair of the Skills Standards Advisory Committee, established 16
under § 21–208 of this subtitle; and 17

(6) The following six ] SEVEN members, jointly selected by the Governor, 18
the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, who collectively 19
represent: 20

(i) Employers; 21

(ii) Industry or trade associations; 22

(iii) Labor organizations; 23

(iv) Community colleges; 24

(v) The agricultural community; and 25

(vi) Experts in CTE programming. 26

(e) The Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 27
Delegates jointly shall appoint a chair of the CTE Committee from among the [committee’s 28
members] COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE EMPLOYER REPRESENTATIVES. 29

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(f) A member of the CTE Committee: 1

(1) May not receive compensation as a member of the CTE Committee; and 2

(2) Is not entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 3
Travel Regulations for duties performed under this section. 4

(g) The CTE Committee may employ additional staff necessary to carry out the 5
committee’s functions as provided in the State budget. 6

(h) The CTE Committee shall perform the following duties: 7

(1) Develop a statewide framework fo r CTE that prepares students for 8
employment in a diverse, modern economy; 9

(2) Allocate roles and responsibilities to State agencies for the 10
credentialing of students, INCLUDING THOSE engaged in CTE programs; 11

(3) Adopt and, where appropriate, develop and regularly update , IN 12
ACCORDANCE WITH § 21–210 OF THIS SUBTITLE, a comprehensive and cohesive system 13
of [occupational skills ] CAREER PATHWAY INFOR MATION, INCLUDING NECESSARY 14
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCIES, AND CREDENTIALING standards, to drive the 15
State’s WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND CTE [system] SYSTEMS; 16

(4) Work with the business community, including nonprofit entities and 17
apprenticeship sponsors, to develop CTE learning opportunities; 18

(5) Bring together representatives from public schools, institu tions of 19
postsecondary education, and the business community, including nonprofit entities and 20
apprenticeship sponsors, to ensure that CTE programs are aligned with the State’s 21
economic development and workforce goals and operate with best global practices; 22

(6) Set content qualification and recruitment standards for CTE 23
instructors; 24

(7) Determine which programs should be approved for credit towards high 25
school graduation requirements; 26

(8) [Approve, reject, or modify the proposals made by the CTE Skills 27
Standards Advisory Committee established under § 21–208 of this subtitle to establish CTE 28
programs for public school students; 29

(9)] Address operational issues associated with delivering CTE programs to 30
students, including transportation to and from job sites; 31

HOUSE BILL 296 5

[(10)] (9) Review agency budget proposals involving CTE and make 1
recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 2
Government Article, the General Assembly on or before December 15 each year; 3

[(11)] (10) Monitor the progress of CTE in the State, including progress on 4
implementing the CTE goals in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future; 5

[(12)] (11) Develop yearly goals for each county board to reach the statewide 6
goal under § 21–204 of this subtitle that 45 % of public HIGH school students [achieve an] 7
COMPLETE THE HIGH SC HOOL LEVEL OF A REGI STERED APPRENTICESHI P OR 8
ANOTHER industry–recognized [occupational] credential before they graduate; 9

[(13)] (12) Track progress toward and perform any tasks necessary to 10
achieve the statewide goal under § 21 –204 of this subtitle that 45% of public high school 11
students [achieve a youth apprenticeship or any other ] COMPLETE THE HIGH SC HOOL 12
LEVEL OF A REGISTERE D APPRENTICESHIP OR ANOTHER industry–recognized 13
[occupational] credential, AS DEFINED BY THE CTE COMMITTEE, before they graduate; 14

[(14)] (13) Establish, administer, and supervise the CTE Expert Review 15
Teams established under § 5–412 of this article; 16

[(15)] (14) Using State accountability data, identify schools t o be 17
[investigated] REVIEWED by CTE Expert Review Teams in which sufficient numbers of 18
students or groups of demographically distinct students are not making adequate progress 19
towards the completion of the CTE pathway; 20

[(16)] (15) Submit to the Accountability and Implementation Board plans 21
for deploying CTE Expert Review Teams, and deploy the teams in accordance with 22
approved plans; 23

[(17)] (16) Share information on CTE education with the Accountability and 24
Implementation Board; [and] 25

(17) MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON SETTING 26
THE OCCUPATIONAL STA NDARDS NECESSARY FOR A STRONG CTE SYSTEM THAT 27
SHALL FORM THE BASIS FOR THE POST –CCR CTE PATHWAY REQUIRED UND ER § 28
7–205.1(G)(3) OF THIS ARTICLE; 29

(18) IN COLLABORATION WITH AND SUBJE CT TO THE APPROVAL O F 30
THE GOVERNOR’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD AND IN CONSULTA TION 31
WITH OTHER INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES, DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A LIST OF 32
HIGH–SKILL, HIGH–WAGE, OR IN–DEMAND PRIORITY OCCUPATIONS FOR THE STATE; 33

(19) IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 21–211 OF THIS SUBTITLE , MAKE 34
RECOMMENDATIONS TO STATE AGENCIES AND OF FICES, INCLUDING TO THE 35
6 HOUSE BILL 296

DEPARTMENT, THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, THE MARYLAND HIGHER 1
EDUCATION COMMISSION, AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION 2
BOARD, ON ADJUSTMENTS TO THE STATE’S CTE SYSTEM TO ENSURE THE SYSTEM: 3

(I) REMAINS GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE; 4

(II) IS ADMINISTERED ACCOR DING TO BEST GLOBAL 5
PRACTICES; AND 6

(III) WHEN INFORMING THE DE SIGN OF COURSES AND 7
PROGRAMS OF STUDY , LEVERAGES THE CAREER PATHWAY AND OCCUPATI ONAL 8
STANDARDS DEVELOPED UNDER § 21–210 OF THIS SUBTITLE; AND 9

[(18)] (20) Perform any other duties assigned by the Governor’s Workforce 10
Development Board. 11

(i) The CTE Committee may: 12

(1) Make grants to innovative programs developed by public schools, 13
institutions of postsecondary education, apprenticeship sponsors, nonprofits, and other 14
persons that help further the CTE Committee’s purpose; 15

(2) Contract with a public or private entity to research and analyze the 16
provision of CTE to students; 17

(3) Create advisory structures necessary to ensure essential input from 18
educators, parents, unions, employers, apprenticeship sponsors, community organizers, 19
local workforce boards, and other key stakeholders; and 20

(4) Adopt any regulations necessary to carry out the committee’s duties and 21
administer CTE in the State. 22

(j) (1) A majority of CTE Committee members constitutes a quorum. 23

(2) Action by the CTE Committee requires the affirmative vote of a 24
majority of the committee members present. 25

(k) (1) Each year, the CTE Committee shall report to the Governor and, in 26
accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly, and the 27
Accountability and Implementation Board. 28

(2) The CTE Committee’s report shall include: 29

(i) An annual assessment of the state of CTE within the State; and 30

HOUSE BILL 296 7

(ii) Statutory, regulatory, budgetary, and structural changes needed 1
to address the challenges of the evolving CTE system. 2

(3) Any student–level information in the CTE Committee’s report shall be 3
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, family income level, linguistic status, and 4
disability status. 5

[21–210. 6

(a) In this section, “Advisory Committee” means the CTE Skills Standards 7
Advisory Committee. 8

(b) The CTE Committee shall create a CTE Sk ills Standards Advisory 9
Committee. 10

(c) (1) The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to make recommendations 11
and provide advice to the CTE Committee on setting the occupational standards necessary 12
for a strong CTE system. 13

(2) The recommendations made by the Advisory Committee shall form the 14
basis for the post–CCR CTE pathway required under § 7–205.1 of this article. 15

(d) (1) The Advisory Committee shall be composed of members appointed by 16
the chair of the CTE Committee that include employers, unions, a pprenticeship sponsors, 17
and other experts on occupational skills, including agricultural skills. 18

(2) To the extent practicable, the Advisory Committee shall be composed of 19
members of the Governor’s Workforce Development Board who do not serve on the CTE 20
Committee. 21

(e) A member of the Advisory Committee: 22

(1) May not receive compensation as a member of the Advisory Committee; 23
and 24

(2) Is not entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 25
Travel Regulations for duties performed under this section. 26

(f) (1) The Advisory Committee shall make recommendations to the CTE 27
Committee concerning: 28

(i) A comprehensive array of career advancement guidelines, 29
including standards for each occupation in a profession and concrete steps and 30
accomplishments needed to progress to a greater skilled occupation in a given field; 31

(ii) Credentials to be issued at each stage of advancement and 32
criteria necessary to be awarded a particular credential; and 33
8 HOUSE BILL 296

(iii) Necessary adjustments to ensure that the State’s CTE system 1
remains globally competitive and administered according to best global practices. 2

(2) In making recommendations under this subsection, the Advisory 3
Committee shall strive to create a comprehensive, unified system of career progres sion 4
that: 5

(i) Is attuned to the State’s workforce needs; 6

(ii) Features integration among as many industries as possible; 7

(iii) Features performance assessments administered by industry 8
practitioners whenever possible; 9

(iv) Allows a student trained in one career to seamlessly transfer the 10
student’s skills and education to a new career in a different field; 11

(v) Seeks to incorporate as much education in a job setting as is 12
practicable; 13

(vi) Incorporates professional workplace soft skil ls, including 14
interpersonal and communication skills, time management, business etiquette, and use of 15
common business tools; and 16

(vii) Incorporates education in high school, community college, and 17
other postsecondary occupation programs into a seamless whole that will provide students 18
with credentials at various points that build on previous credentials. 19

(g) The terms, meeting times, procedures, and policies guiding removal of 20
members for the Advisory Committee shall be determined by the CTE Committee.] 21

21–210. 22

(A) (1) FOR EACH OCCUPATION O N THE LIST DEVELOPED UNDER § 23
21–209(H) OF THIS SUBTITLE , THE CTE COMMITTEE SHALL DEVEL OP, IN 24
COLLABORATION WITH T HE GOVERNOR’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD, 25
COMPREHENSIVE, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE CAREER PATHWAY INFORMATION. 26

(2) THE CAREER PATHWAY IN FORMATION SHALL INCL UDE 27
INFORMATION ON: 28

(I) SKILL, KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCY, EXPERIENCE, OR 29
CREDENTIAL STANDARDS FOR EACH OCCUPATION; 30

HOUSE BILL 296 9

(II) CONCRETE STEPS TO OBTAIN THE SKILLS, COMPETENCIES, 1
EXPERIENCES, OR CREDENTIALS NECESSARY TO ADVANCE ON A CA REER PATHWAY 2
OR TO HIGHER–PAYING ROLES IN A PROFESSION; 3

(III) CREDENTIALS TO BE ISS UED AT EACH STAGE OF CAREER 4
PATHWAY ADVANCEMENT; AND 5

(IV) NECESSARY CRITERIA TO BE AWARDED A CREDENTIAL. 6

(3) THE CAREER PATHWAY INFORMATION SHALL BE ADOPTED BY THE 7
GOVERNOR’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD. 8

(B) ALL STATE AGENCIES AND RELEVANT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND 9
EDUCATION PROGRAMS SHALL USE THE LIST OF OCCUPATIONS DEVELOPED UNDER 10
§ 21–209(H) OF THIS SUBTITLE AND CAREER PATHWAY INFORMATION DEVELOPED 11
UNDER THIS SECTION A S A GUIDELINE FOR CU RRICULUM ALIGNMENT , 12
CREDENTIALING, AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT. 13

21–211. 14

IN MAKING THE RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRED UNDER § 21–209(H) OF THIS 15
SUBTITLE REGARDING A DJUSTMENTS TO THE STATE’S CTE SYSTEM, THE CTE 16
COMMITTEE SHALL STRIV E TO CREATE A COMPRE HENSIVE, UNIFIED SYSTEM OF 17
CAREER PROGRESSION THAT: 18

(1) IS ATTUNED TO THE STATE’S WORKFORCE NEEDS; 19

(2) FEATURES INTEGRATION AMONG AS MANY INDUST RIES AS 20
POSSIBLE; 21

(3) FEATURES PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS ADMINISTERED BY 22
INDUSTRY PRACTITIONERS WHENEVER POSSIBLE; 23

(4) ALLOWS A STUDENT TRAI NED IN ONE CAREER TO SEAMLESSLY 24
TRANSFER THE STUDENT ’S SKILLS AND EDUCATI ON TO A NEW CAREER I N A 25
DIFFERENT FIELD; 26

(5) INCORPORATES PROFESSI ONAL WORKPLACE SOFT SKILLS, 27
INCLUDING INTERPERSO NAL AND COMMUNICATIO N SKILLS , TIME MANAGEMENT , 28
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE, AND USE OF COMMON BUSINESS TOOLS; AND 29

(6) INCORPORATES EDUCATIO N IN HIGH SCHOOL , COMMUNITY 30
COLLEGE, AND OTHER POSTSECOND ARY OCCUPATIONAL TRA INING PROGRAMS 31
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INTO A UNIFIED SYSTEM T HAT WILL PROVIDE STU DENTS WITH CREDENTIA LS AT 1
VARIOUS POINTS THAT BUILD ON PREVIOUS CREDENTIALS. 2

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 3
October 1, 2026. 4