House Bill 1340, a bipartisan bill, was co-authored by Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton) and Rep. Shelia Klinker (D-Lafayette). The bill received a third reading at Monday's session and passed out of the House by a unanimous vote. The bill will now move to the Senate for discussion. This bill creates consistent adult education across the state of Indiana. The provisions of this bill require the State Board of Education to be responsible for receiving, distributing and accounting for funds received for Career and Technical Education programs. This changes the current set-up, where the DWD and State Board of Education split the administration of this program. The DWD will be responsible for the General Education Development (GED) diploma program and for the planning and implementation of adult education programs. "This bill will allow the state to better serve adult and high school learners," said Rep. Behning. "Realigning these programs will create a workforce development strategy that better coordinates services for adults, who need basic skills remediation, re-employment assistance and occupational training." In June 2011, the U.S. DOE recognized the alignment of adult education with occupation skills training as an emerging and best practice. Indiana will receive an additional five million in adult education money from the federal government as a result of this realignment. "If Indiana wants to be a competitor in the 21st century economy, we need to have a comprehensive education system that serves all Hoosiers. This bill enables more Hoosiers to receive GEDs and occupational training, which makes them workforce ready and Indiana more competitive," said Rep. Behning. |
