Appropriations committee approves technical education bill but rejects amendment to restore private career-school participation

The Appropriations Committee considered a substitute for House Bill 7216, a measure implementing recommendations for the Technical Education and Career System (CTE/CTECS). Members debated a change that removed “private career schools” from a list of entities that the executive director may enter into cooperative arrangements with and replaced that phrase with “a nonprofit training institute in the state that provides training in the building trades to underserved populations.”

Representative Eckert and others raised concerns the deletion could limit opportunities for private providers who offer certifications, apprenticeships, or employer connections for CTE students. Eckert said private career schools sometimes provide certification pathways and apprenticeship hours that can lead directly to employment; she opposed the substitution as written.

Representative Ackert moved an amendment to remove brackets so that private career schools would remain included alongside nonprofit training institutes. That amendment was debated and put to a roll-call vote. The committee recorded the outcome of the amendment vote as 21 in favor, 25 opposed; the amendment failed. Several speakers, including Senator Berthel, noted the substitute language had not been heard in a public hearing prior to the committee’s change and supported restoring the private providers’ language.

After the amendment failed, the substitute bill as drafted (including the deletion of private career schools and addition of nonprofit training institute language) was reported to the floor.

What happens next: the substitute moves to the full chamber. Members and advocates who raised concerns said they would seek to address training-provider access and apprenticeship oversight during floor consideration or in follow-up technical fixes.