Young and Beginning Farmers Interim Study Committee. The bill requires the commissioner of agriculture to create, by rule, the agricultural workforce development program to provide incentives to agricultural businesses to hire interns. Qualified agricultural businesses may be reimbursed an amount not to exceed 50% of the actual cost of hiring a qualified intern. The rules must include specified criteria for qualifying businesses and interns participating in the program. Qualified internships must include at least 130 hours of work experience and cannot exceed 6 months in duration. The program is repealed on July 1, 2024. The bill appropriates $43,157 from the general fund to the department of agriculture for use by the commissioner to implement the program. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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The bill creates the student suicide prevention grant program for schools (grant program) in the department of public health and environment (department) to be administered by the department. The purpose of the grant program is to provide financial assistance to school districts, schools of a school district, including charter schools, and institute charter schools to develop and implement student suicide prevention policies and training programs. The bill specifies the minimum requirements for the policies and training programs. The department is required to work with the office of suicide prevention in the department and the school safety resource center in the department of public safety in implementing the grant program. Each grant recipient is required to submit information concerning the use of the grant money to the department, and the department is required to submit an annual report concerning implementation of the grant program to the health and human services committee of the senate and the public health care and human services committee of the house of representatives. The department is required to post on its website available evidence-based best practices and other resources for persons involved in student suicide prevention. The grant program is funded by money appropriated from the school safety resource center cash fund. The bill authorizes the existing office of suicide prevention in statute. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill extends the advanced placement incentives pilot program (pilot program) for 3 years to 2021. The bill requires the department of education to report the number of students in the pilot program who enrolled in advanced placement courses during the prior school year and to collect disaggregated data from the advanced placement exam vendor to capture the performance of students who are participating in the pilot program on the end-of-course advanced placement exams. The bill requires the department of education to report to certain committees of the general assembly the information specified in the bill, including data relating to the number and amount of financial incentives distributed to each participating school district. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the school leadership pilot program (program) to provide professional development for public elementary, middle, and high school principals. During the 2018-19 budget year, the department of education (department) is directed to design and implement the program or contract with a nonprofit entity to design and implement the program. The program must include identification of high-quality school principals who will interact with the school principals selected to receive professional development through the program. The program must also include professional development in distributive and collaborative leadership skills with the goal of improving educator retention, school climate and culture, and student outcomes. School principals may apply to receive professional development through the program during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budget years. The department or the contracted entity must review the applications and recommend participants to the state board of education (state board), who shall select the participants. Subject to available appropriations, the state board must provide grants to the employing entities of the school principals who participate in the program either as high-quality school principals or to receive professional development. The grants are paid from money appropriated to the school leadership pilot program fund created in the bill. By March 15, 2019, the department must report to the education committees of the general assembly concerning the design of the program. By January 15, 2021, the department must report to the education committees concerning implementation of the program, including recommendations for whether the program should be continued. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2021. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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Current law does not address reliance on perpetual water treatment as the means to minimize impacts to water quality in a reclamation plan for a mining operation. Section 1 of the bill requires most reclamation plans to demonstrate, by substantial evidence, an end date for any water quality treatment necessary to ensure compliance with applicable water quality standards. Current law allows a mining permittee to submit an audited financial statement as proof that the operator has sufficient funds to meet its reclamation liabilities in lieu of a bond or other financial assurance. Section 2 eliminates this self-bonding option and also requires that all reclamation bonds include financial assurances in an amount sufficient to protect water quality, including costs for any necessary treatment and monitoring costs.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The board of the southwestern water conservation district (board) is currently required to meet on the fourth Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. Section 1 of the bill requires the board to meet once every 3 months and eliminates the specific date requirement. Section 2 makes conforming amendments to the provisions governing the terms of board members and of the board president.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill authorizes a person to apply to the ground water commission (commission) for approval of an aquifer storage-and-recovery plan and requires the commission to promulgate rules governing the application process and the requirements that an aquifer storage-and-recovery plan must meet to be approved. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The broadband deployment board in the department of regulatory agencies (board) implements and administers a grant program regarding the deployment of broadband service in unserved areas of the state. Upon a telecommunications provider's application for funding of a proposed project to provide access to a broadband network in an unserved area of the state, the board must allow an incumbent telecommunications provider in the unserved area the right of first refusal with regard to implementing a broadband deployment project for the unserved area. The board is required to develop criteria regarding an incumbent telecommunications provider's exercise of its right to develop a broadband project in an unserved area upon another telecommunications provider having submitted to the board a proposed project for the unserved area. The bill requires that the board's criteria include requirements that an incumbent telecommunications provider exercising its right to implement a broadband deployment project for the unserved area agree to provide demonstrated downstream and upstream speeds equal to or faster than the speeds indicated in the applicant's proposed project and at a cost per household that is equal to or less than the cost per household indicated in the applicant's proposed project. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More