Provide for educational credit for students volunteering in long term care, nursing home, home care, and child care settings
House Bill 381 allows 11th and 12th-grade students in public and nonpublic schools to earn elective high school graduation credits for paid or voluntary work in certain care settings. Students can earn one elective credit for every 250 hours worked, up to a maximum of two credits, in approved congregate-care or child-care facilities. Schools must establish an application process for students, which includes details about their work and supervision. Additionally, schools may set specific conditions and requirements for the type of work that qualifies for credit. This act will become effective on July 1, 2025.
The bill was transitioned from a draft version to an enrolled, enacted law. The substantive policy content regarding student employment credit remained consistent, but the text was cleaned up to remove formatting errors, such as inconsistent capitalization and redundant phrasing, making the final version clearer and legally precise.
Scope change
The scope of the bill did not change; it covers the same student employment credit rules for congregate-care, child-care, and school-age programs.
TECHNICAL
Corrected formatting inconsistencies, including removing all-caps text and redundant phrases like 'students students' or 'facility, OR facility'.
Standardized the bill title and section headers to match the official enrolled format.
Added certification signatures and official 'ENROLLED BILL' markings to indicate the bill has passed both legislative chambers.
HB0381_X(25).pdf→HB0381_4(3).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to restrict credit eligibility to only 11th and 12th-grade students (who are 16 or older), whereas the original version applied to all students 16 or older. Additionally, the required work hours were changed from 8,100 minutes to 250 hours per credit, and the maximum number of credits a student can earn was capped at two. The definitions for care facilities were also updated to be more inclusive by adding 'or' between facility types in several instances.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed to apply exclusively to 11th and 12th-grade students, removing eligibility for younger students who are 16 or older.
ELIGIBILITY
Eligibility was restricted to students in 11th or 12th grade who are 16 years of age or older, removing eligibility for all other students 16 or older.
REQUIREMENT
The required work amount was changed from 8,100 minutes to 250 hours for each elective credit earned.
A new limit was added, capping the total number of elective credits a student can earn at two.
DEFINITION
The text defining 'school-age programs' and listing facility types was modified to use 'or' instead of 'and' in several places, clarifying that a student can work at any one of these settings.
HB0381_X(21).pdf→HB0381_X(22).pdf·5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to correct a formatting error in the title by removing the capitalized word 'FACILITIES' and adding 'school' to the list of eligible programs. Additionally, the text was updated to clarify that the credit applies to students who are employed at these facilities or programs, and the effective date was set to July 1, 2025.
Scope change
The scope of eligible programs was slightly clarified by explicitly including 'school-age programs' in the title and body text, ensuring consistency in how the credit applies to different types of facilities.
TECHNICAL
Corrected a capitalization error in the title by removing the standalone word 'FACILITIES' and integrating it into the sentence structure.
Added the word 'school' to the title to ensure 'school-age programs' is listed alongside other eligible facilities.
REQUIREMENT
Clarified the eligibility criteria by adding language stating that the student must be employed at the facility or program to earn credit.
Updated the application requirements to specify that the number of 'minutes' worked should be recorded, rather than 'hours minutes'.
TIMELINE
Added a specific effective date of July 1, 2025, to the bill.
HB0381_X(20).pdf→HB0381_X(21).pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill includes minor formatting and spacing adjustments to the header and page numbering. There is a structural change to a section requiring schools to develop an application for student credit, which now explicitly lists the required information in a new subsection (2). No substantive policy changes regarding funding, eligibility, or core requirements were identified in this excerpt.
TECHNICAL
Reformatted the header and page number layout, adding extra spacing and adjusting the placement of the 'Authorized Print Version' text.
REQUIREMENT
Restructured the application requirements for student credit by adding a new subsection (2) to explicitly list the required information, improving clarity on the application process.
HB0381_X(19).pdf→HB0381_X(20).pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify that students must be at least 16 years old to earn high school credit through employment in care settings. The language was also updated to specify that this credit applies toward high school graduation, and the list of eligible work locations was refined to include 'school-age programs' alongside congregate-care and child-care facilities.
Scope change
The bill now explicitly limits eligibility to students who are 16 years of age or older, whereas the previous version contained a redundant and slightly confusing phrasing regarding student age.
ELIGIBILITY
Clarified that the employment credit program applies specifically to students who are 16 years of age or older, removing redundant phrasing about 'students students'.
SCOPE
Added the phrase 'for graduation' to explicitly state that the work performed earns credit toward high school graduation.
REQUIREMENT
Expanded the list of eligible work locations to include 'school-age programs' in addition to congregate-care and child-care facilities.
HB0381_4(2).pdf→HB0381_X(17).pdf·5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised to modernize formatting and clarify that students must be at least 16 years old to earn credit. The most significant policy change is the shift from requiring 250 hours of work to a time-based requirement of 8,100 minutes (135 hours) to earn one credit, with a maximum of two credits allowed. The definitions for eligible work settings were expanded to explicitly include residential care facilities, developmental disabilities facilities, and long-term care facilities.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to include additional types of care facilities (residential, developmental disabilities, and long-term care) and clarified the age requirement to 16 years old.
ELIGIBILITY
The minimum age requirement for students to earn credit was clarified to 16 years of age or older.
REQUIREMENT
The work requirement changed from 250 hours to 8,100 minutes (135 hours) to earn one credit.
SCOPE
Eligible work settings now explicitly include residential care facilities, developmental disabilities facilities, and long-term care facilities in addition to child-care and school-age programs.
TECHNICAL
Removed redundant and inconsistent text regarding '11th and 12th grade' that was not necessary given the age-based eligibility.
Corrected formatting errors and standardized the bill text to align with official legislative style.
HB0381_X(16).pdf→HB0381_4.pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to clarify eligibility by explicitly requiring students to be 16 years of age or older in addition to being in 11th or 12th grade. It also updated the credit calculation method, changing the requirement from 250 hours worked to 8,100 minutes worked, and adjusted the formatting of section titles and definitions for consistency.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed regarding eligibility by adding a specific age requirement (16 years or older) for students to earn credit through employment.
ELIGIBILITY
Added a mandatory age requirement of 16 years or older for students to qualify for employment credit, alongside the existing 11th or 12th-grade requirement.
REQUIREMENT
Changed the credit calculation metric from '250 hours' to '8,100 minutes' for the work required to earn one unit of credit.
TECHNICAL
Updated section headers and definitions to use all-caps formatting and corrected minor grammatical inconsistencies in the text.
HB0381_1(8).pdf→HB0381_X(11).pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was revised to expand student employment credit eligibility to include 'school-age programs' alongside existing congregate-care and child-care facilities. This change allows students to earn high school credit by working in programs serving children aged five and older during the school year or summer, broadening the types of care settings where this credit can be applied. The text also includes standard formatting updates typical of an enrolled bill, such as certification signatures and page headers.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to include school-age programs as eligible work sites for earning elective credits, in addition to the previously listed congregate-care and child-care facilities.
SCOPE
Added 'school-age program' as a third eligible setting for student employment credit, defined as programs serving children five years of age or older during the school year or summer.
DEFINITION
Updated the list of eligible facilities in the definitions section to explicitly include the new 'school-age program' category.
REQUIREMENT
Updated the application requirements to include the name of the school-age program and the supervising individual when a student works in that setting.
HB0381_2(6).pdf→HB0381_1(8).pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from HB 381.2 to HB 381.1 and had several formatting inconsistencies removed. The core policy regarding employment credit for students remains the same, but the definitions for eligible facilities were updated to remove references to 'schoo-age programs' and clarify that congregate-care facilities include specific types of residential care. The bill also added a new section to specify that these changes will become effective on July 1, 2025.
Scope change
The scope of eligible facilities for earning employment credit was narrowed by removing 'schoo-age programs' and explicitly defining 'congregate-care facilities' to include community residential, developmental disabilities, long-term care, and residential care facilities.
DEFINITION
Removed 'schoo-age programs' from the list of eligible facilities and updated the definition of 'congregate-care facility' to include specific types of residential care facilities.
TIMELINE
Added a new section establishing that the act becomes effective on July 1, 2025.
TECHNICAL
Corrected formatting errors, removed redundant text, and renumbered the bill from HB 381.2 to HB 381.1.
HB0381_X(10).pdf→HB0381_2(6).pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from HB 381 to HB 381.2 and its title was slightly expanded to explicitly mention 'nonpublic schools' in the main description. The core policy regarding student work credits remains unchanged, but the formatting of the definitions section was altered to use all-caps for specific terms like 'SCHOOL-AGE PROGRAM' and 'CONGREGATE-CARE FACILITY', likely for emphasis or consistency in the final printed version.
Scope change
The scope of applicability was clarified in the title to explicitly include nonpublic schools alongside public schools, whereas the original title focused primarily on public schools.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was changed from HB 381 to HB 381.2, indicating a revision or amendment to the original bill.
The bill title was updated to explicitly state that the laws apply to both public and nonpublic schools, adding clarity to the scope of the legislation.
DEFINITION
The formatting of specific definitions within the text was changed to all capital letters (e.g., 'SCHOOL-AGE PROGRAM'), likely to highlight these terms for the final codified version.
HB0381_X(1).pdf→HB0381_X(2).pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill underwent significant formatting cleanup, removing inconsistent punctuation like extra commas and hyphens from the section titles and body text. The substantive policy content, including eligibility criteria, credit requirements, and effective dates, remains unchanged. The document also transitions from a draft version to an enrolled bill, indicating it has been finalized by the legislature.
TECHNICAL
Removed inconsistent punctuation, such as stray commas and hyphens, from the section header and the list of facility types to improve readability.
Deleted redundant text and page markers from the end of the draft version, converting the document into a final enrolled bill format.
HB0381_2(5).pdf→HB0381_X.pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill was updated from a draft version to its final enrolled form, adding official signatures from legislative leaders and removing internal editing marks. The substantive policy content regarding student employment credit remains unchanged, retaining the same eligibility criteria, hour requirements, and effective date.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability is unchanged; the text now reflects its final status as an enacted law.
TECHNICAL
Added official certification text, signature lines for the Chief Clerk, Speaker, and President, and the 'ENROLLED BILL' header to finalize the document.
Removed draft indicators, internal page numbers, and formatting artifacts used during the legislative process.
HB0381_1(7).pdf→HB0381_2.pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to expand the scope of employment credit eligibility by adding 'school-age programs' alongside congregate-care and child-care facilities. This change allows students to earn elective credits for working in programs serving children aged 5 and older during the school year or summer, in addition to existing facilities like day-care centers and residential care facilities. The amendment also updates the bill's numbering and formatting to reflect these substantive policy additions.
Scope change
The bill now applies to students employed at school-age programs in addition to congregate-care and child-care facilities.
SCOPE
Added eligibility for students working at school-age programs to earn elective credits.
DEFINITION
Added a new definition for 'SCHOOL-AGE PROGRAM' covering programs for children 5 years or older.
REQUIREMENT
Updated application requirements and verification processes to include school-age programs.
LC1354.pdf→HB0381_1.pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from LC 1354 to HB 381 and reclassified as an 'Authorized Print Version,' indicating a shift from a legislative committee draft to a finalized House bill ready for further action. The primary sponsor is now explicitly identified as E. Buttre, replacing the blank placeholder for a primary sponsor found in the previous version. No substantive policy changes regarding student employment hours, facility types, or other legislative content were detected; the modifications are purely administrative and formatting in nature.
TECHNICAL
Bill number changed from LC 1354 to HB 381.1, and the document title was updated to 'Authorized Print Version'.
The blank line for the primary sponsor was replaced with the specific name 'E. BUTTREY'.
