HB 2210: Career and technology education; youth apprenticeship programs; Department of Career and Technology Education to oversee and implement program; oversight to the Secretary of Education; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from a House Committee Substitute version to the Floor version, incorporating amendments by the Senate. The most significant substantive change is the addition of 'Hill and Ranson of the House' to the list of sponsors, while the legislative text regarding youth apprenticeship programs, funding, and effective dates remains consistent between the two versions.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability and policy provisions has not changed; the text of the law is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

Added 'Hill and Ranson of the House' to the list of bill sponsors.

Updated the header to reflect 'Floor Version' and adjusted page numbering and formatting to match the House Floor version.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to update the department name from 'Career and Technology Services' to 'Career and Technology Education' and to expand the program's scope. The new version defines youth apprenticeships more broadly to include post-high school training, lowers the age requirement to 16 for paid work, and increases funding from $2 million to $12 million. It also adds a requirement for an external impact evaluation and declares an emergency to allow immediate implementation.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from focusing solely on high school students to include young people transitioning to post-high school training, and the definition of the overseeing department was updated to reflect its new name.

DEFINITION

The definition of youth apprenticeship was broadened to include programs that bridge secondary and post-high school training, not just high school programs.

ELIGIBILITY

The minimum age for paid employment in the program was lowered to 16, and students can now enter full apprenticeships in 12th grade if needed.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added for the Department to contract with an external evaluator to conduct a comprehensive return-on-investment and impact study.

FISCAL

The annual appropriation for the program was increased from $2,000,000 to $12,000,000.

TECHNICAL

The department name was updated throughout the text from 'Department of Career and Technology Services' to 'Department of Career and Technology Education'.

TIMELINE

An emergency clause was added to declare the act effective immediately upon passage rather than waiting for the next legislative session.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 11 edits

MAJOR

The bill was completely rewritten by the Policy Committee to modernize the language, correct departmental names, and clarify program requirements. The changes expand eligibility to include students aged 16 through 25, remove the 'emergency' clause, and adjust funding reporting requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope was updated to reflect current departmental names (changing 'Technology Education' to 'Technology Services') and clarified that the State Board establishes rules rather than just the Department.

ELIGIBILITY

The age range for youth apprenticeships was changed from 'sixteen (16) to twenty-five (25)' to 'sixteen (16) through twenty-five (25) years old' to clarify the inclusive range.

DEFINITION

The definition of a youth apprenticeship program was updated to replace 'post-high-school' with 'post high school' for grammatical consistency.

REQUIREMENT

The program name was updated from 'Oklahoma CareerTech-approved' to 'Oklahoma Certified Apprenticeship' to align with current terminology.

The role of the Department of Career and Technology was updated from 'Technology Education' to 'Technology Services' throughout the text.

The requirement for apprenticeship coordinators was slightly rephrased to clarify that they serve as the main liaison among school districts, industry consortia, and hosting employers.

The external evaluation requirement was changed from an 'evaluation' to a 'report' that must be submitted annually to the Secretary of Education.

The annual report requirement to the legislature was updated to use lowercase 'legislature' instead of 'Legislature' for consistency.

The external evaluation cost limit was clarified to state that the cost 'shall not exceed' $12,000 rather than just stating the cap.

TIMELINE

The 'emergency' clause, which allowed the bill to take effect immediately upon passage, was removed, requiring the standard effective date of July 1, 2026.

FISCAL

The appropriation language was updated to refer to the 'General Fund' instead of the 'General Revenue Fund'.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was changed from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'PROPOSED POLICY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to reflect the current legislative stage.

Introduced → Engrossed · 8 edits · Mar 10, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a non-codified act into an amendatory bill that modifies existing state law (70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-127) to formally establish a youth apprenticeship program. The changes expand the program's scope to include specific age ranges (16-25), define roles for coordinators and mentors, and mandate an annual evaluation. Funding was increased to $2 million for the 2027 fiscal year, and the effective date was moved from November 2025 to July 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a standalone non-codified act to a modification of existing Oklahoma Statutes, integrating youth apprenticeship guidelines directly into the state's career and technology education laws.

ENFORCEMENT

The bill format changed from a new standalone law to an amendment of 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-127, altering how the program is legally codified.

ELIGIBILITY

Added specific eligibility criteria stating that high school students may begin participation in the eleventh grade, with a minimum age of 16 for paid employment.

DEFINITION

Introduced new definitions for 'youth apprenticeship programs,' 'apprenticeship coordinators,' and 'workplace mentors' with specific duties and responsibilities.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the Secretary of Education to provide oversight and submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding program enrollment and outcomes.

Mandated an annual external evaluation of the program's return on investment, with a cost cap of $12,000.

Added a clause explicitly excluding traditional Department of Labor apprenticeships from the definition of this new youth apprenticeship program.

FISCAL

Established a new appropriation of $2,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, to fund the program.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from November 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026.

Career and technology education; youth apprenticeship programs; Department of Career and Technology Education to oversee and implement program; oversight to the Secretary of Education; effective date; emergency.

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