Regular Session 2017-2018 House Bill 0944 P.N. 1967

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1767

PRINTER'S NO. 1967

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

944

Session of

2017

INTRODUCED BY M. K. KELLER, HICKERNELL, BENNINGHOFF, BLOOM,

BOBACK, CAUSER, CHRISTIANA, CUTLER, DIAMOND, FEE, GILLEN,

GREINER, A. HARRIS, HELM, JAMES, KAUFFMAN, F. KELLER,

LONGIETTI, MAHER, MARSICO, MATZIE, MEHAFFIE, MENTZER,

MILLARD, B. MILLER, NEUMAN, O'BRIEN, PASHINSKI, PETRARCA,

PICKETT, SANKEY, SAYLOR, SNYDER, SOLOMON, TALLMAN, TOBASH,

TOEPEL, WARD, ZIMMERMAN AND WENTLING, MAY 19, 2017

AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, JUNE 12, 2017

AN ACT

Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An

act relating to the public school system, including certain

provisions applicable as well to private and parochial

schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the

laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,

further providing for agricultural education and providing

for Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 1549 of the act of March 10, 1949

(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is

amended to read:

Section 1549. Agricultural Education.--(a) The General

Assembly declares it is the purpose of this section to:

(1) Require the department to develop and disseminate

agricultural education materials for school entities or private

or nonpublic kindergartens, elementary or secondary schools in

this Commonwealth. The materials shall incorporate agricultural

concepts into the basic school curricula and shall be designed

to educate the general student population about the importance

of the agriculture industry and the role of agriculture in the

students' lives.

(2) Encourage the agricultural education efforts of other

agencies where appropriate, including, but not limited to, those

of the county conservation districts, the Cooperative Extension

Service of The Pennsylvania State University, the University of

Pennsylvania Veterinary School, the Department of Agriculture,

the Department of Environmental Resources, the Department of

Community Affairs, the State System of Higher Education and the

Department of Transportation.

(b) The department shall have the power and its duty shall

be to:

(1) Provide, in conjunction with the Department of

Agriculture, resource information to educators and public and

private schools and organizations on agricultural education.

(2) Provide, in conjunction with the Department of

Agriculture, for the development and distribution to school

entities or private or nonpublic kindergartens, elementary or

secondary schools in this Commonwealth materials on agricultural

education. Such materials may include instruction on issues

related to agriculture, including, but not limited to, food

safety, pesticides, farmland preservation, waste management,

wetlands, nutrient management, food production and food

processing, animal health and statutory and regulatory

protections of the right to farm.

(3) Identify, recognize and establish, in conjunction with

the Department of Agriculture, awards for exemplary agricultural

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education curricula developed in Commonwealth schools.

(4) Use local school district occupational advisory

committees, as well as the facilities and equipment of the

Department of Agriculture, to serve as the conduit to bring

youth and adult education programs into communities and schools,

focusing on agricultural industry issues of importance to this

Commonwealth.

(5) Maintain, in conjunction with the Department of

Agriculture, an inventory of agricultural education materials,

programs and resources available in Commonwealth agencies.

[(c) The secretary shall prepare and submit, in conjunction

with the Department of Agriculture, an annual report to the

Governor and the General Assembly on the status of agricultural

education in this Commonwealth. The report shall outline

agricultural education programs and achievements, highlight new

initiatives and recommend future program needs.

(d) (1) The Secretary of Education shall consult, at least

annually, with the Secretary of Agriculture and a cross section

of the agriculture and education communities to:

(i) Assess the trends and needs in agricultural education.

(ii) Consider the manner in which any funds are used to

support agricultural education activities.

(iii) Make recommendations to the Governor and the General

Assembly regarding legislative or regulatory changes to improve

agricultural education, pursuant to the preparation and

submittal of the report required by subsection (c).

(2) When consulting with a cross section of the agriculture

and education communities, the secretary shall consider seeking

comments from individuals named in lists submitted by the State

Council on Farm Organizations, the Agricultural Awareness

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Foundation and the Pennsylvania Vocational-Agricultural Teachers

Association. Such lists may include, but not be limited to:

(i) Farmers.

(ii) Representatives of the agricultural processing and

agricultural marketing industries.

(iii) Faculty members of the College of Agricultural

Sciences of the Commonwealth's land-grant university.

(iv) Faculty members from a State System of Higher Education

institution, each of whom shall have background in or knowledge

of agricultural education.

(v) A teacher of vocational agriculture.

(vi) A teacher involved in agricultural education other than

vocational agriculture.

(vii) An administrator of a school entity which conducts an

agricultural education program.

(viii) A member of a local school district occupational

advisory committee.

(ix) Members of the public who are knowledgeable about

agricultural education.]

(e) The following words and phrases when used in this

section shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection

unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Department." The Department of Education of the

Commonwealth.

["Farmer." Any person who engages in the accepted

activities, practices and procedures year after year to produce

and prepare for market poultry, livestock and their products or

in the production and harvesting of agricultural, agronomic,

horticultural, silvicultural and aquacultural crops and

commodities and whose operation is conducted on not less than

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ten contiguous acres in area or, if less than ten contiguous

acres in area, has an anticipated yearly gross income of at

least ten thousand dollars ($10,000).]

"School entity." A public school district, intermediate unit

or area vocational-technical school.

"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.

Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:

Section 1549.1. Commission for Agricultural Education

Excellence.--(a) There is established a Commission for

Agricultural Education Excellence as a departmental

administrative commission under the concurrent authority of the

Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education with

all the powers and duties generally vested in and imposed upon

the commissions under the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177,

No.175), known as "The Administrative Code of 1929."

(b) The commission shall assist in developing a Statewide

plan for agricultural education and coordinate the

implementation of related agricultural education programming

with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of

Education.

the Department of Agriculture and shall be staffed and supported

by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of

Education, as provided under this section.

(d) In order for the commission to fulfill its duties and

exercise its authority under this section, an agreement shall be

executed between the Department of Agriculture, the Department

of Education and the commission, which shall define and

delineate the role and responsibility of each agency in

assisting the commission in fulfilling its duties under this

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section.

(e) In order for the commission to fulfill its duties and

exercise its authority under this section, the Department of

Agriculture, the Department of Education and the commission

shall cooperate with each other in the use of staff, land,

buildings, quarters, facilities and equipment.

(f) The commission shall consist of the following members:

(1) The Secretary of Education, or a designee.

(2) The Secretary of Agriculture, or a designee.

(3) The following members jointly appointed by the Secretary

of Education and the Secretary of Agriculture from lists

submitted by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the

Speaker of the House of Representatives, in consultation with

the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the Senate and the

Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the House of

Representatives:

(i) Two farmers.

(ii) A representative of the agricultural processing and

agricultural marketing industries.

(iii) Two faculty members of agricultural sciences, not more

than one of whom shall be a faculty member of the College of

Agricultural Sciences of the Commonwealth's land-grant

university.

(iv) A faculty member of the State System of Higher

Education with a background in or knowledge of agricultural

education.

(v) Two teachers of vocational agriculture.

(vi) A teacher involved in agricultural education other than

vocational agriculture.

(vii) An administrator of a school entity which conducts an

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agricultural education program.

(viii) A member of a school district occupational advisory

committee.

(ix) Two members of the business community with knowledge of

agricultural education.

(g) To the extent practicable, from members initially

appointed, an equal number shall draw lots to serve for a term

of three years, for a term of two years and for a term of one

year. Thereafter, all members shall be appointed for a term of

three years.

(h) The chairmanship of the commission shall rotate on an

annual basis between the Secretary of Agriculture and the

Secretary of Education, with the Secretary of Education chairing

the first annual rotation.

(i) The commission shall keep a record of its official

actions and may perform acts and promulgate policies, procedures

and guidelines as may be necessary.

(j) A majority of members of the commission shall constitute

a quorum.

(k) The members of the commission shall not receive

compensation for services but shall be reimbursed for all

necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred in

connection with the performance of their duties as members of

the commission.

(l) The commission shall have all the following powers and

duties:

(1) Develop a model for Statewide curriculum for

agricultural education programs based on high priority

occupations.

(2) Assist school entities in securing articulation

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agreements with postsecondary institutions of higher education.

(3) Provide support and technical assistance to supervised

agricultural experience programs based on industry STUDENT

needs.

(4) Provide support and coordination for Statewide and local

activities related to Future Farmers of America FFA programs.

(5) Investigate, review and issue an annual report on the

status of agricultural education required under subsection (m).

(m) By May 1, 2018, and by May 1 of each year thereafter,

the commission shall submit a report to the Governor and the

General Assembly on the status of agricultural education in this

Commonwealth. The report shall:

(1) Outline agricultural education programs and

achievements.

(2) Assess the trends and needs in secondary and BOTH FORMAL

AND INFORMAL postsecondary agricultural education and training.

(3) Investigate agricultural AND ASSESS work force trends

and assess training needs for individuals not pursuing formal

postsecondary education OF THE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD INDUSTRY .

(4) ASSESS AND MAKE PROGRAMMING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MEETING

THE TRAINING NEEDS FOR INDIVIDUALS NOT PURSUING FORMAL

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION.

(4) (5) Consider the manner in which funds are used to

support agricultural education activities.

(5) (6) Highlight new initiatives and recommend future

program needs.

(6) (7) Make recommendations to the Governor and the General

Assembly regarding legislative or regulatory changes to improve

agricultural education.

(n) The Department of Agriculture and the Department of

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Education shall provide staff to assist the commission with its

duties. The Department of Agriculture and the Department of

Education shall, at a minimum, provide the following staff who

may be employed either full-time or part-time or may be assigned

to other duties within either agency:

(1) An executive director who shall oversee all elementary

and secondary , POSTSECONDARY AND ADULT agricultural education

activities in this Commonwealth and serve as the director of

outreach for the commission.

(2) A curriculum specialist to assist school entities in

developing agricultural education curricula and integrating

national agriculture, food and natural resource standards into

elementary and secondary curricula.

(3) A program approval specialist to assist school entities

with the program approval process for agricultural education

established by the Department of Education and serve as a

liaison between the Department of Education and school entities

for data collection.

(4) A Future Farmers of America AN FFA program specialist to

oversee State-related Future Farmers of America FFA activities

and implement initiatives for local agricultural education

program success.

(5) A work force development specialist to manage supervised

agricultural experience programs and facilitate interagency

efforts to identify career pathways in THE agricultural AND FOOD

industries AND PROMOTE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD CAREERS AMONG

STUDENTS AND ADULT JOB SEEKERS .

(6) An agricultural education support specialist to provide

support to the staff of the commission.

(o) The Department of Education and the Department of

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Agriculture shall use funds appropriated by the General Assembly

to the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture

for general government operations to pay for costs incurred for

the implementation of this section. The Department of Education

and the Department of Agriculture may use funds appropriated by

the General Assembly for the purposes of this section and may

accept donations from all public and private sources, including

the Federal Government, to pay for costs incurred for the

implementation of this section.

(p) The following words and phrases when used in this

section shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection

unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Commission." The Commission for Agricultural Education

Excellence established under this section.

"Farmer." Any person who engages in the accepted activities,

practices and procedures year after year to produce and prepare

for market poultry, livestock and their products or in the

production and harvesting of agricultural, agronomic,

horticultural, silvicultural and aquacultural crops and

commodities and whose operation is conducted on not less than

ten contiguous acres in area or, if less than ten contiguous

acres in area, has an anticipated yearly gross income of at

least ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

" Future Farmers of America FFA ." A career and technical

student organization that encourages leadership, personal growth

and career success through agricultural education.

"School entity." A public school district, intermediate unit

or area vocational-technical school.

Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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