HB293 Alabama 2020 Session

This bill would provide for the creation, membership, and functions of the Alabama STEM Council (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) as an independent state entity to advise the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Department of Education, and Legislature and provide guidance and specific recommendations on ways to improve STEM-related education, career awareness, and workforce development across the state

To create and provide for the purpose of the Alabama STEM Council (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics); to provide for the membership of the council, including the executive committee of the council, ex officio members, and additional members appointed by the Governor; to provide for meetings; and to provide for the duties of the council.

Section 1

For the purposes of this act, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The executive committee of the council. (2) STEM. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. (3) STEM CAREERS. Careers that utilize concepts from the STEM fields including, but not limited to, engineering, life science, astronomy, physics, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and computing, and information science; health and medicine including physicians, nurses, technicians, and psychologists; and social sciences including political science and economics. (4) STEM COUNCIL. The Alabama Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Council. (5) STEM EDUCATION. Entails more than achieving competency in individual STEM subject areas. Students must be able to integrate concepts from multiple disciplines and use that knowledge to solve complex problems. The term often includes instructional practices that actively engage all students in an interdisciplinary project or problem-based approach, tied to a real world, authentic challenge through which students use various technologies to assist their inquiry, research, and communication.

Section 2

The Alabama STEM Council (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is established as an independent state entity within the Alabama Department of Commerce Workforce Division to advise the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Department of Education, and Legislature on ways to improve STEM-related education, career awareness, and workforce development across the state. The Deputy Secretary of the Workforce Development Division of the Alabama Department of Commerce shall be responsible for the administrative functions of the STEM Council and, upon the recommendation of the executive committee, shall hire an individual employed by the department to serve as the director of the STEM Council. The director shall serve in that position at the pleasure of the STEM Council. The staff of the division shall provide support to the STEM Council as necessary to fulfill the duties of the STEM Council.

Section 3

(a) The membership of the STEM Council shall consist of a designee of the Governor, who shall serve as chair, all appointed and ex officio members of the executive committee as provided in subsection (b), and additional members appointed from the state as provided in subsection (c). (b)(1) The STEM Council shall be under the direction of an executive committee. The executive committee shall consist of 11 members appointed from the state at large and certain specific ex officio members. The at large members shall each have proven expertise in STEM education or workforce development and shall be appointed by the Governor for initial terms of two or four years, as determined by lot, and for four-year renewable terms thereafter. The ex officio members shall include all of the following: a. The State Superintendent of Education, or his or her designee. b. The Secretary of the Department of Early Childhood Education, or his or her designee. c. The Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, or his or her designee. d. The Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, or his or her designee. e. The Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor, or his or her designee. f. The Secretary of Commerce, or his or her designee. g. The Chair of the Alabama Workforce Council, or his or her designee. h. The Chair of the Alabama Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board, or his or her designee. i. The Chair of the Alabama Council of College and University Presidents, or his or her designee. (2) The executive committee shall conduct business on behalf of the STEM Council including, but not limited to, launching initiatives, making final recommendations, and addressing issues related to the director of the STEM Council. The executive committee shall also develop operating policies and procedures for the STEM Council, the director, and any staff utilized by the STEM Council. (c)(1) The additional appointed members of the STEM Council shall include all of the following: a. One member appointed by the Governor from each of the seven congressional districts in the state. If the number of congressional districts changes, the number of at-large memberships shall be adjusted, if necessary, so that each congressional district is represented. b. Additional members, as determined necessary by the Governor, appointed by the Governor from the state at-large. (2) The additional appointed members of the STEM Council shall be appointed by the Governor for initial terms of two or four years, as determined by lot, and for four-year renewable terms thereafter, and shall represent STEM stakeholders in the state including, but not limited to, representation from each group of the following STEM industry sectors: a. Advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, astronomy, automotive, biotechnology, chemistry, computer and information technology, construction, economics, energy, engineering, geoscience, health care, homeland security, life science, mathematics, nanotechnology, physics, artificial intelligence, and robotics. b. Higher education, postsecondary training institutions, and career and technical education; and pre-K, early childhood, elementary, middle, and secondary education. c. Afterschool, out of school, and informal STEM educational organizations. d. Additional qualifying members as determined appropriate by the Governor. (d) The Governor shall coordinate his or her appointments to the STEM Council and the executive committee so that diversity of gender, race, and geographical areas is reflective of the makeup of this state.

Section 4

(a) STEM Council members shall serve until their successors are appointed. A vacancy shall be filled in the manner provided for the original appointment. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy on the STEM Council shall serve only for the remaining unexpired portion of the term. (b) Each member of the STEM Council shall serve in an advisory capacity and shall receive no compensation for his or her services other than reimbursement for traveling and other expenses actually incurred in the performance of official duties. Expenses shall be paid in the same manner and amount as is provided for other state officers and employees and persons traveling on official business for the state or any of its departments, institutions, boards, bureaus, commissions, councils, committees, or other like agencies. Expenses shall be paid out of any funds appropriated to the STEM Council and processed in the manner provided by law. (c) The initial organizational meeting of the STEM Council shall be held within 45 days after the last member is appointed to the STEM Council. At the initial organizational meeting, the STEM Council shall establish procedures and other policies necessary to perform the business of the STEM Council, including the establishment of a quorum. Thereafter, the STEM Council shall meet at least twice a year, and more frequently upon the call of the chair. Members of the STEM Council may participate in a meeting of the STEM Council by means of telephone conference, video conference, or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting may hear each other at the same time. Participation by electronic means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting for all purposes. A majority of a quorum of the members of the STEM Council, or, in the event of a meeting of only the executive committee, a majority of a quorum of the executive committee of the STEM Council must be physically present at the location noticed and called for the meeting in order to conduct any business or deliberation. Members of the STEM Council, the executive committee, and any subcommittees of the STEM Council may not utilize electronic communications except as in compliance with the Alabama Open Meetings Act. Notice of STEM Council meetings shall be provided in accordance with the Alabama Open Meetings Act, and telephone conference or video conference or similar communications equipment shall also allow members of the public the opportunity to simultaneously listen to or observe meetings.

Section 5

The chair or the director, subject to the approval of the chair, may direct the STEM Council to form subcommittees to address particular issues facing STEM education or STEM workforce, or both. The composition and duties of each subcommittee shall be determined by the chair. Each department and agency of the state shall cooperate with the STEM Council. The STEM Council may seek the expertise and services of individuals and entities outside of its membership as necessary to accomplish its mission.

Section 6

The STEM Council may establish a foundation to assist in the development and implementation of the programs to promote STEM education, STEM workforce development, and STEM careers. The foundation may solicit and receive contributions from a private organization for objectives described in this act.

Section 7

The STEM Council shall do all of the following: (1) Serve as the primary point of contact for communicating with state and national STEM organizations. (2) Oversee and continuously revise the implementation and maintenance of the state STEM strategic plan, developed by the Governor's Advisory Council on Excellence in STEM. (3) Coordinate communication efforts to increase STEM awareness, illustrate the value of STEM learning, and highlight STEM careers, with particular emphasis on reaching underrepresented segments of the population. (4) Develop and implement a Governor's STEM Seal of Approval, utilizing an evidence-based rubric to recognize individual programs or periodic events that advance STEM principles and learning across the state. (5) Work with the office of the Governor to incorporate a STEM Career Exploration and Discovery module into the Alabama College and Career Exploration Tool (ACCET), that allows stakeholders to identify STEM opportunities offered across the state including, but not limited to, afterschool, out-of-school, and summer programs, and professional learning opportunities. (6) Conduct comprehensive, external evaluations, as needed or requested, of STEM-based curricula and educational initiatives that receive funding from the Education Trust Fund, beginning with the Alabama Mathematics, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) and Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) program to track the implementation of their continuous improvement plan. Assessment rubrics should incorporate criteria relevant to the goals and outcomes of each initiative including, but not limited to, impact on learning, effectiveness of human capital and organization performance, fidelity of implementation, equitable access, and other criteria. Where appropriate and feasible, evaluations shall include evidence-based interventions including, but not limited to, those defined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (P.L. 114-95). (7) Conduct comprehensive evaluations, as needed or requested, of state preservice preparation and inservice programs for educators teaching STEM subjects including both traditional and alternate pathways. (8) Identify evidence-based and effective STEM initiatives, instructional and professional learning strategies, and scale their utilization across Alabama schools, afterschool programs, and other educational settings, with an emphasis on reaching traditionally underserved populations. (9) Expand opportunities for STEM career exploration and discovery, especially among subgroups that are underrepresented in the STEM professions. (10) Collaborate with the State Board of Education and the deans of two-year and four-year institutions of higher education in the state to develop educational certifications and endorsements related to the STEM fields, as well as incentives for an educator to earn these concentrations. (11) Collect and aggregate relevant STEM data to track progress against the state STEM strategic plan, including data from the ATLAS on Career Pathways, STEM labor market information, measures of STEM achievement, and measures of both STEM and STEM career awareness, attitudes, and perceptions from P-20 learners. (12) Provide annual reports on progress towards implementing the state STEM strategic plan to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Chairs of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education and House Ways and Means Education Committees. (13) Other goals and objectives as requested by the Governor or the Legislature.

Section 8

This act shall become effective on the first day of the third month following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.