HB241 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Terri CollinsRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Workforce Development, Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act and the Alabama Workforce Council Committee on Credential Quality and Transparency, would establish the Alabama Terminal on Linking and Analyzing Statistics (ATLAS) on Career Pathways Act, and would establish the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act estab, public database on educational and occupational credentials and competencies created, workforce database for students, job seekers, and employers re credentials and competencies created

Summary

HB241 would create a statewide, open-data system for educational and occupational credentials, a linked data framework for career pathways, and a defined set of college and career readiness indicators to guide Alabama students and workers.

What This Bill Does

It establishes three major elements: the Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act (with a public credential registry and a governance committee), the ATLAS on Career Pathways (a secure, longitudinal data system linking education and workforce data), and the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act (defining readiness and expanding graduation indicators). It requires credentials to be published in open, interoperable formats, builds a compendium of valuable credentials, and creates dynamic career pathways and an occupation ontology. It provides a public platform for searching and comparing credentials and outcomes while protecting personal data, and it mandates school readiness indicators and career-coach support beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. It also outlines governance, privacy safeguards, audits, and annual reporting, and notes funding considerations under constitutional rules.

Who It Affects

• Students and job seekers: would gain access to a public, searchable registry and platform to compare credentials, costs, and career outcomes to help make informed education and work choices.
• Credential providers, schools, employers, and state agencies: would be required to publish credentials to the public registry, use the data to plan and improve programs, coordinate with governance bodies, and operate under privacy and data-security rules.

Key Provisions

• Creates Division 9 Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act, establishing the Alabama Credential Registry and the Alabama Workforce Council Committee on Credential Quality and Transparency, plus definitions for credential, competency, and related terms.
• Creates Division 10 ATLAS on Career Pathways to securely exchange and match person-level education and workforce data across agencies, with de-identification and FERPA protections, governed by the P-20W Council, and accessible for analysis and public reporting.
• Adds Section 41-29-298 Alabama College and Career Readiness Act, defining statewide college and career readiness and requiring a set of graduation indicators (e.g., ACT, AP/IB, college credit, WorkKeys, apprenticeships, credential attainment, military acceptance, etc.) starting in the 2023-2024 school year; expands career coaching and work-based learning requirements.
• Mandates open data formats for credentials and competencies, with a public, aggregated credential registry portal that excludes personally identifiable information and aligns data with national standards and the Alabama Occupation Ontology.
• Establishes a compendium of valuable credentials, a process to classify credentials by value, and ongoing annual reporting, audits, and governance requirements for the P-20W Council and the Office of Education and Workforce Statistics.
• Requires coordination to ensure diverse representation on the Workforce Council committees and provides for local funding considerations and the act’s effective date.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Workforce Development