SENATE LABOR COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 689

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 27, 2020

      The Senate Labor Committee reports favorably, and with committee amendments, Senate Bill No. 689.

      As amended. this bill provides funding for the NJ PLACE program to establish college credit towards degrees in connection with new and existing apprenticeship programs, and directs consortia that receive grants from the Youth Transitions to Work Partnership to use not less than 15 percent of the grants to establish, in collaboration with NJ PLACE, programs to provide linkages from apprenticeship to post-secondary education.

      The bill provides that any associate degree program in applied science in technical studies which has credits transferred from apprenticeship programs by the NJ PLACE program shall have transfer agreements for credit towards baccalaureate degrees fully operational by September 2, 2021.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

      The committee amendments modify the provisions of the bill regarding the source of increased funding for the program to make it consistent with the current appropriation act.