SECTION 1. Subsection (c) of section 14B of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following 2 sentences:-

“Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town may simultaneously be a member of a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district. A city or town that belongs to a regional vocational school district may offer a vocational technical education program in its municipal high school; provided, however, that the program is approved under section 2 of chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that a vocational regional school district and any other type of regional school district serving the same town shall collaborate through the office of career technical education in offering reciprocal non-competitive programs under chapter 74 of the General Laws; provided, further, that said programs meet the labor market needs in a community’s region as determined by Regional Workforce Boards.”

SECTION 2. Section 2 of Chapter 74 of the General Laws is amended in the second paragraph by adding the following:

“provided further that said regulations shall allow for the approval of proposed chapter 74 programs regardless of duplication within a region where there is a demonstrated labor market need and insufficient capacity within existing programs to meet that need.”

SECTION 3. Section 2 of Chapter 74 is hereby further amended by adding the following two paragraphs:

The Commissioner shall direct the resources of the department to provide technical support to municipal and comprehensive high schools seeking to offer Chapter 74 programs that meet regional labor market demands and do not duplicate existing programs in the region except where there is a lack of enrollment capacity in said programs for additional students.

The Commissioner shall support the continuation of demonstration programs that provide opportunities in vocational-technical education for students unable to secure a seat in an approved Chapter 74 program due to lack of enrollment capacity.