{"AmendmentNumber":"107","ParentBillNumber":"H5562","Bill":null,"Sponsor":{"Id":"CMM1","Name":"Christopher M. Markey","Type":1,"Details":"https://malegislature.gov/api/GeneralCourts/194/LegislativeMembers/CMM1","ResponseDate":"2026-07-06T14:12:33.693"},"Category":null,"Action":"Consolidated","RollCall":[],"Title":"An Amendment Establishing an Agricultural Workforce Development Pilot Program at Bristol County Agricultural High School","Branch":"House","RedraftNumber":null,"IsFurther":false,"GeneralCourtNumber":194,"Text":"Mr. Markey of Dartmouth moves to amend the bill by inserting the following new section:\r\n\"SECTION ___. There is hereby established an agricultural workforce development pilot program to be administered by the department of agricultural resources in partnership with Bristol County Agricultural High School.\r\n(a) The program shall support the development of a regional agricultural workforce pipeline serving students, adult learners, and employers across southeastern Massachusetts, including students from gateway cities and surrounding communities in Bristol County.\r\n(b) The program shall include the following components:\r\n(1) A workforce development initiative to expand integrated secondary and adult agricultural workforce programming, including employer partnership development, industry-recognized credential attainment, adult workforce retraining and certification, short-term workforce training modules, career advising and placement services, and workforce-aligned instructional equipment and resources;\r\n(2) An elementary and middle school agricultural career pathways initiative to establish regional early exposure programming across gateway cities and surrounding school districts, including STEM-based agricultural exploration programming, veterinary, environmental, and food systems discovery laboratories, summer agricultural career academies, employer engagement and career awareness events, educator training aligned with chapter 74 career technical education pathways, and family engagement and recruitment initiatives.\r\n(c) The department of agricultural resources shall coordinate with Bristol County Agricultural High School to align program activities with statewide agricultural workforce development priorities, including agricultural workforce stabilization, climate-resilient food systems, expansion of controlled environment agriculture, and employer engagement across regional agricultural sectors.\r\n(d) Bristol County Agricultural High School shall serve as a regional demonstration site for agricultural workforce development and shall maintain formal partnerships with postsecondary institutions, including Bristol Community College, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, to support seamless workforce transitions and credential attainment.\r\n(e) For the purposes of this program, there shall be expended the sum of $250,000, of which: (i) not less than $150,000 shall support agricultural workforce development initiatives under paragraph (1) of subsection (b); and (ii) not less than $100,000 shall support elementary and middle school agricultural career pathways under paragraph (2) of subsection (b).\r\n(f) Bristol County Agricultural High School shall report annually to the secretary of education, the secretary of labor and workforce development, and the clerks of the senate and house of representatives on program outcomes, including the number of students and adult learners served, credentials attained, employer partnerships established, and work-based learning hours completed.\"\r\n\r\n\r\n"}