C.R.S. § 24-38-303: Transition plan - required study by transition advisory committee.

(1) On or before November 30, 2026, the transition committee shall submit a transition plan to the joint budget committee and the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee; the house of representatives education committee; the senate business, labor, and technology committee; and the senate education committee, or their successor committees.

(2) (a) The transition plan must include recommendations for the structure of the department of higher education as a department that oversees a system of postsecondary talent development that integrates postsecondary educational, training, and employment resources for Coloradans, including:

(I) Governance models for the department of higher education, with consideration for the existing role and structure of the Colorado commission on higher education established in section 23-1-102 and the state work force development council created in section 24-46.3-101;

(II) The technology and staffing needs of the department of higher education;

(III) Data collection and analysis systems necessary or beneficial for the department of higher education;

(IV) Renaming the department of higher education to reflect its mission, effective July 1, 2028, to oversee a system of postsecondary talent development; and

(V) The timeline for completing the transition of the department of higher education to a department that oversees a system of postsecondary talent development.

(b) The transition plan must include recommendations about how the following offices, agencies, programs, and functions transition to the department of higher education:

(I) The programs administered by the division of employment and training, created in section 8-83-102, within the department of labor and employment;

(II) The state's duties and responsibilities under and for implementing Titles I, II, and III of the federal "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act", 29 U.S.C. sec. 3101 et seq.;

(III) The determinations related to international standard classification of education for apprenticeship programs, as described in section 8-83-1002;

(IV) Duties and responsibilities related to regional talent development initiatives, including the regional talent summit grant program created in section 24-48.5-704 and, if continued beyond July 1, 2028, the regional talent development initiative grant program created in section 24-48.5-405, commonly known as opportunity now Colorado grants, and any subsequent programs that provide grants to support regional talent development initiatives;

(V) Adult education and literacy programs described in article 10 of title 22, including the adult education and literacy grant program created in section 22-10-104, and the duty to convene meetings to discuss the state's workforce development needs and the levels of unmet need for adult education within the state, as described in section 22-10-106;

(VI) The Colorado office of new Americans created in section 8-3.7-103; and

(VII) The Colorado disability opportunity office created in section 8-88-102.

(c) The transition committee shall consider and include recommendations in the transition plan about how the department of higher education will coordinate with the department of education's postsecondary workforce readiness and student support activities, including registered apprenticeships for youth and pre-apprenticeship, work-based learning, out-of-school time programs that provide career-connected learning opportunities, and postsecondary credential programs.

(3) The transition committee may consider and include recommendations in the transition plan about:

(a) Strategies to support adult learners seeking foundational skills and credentials, such as a high school diploma or equivalent, and postsecondary credential attainment;

(b) The state apprenticeship agency created in section 8-15.7-102, including recommendations that maintain the connection between the state apprenticeship agency and the department of labor and employment;

(c) The state apprenticeship council established in section 8-15.7-105;

(d) The Colorado state apprenticeship resource directory created in section 8-83-308;

(e) Relocating the office of future of work, created in section 8-15.8-103, to the department of higher education or discontinuing the office of future of work;

(f) Relocating the state historical society established in section 24-80-201 and commonly known as history Colorado;

(g) Relocating the office of labor market information within the department of labor and employment;

(h) The governance of area technical colleges, as defined in section 23-60-103; improving the availability of occupational education, including registered apprenticeships for youth and work-based learning pathways; and enabling area technical colleges to best deliver occupational education and support secondary-to-postsecondary education transitions in Colorado; and

(i) Strategies to support adult postsecondary credential attainment, including strategies to support adult learners in accessing and completing high school diplomas and connecting with additional education, training, and employment opportunities.

(4) The transition committee may consider how the supplemental nutrition assistance program established pursuant to part 3 of article 2 of title 26; state administration of the program to provide temporary assistance for needy families, as defined in section 26-2-703 (19); and other programs administered by the office of economic security in the department of human services are aligned with the department of higher education's mission, effective July 1, 2028, to oversee a system of postsecondary talent development. The transition committee may include in the transition plan a recommendation for the programs to coordinate with the department of higher education.

(5) In preparing the transition plan, the transition committee shall consider strategies to:

(a) Eliminate duplicative oversight of postsecondary talent development programs;

(b) Continue efforts to align the postsecondary talent development system, including strategies to reduce bureaucracy and ensure alignment with related programs that are not administered by the department of higher education, as recommended by the transition committee;

(c) Align postsecondary talent development programs and services among the department of higher education and existing state agencies; and

(d) Ensure the quality of education, training, and employment programs, including by measuring key outcomes of the programs and making the outcomes more transparent and easy to understand for prospective participants.

(6) The transition committee shall not include in the transition plan any recommendation that is inconsistent with or, if implemented, would:

(a) Be inconsistent with or would result in a violation of federal law or rule, including the requirements for state apprenticeship agencies in 29 CFR 29.13;

(b) Change the appointing authority for, or membership of, the state apprenticeship council, created in section 8-15.7-105; the committee for apprenticeship in new and emerging industries, created in section 8-15.7-104; or the committee for apprenticeship in the building and construction trades, created in section 8-15.7-103;

(c) Change the state apprenticeship agency's status as a type 1 entity; or

(d) Change the Colorado office of new Americans' or Colorado disability opportunity office's statuses as type 1 entities or the offices' regular access to the office of the governor and power to convene other state agencies.