Alabama Community College System approves legislative agenda
Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs for the Alabama Community College System, speaks at the monthly board meeting on March 12, 2025, in Montgomery, Alabama. Kinard presented a legislative update to the ACCS Board of Trustees. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
The Alabama Community College System approved its legislative agenda at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday.
With the Legislature almost halfway through the 2025 session, some of ACCS' priorities have already made it through both chambers of the Legislature. Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs, told the board that HB 102, sponsored by Rep. Jeanna Ross, R-Guntersville, passed and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Kay Ivey.
'Every kid in the state, regardless of your zip code, who wants to take advantage of a dual enrollment course, this bill will allow them to do that,' Kinard said.
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The legislation prohibits school districts from preventing students from entering dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take college courses for college credit at community colleges and universities. A request for comment from Ivey's office was sent Wednesday afternoon.
Kinard also highlighted HB 266, sponsored by Rep. Mat Woods, R-Jasper, also known as the Restoring Educational Advancement of Completing High School (REACH) Act. The legislation would create a program for high schoolers that drop out of high school to get their high school diploma from their previous high school.
'So this bill would expand this program and would allow more students to take advantage of it,' Kinard said. 'It would also require us to work with the State Department of Education to get better data.'
The bill has passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Kinard also said the system requested an amendment for a paid parental leave bill that would include community college educators. SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, would provide up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave to state employees in most cases.
'Community college employees were inadvertently left out of the original version of the bill. We've engaged with the governor's office,' Kinard said. 'We've been able to add an amendment to the bill to add our community college employees to make sure that they can receive this benefit should this bill pass.'
The system's agenda also supports the creation of a state lottery to fund scholarships for any Alabama resident to attend a state public, two-year community and technical college. Legislation for a state lottery and gaming failed on the last day of the 2024 session. So far, there have not been any bills filed to create a lottery.
The board will meet on April 9 at Jefferson State Community College for its next meeting.
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