The House Education Committee advanced HB 26-1136, the Pathways to Public Service bill, on an 8-5 vote, sending it to the Committee of the Whole after adopting an amendment removing a data-reporting requirement from the Department of Higher Education. Supporters argued the bill addresses persistent state government vacancies through skills-based hiring pipelines, while opponents questioned whether legislation was necessary and raised concerns about transparency and potential hiring preferences for pathway candidates.
Representative Johnson argued that with the amendment removing DHE data collection, 'this is going to decrease transparency on how these jobs are being selected,' characterizing it as a de facto training pathway for government jobs without open access. Representative Lukens responded that the amendment addresses only duplicative DHE reporting and that the Department of Personnel and Administration will still collect data. Representative Martinez added that DHE is still figuring out how to accurately gather that data and that the amendment places collection at a point where the agency can do it more easily.
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“The opportunity to work should not discourage us from pursuing an education, and education should not be a barrier to employment. They can and should work together.”
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Sign in to subscribeYes, we were. On behalf of the delegation, the House Education Committee will come to order. Mr. Beck, will you take the role? Yes. We're singing today. We need noise. Representatives Bradfield. Here. Flannel. Present. Garcia. Sander. Present. Gilchrist. Here. Hamrick. Here. Hartsuk. Excused. Johnson. Here. Lukens. Here. Phillips. Yes. Stuart K. Here. Story. Excused. Martinez. Presente. And Madam Chair? Here. No? Okay. All right, members of the committee, this is what happens when you give me a gavel. Today we're going to Hear House Bill 2611 36. Sponsors, please. Who would like to begin? Madam Chair. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, House Education Committee. Today we bring before you House Bill 1136, Pathways to Public Service. So as a bit of background in regards to this bill, two pivotal executive orders have laid the groundwork for advancing work based learning and skills based hiring across Colorado. Positioning these approaches as key drivers in workforce development and talent acquisition, focusing on hiring practices that prioritize skills over traditional qualifications like degrees. Executive Order 202215 directed state agencies to adopt skills based hiring strategies. The goal is to make hiring more inclusive, opening doors for individuals with non traditional educational…
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