hb1030_00

As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 1030

2025-2026

To amend sections 122.178 and 4141.162 and to enact section 122.1714 of the Revised Code regarding approved credentials of value for purposes of the TechCred Program and Individual Microcredential Assistance Program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 122.178 and 4141.162 be amended and section 122.1714 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 122.178. (A) As used in this section, "microcredential" means an industry-recognized credential or certificate that an applicant may complete in not more than one year and that is approved by the chancellor of higher education.

(B) There is hereby created the TechCred program to reimburse employers from appropriations made for that purpose for training costs for prospective and incumbent employees to earn a microcredential. The department of development, in consultation with the governor's office of workforce transformation and the department of higher education, shall develop the program.

(C)(1) An employer seeking to participate in the program shall submit an application to the director of development during an application period established by the director. The employer shall include in the application all of the following information:

(a) Proof that the employer is registered to do business in this state;

(b) Proof that the employer is current on all tax obligations to the state;

(d) The name of the training provider from which a prospective or incumbent employee will receive the training and earn the microcredential;

(e) The cost of the training;

(f) The positions for which earning the microcredential will make a prospective or incumbent employee qualified or the occupational skill set that the prospective or incumbent employee will acquire on completing the training;

(g) The address of the facility or location at which the prospective or incumbent employee is expected to be employed after completing the training;

(h) Any other information the director requires.

(2) In addition to the information required under division (C)(1) of this section, an employer seeking to participate in the program also may submit any of the following information the employer wishes to provide to the director:

(a) The estimated wage after completing the training and earning the microcredential;

(b) The employer's certification as a minority business enterprise under section 122.921 of the Revised Code or certification as an EDGE business enterprise under section 122.922 of the Revised Code if applicable;

(d) Any demographic information of a prospective or incumbent employee that the employee provides to the employer, including race and gender;

(e) Any other information the employer wishes to provide to the director.

(D)(1) The director shall consider all applications submitted during an application period after the application period ends. The director shall consider the following factors in determining whether to approve an application:

(a) The duration of the training program;

(b) The cost of the training;

(d) Whether approving an application will promote regional diversity in apportioning reimbursements uniformly across the state;

(e) Any other factors the director considers relevant in determining whether to approve an application.

(2) The chancellor of higher education shall establish a list of approved microcredentials. The chancellor shall not approve a microcredential for inclusion in the chancellor's list unless the microcredential is included in the list of credentials of value established by the director under section 122.1714 of the Revised Code. The director shall not approve an application submitted under division (C) of this section unless the microcredentials identified in the application are included in the chancellor's list. Not later than ninety days after April 14, 2020, the director shall create a list of training providers that offer a microcredential included in the chancellor's list. Thereafter, the director shall annually update the list of training providers.

(3) If the director approves an employer's application for participation in the program, the approval is valid as long as the employer maintains accurate application information under division (C)(1) of this section with the director. The employer shall submit the updated information to the director at the beginning of the third fiscal year the employer participates in the program and every other subsequent fiscal year thereafter.

(4) The director shall not approve an application for participation in the program if the employer has violated Chapter 4111. of the Revised Code within the four fiscal years immediately preceding the date of application.

(E)(1) Each participating employer seeking reimbursement for training costs for a prospective or incumbent employee shall submit an application to the director that includes all of the following information for each prospective or incumbent employee:

(a) The prospective or incumbent employee's name and position, if applicable, at the time of submitting the application;

(b) The actual amount the employer paid to the training provider for the training;

(d) Evidence that the prospective or incumbent employee is a resident of this state.

(2) The amount of the reimbursement shall be not more than two thousand dollars for each microcredential a prospective or incumbent employee receives.

(F) No participating employer shall require a prospective or incumbent employee who receives a microcredential because the employer participated in and received a reimbursement through the employer's participation in the TechCred program to accept or continue employment with the employer.

(G) For the purposes of determining regional diversity under this section, the following constitute the regions of the state:

(1) The counties of Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot are one region;

(2) The counties of Ashland, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, and Wayne are one region;

(3) The counties of Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Fayette, Greene, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, and Shelby are one region;

(4) The counties of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Knox, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, and Union are one region;

(5) The counties of Adams, Athens, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vinton are one region;

(6) The counties of Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, and Washington are one region;

(7) The counties of Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren are one region.

(H)(1) The director shall do both of the following regarding the operation of the program:

(a) Create an application to participate in the program and an application for reimbursement;

(b) Create an internet web site with the applications for and information regarding the program created in this section.

(2) The governor's office of workforce transformation shall include on the office's internet web site either of the following:

(a) The applications for and information regarding the program created in this section;

(b) An internet link to the internet web site created under division (H)(1)(b) of this section.

(I) The director may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code regarding the operation of the program as the director considers necessary to administer the program, including establishing priority guidelines for approving applications under division (D) of this section.

Sec. 122.1714. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Credential" means an industry certification, occupational license, registered apprenticeship certificate, certificate of completion, postsecondary certificate, microcredential, or other credential awarded on successful completion of education or workforce training.

(2) "Credential of value" means a credential approved by the director of development under this section that has measurable economic value to both the individual earning the credential and the workforce needs of this state.

(B) The director shall establish a list of approved credentials of value in accordance with this section and publish the list on the internet web site maintained by the department of development. The director shall review the list at least once every three years. The director may remove a credential from the list if the director determines that it no longer meets the criteria specified under division (C) of this section.

(C) The director shall not approve a credential for inclusion in the list of credentials of value unless the director determines that it meets all of the following criteria:

(1) The credential demonstrates a measurable return on investment.

(2) The credential aligns with an in-demand occupation or an occupation with a workforce shortage, as identified by the the nonprofit corporation formed under section 187.01 of the Revised Code, the department of job and family services, or another state agency designated by the director.

(3) The credential is recognized and valued by employers within an industry sector.

(4) The credential is an industry-recognized certification, occupational license, registered apprenticeship completion certificate, or another credential that is broadly accepted within a relevant industry.

(5) The credential furthers positive employment outcomes for individuals who have earned it, including successful placement in employment related to the credential or occupational field.

(6) The credential furthers positive wage outcomes for individuals who have earned it, including measurable earnings gains or median wages that exceed those of similarly situated individuals without the credential.

(7) The credential is stackable, allowing the credential holder to continue progressing toward additional credentials, certificates, licenses, apprenticeships, or academic degrees.

(8) The credential is portable across multiple employers within an industry and does not limit the credential holder solely to employment with a single employer or proprietary training provider.

(9) The credential meets any additional criteria the director has established in rules adopted under division (D) of this section.

(D) The director may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing additional criteria for approving a credential for inclusion in the list of credentials of value, including criteria pertaining to any of the following:

(1) Labor market demand;

(2) Regional workforce needs;

(3) Projected job growth;

(4) Credential completion rates;

(5) Employment retention;

(6) Employer satisfaction;

(7) Earnings progression over time;

(8) Cost effectiveness and return on taxpayer investment;

(9) Any additional performance measures the director determines necessary for workforce investments to produce meaningful economic outcomes.

(E) Not later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section, the director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing all of the following:

(1) The methodology for determining whether a credential qualifies as a credential of value;

(2) Measurable return-on-investment standards;

(3) Performance metrics used to evaluate credentials;

(4) The process for submitting credentials for review;

(5) The process for approving, denying, suspending, or removing a credential of value;

(6) Procedures for the periodic review of credentials included in the list of credentials of value.

(F) The director shall use any available wage records, workforce data, education data, unemployment compensation wage records, or other reliable sources of information to evaluate the performance of a credential being considered for inclusion in the list of credentials of value. The director may enter into a data sharing agreement with the head of any other state agency as necessary to carry out this division.

(G) Beginning on the first day of August immediately following the effective date of this section, and every August first thereafter, the director annually shall publish on the internet web site maintained by the department of development a report that includes all of the following information:

(1) Each credential of value included in the list established under this section;

(2) The industries and occupations served by each credential of value;

(3) Employment and wage outcomes of individuals who have earned a credential of value;

(4) Available labor market demand information;

(5) Any performance information the director determines is relevant for informing students, employers, workforce providers, and policymakers.

(H) Nothing in this section prohibits the director from including in the list of credentials of value a credential that exceeds the minimum criteria specified under division (C) of this section, provided that the director determines the credential demonstrates a measurable return on investment consistent with the purposes of this section.

Sec. 4141.162. (A) The director of job and family services shall establish an income and eligibility verification system that complies with section 1137 of the "Social Security Act." The programs included in the system are all of the following:

(1) Unemployment compensation pursuant to section 3304 of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1954";

(2) The state programs funded in part under part A of Title IV of the "Social Security Act" and administered under Chapters 5107. and 5108. of the Revised Code;

(3) The medicaid program;

(4) The supplemental nutrition assistance program pursuant to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);

(5) Any Ohio program under a plan approved under Title I, X, XIV, or XVI of the "Social Security Act."

(B) Wage information provided by employers to the director shall be furnished to the income and eligibility verification system. Such information shall be used by the director to determine eligibility of individuals for unemployment compensation benefits and the amount of those benefits and used by the agencies that administer the programs identified in divisions (A)(2) to (5) of this section to determine or verify eligibility for or the amount of benefits under those programs.

~~(C) The~~ (C)(1) Subject to division (C)(2) of this section, the director shall, on request, disclose wage and claim information to ~~any~~ either of the following:

(a) Any state or local agency administering a program identified in division (A) of this section ~~that~~;

(b) The director of development for purposes of establishing a list of approved credentials of value under section 122.1714 of the Revised Code.

(2) The director of job and family services shall not disclose wage or claim information under division (C)(1) of this section unless the state or local agency or director of development has entered into a written data sharing agreement with the director of job and family services that meets the standards specified in federal law, including the requirements in 20 C.F.R. 603.10.

(D) Information furnished under the system shall also be made available to the appropriate state or local child support enforcement agency for the purposes of an approved plan under Title IV-D of the "Social Security Act" and to the appropriate federal agency for the purposes of Titles II and XVI of the "Social Security Act."

Section 2. That existing sections 122.178 and 4141.162 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.