Mayfield, Haggard support bill to expand work-based learning
The Indiana House of Representatives recently advanced a bill supported by State Reps. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville) and Craig Haggard (R-Mooresville) to expand work-based learning opportunities in high schools around the state. Mayfield said House Bill 1002 would create Career Scholarship Accounts for Hoosier students to pay for career training, apprenticeships, certifications and internships. The legislation would also allow quality, work-based learning to count toward high school graduation requirements and create a framework for students to earn a post-secondary credential.
Haggard said Career Scholarship Accounts could be used by sophomores, juniors and seniors to enroll in earn-and-learn opportunities, as well as to pay for items like transportation and uniforms to remove barriers to accessing these experiences. The Indiana Department of Education would approve available courses and tracks, and accounts would be awarded $5,000 under the recently proposed House Republican budget.
According to Haggard, the proposed legislation could also incentivize schools and career centers to embrace more earn-and-learn partnerships. It would also task the State Board of Education with re-examining high school diploma requirements in order to provide more flexibility in a student’s schedule so they can pursue apprenticeships, applied learning experiences, work-based learning and credentials.
The legislation would also allow post-secondary scholarships, such as the Frank O’Bannon Grant and the 21st Century Scholarship, to be used for trainings provided by intermediaries, employers or a labor organization. This would provide additional opportunities for Hoosiers, who may not be interested in college, to use these funds to skill up and be prepared for the modern workforce.
House Bill 1002 is now with the Indiana Senate for further consideration. For more information about this legislation, visit iga.in.gov.
Ivy Tech Community College’s Chief Financial Officer Appointed to Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities
Ivy Tech Community College announced Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, Dominick Chase, was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to serve on the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD) for the next two years. Chase will join other board members of the GCPD, who are committed to serving people with developmental and other disabilities in Indiana through strategically funding grants, influencing public policy and training people with disabilities and their families to more effectively communicate and advocate for themselves and their communities.
Since joining the College, Chase has directed the expeditious distribution of Higher Education Emergency Relief funds to support both emergency needs of the institution and students. Dom focused the use of these funds to dramatically reduce the price of textbooks and other learning materials for students. Chase previously served as chief financial officer of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, where he oversaw finance, human resources, information technology, and financial aid distribution. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Butler University with a concentration in finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Indiana University.
Learn more about the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities by visiting their website.
New IU study states immigrants with ‘Big Law’ attorneys more likely to avoid deportation
Immigrants who sought relief from deportation in the federal appellate court system were three times more likely to succeed when they were represented by an attorney from one of America’s top 200 law firms rather than by lawyers who were from smaller or more specialized immigration firms, according to a new study by researchers from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law’s Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession.
Because they possess enormous resources, have teams of colleagues who are ready to assist, and have great familiarity with the norms and practices of the federal appeals process, the so-called Big Law firms can be quite successful in helping immigrants who are in the federal appellate courts avoid deportation.
The authors — IU law professor Jayanth Krishnan, third-year law student Megan Riley and University of Notre Dame Visiting Fellow Vitor Dias — have published their findings in “Big Law’s Immigration Advocates,” forthcoming next year in the University of Illinois Law Review. They examined more than 23,000 immigration cases in the federal appellate courts during the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
The authors believe one of the key lessons from the study is how important it is for everyone to have access to top-notch legal representation. Krishnan said the study highlights opportunities for attorneys to do more when it comes to assisting immigrants — who don’t have a right to government-appointed counsel in immigration proceedings — as they navigate an often complex and costly process.
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