88R19757 SCP-F

By: Dutton, Bumgarner, Hayes H.B. No. 4411

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 4411:

By: Button C.S.H.B. No. 4411

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the apprenticeship system of adult career and technology education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 61.8235(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The board, with the assistance of institutions of higher education, career and technical education experts, and college and career readiness experts, shall establish alignment between the college and career readiness standards and the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to demonstrate in career and technical education by establishing programs of study that:

(1) incorporate rigorous college and career readiness standards, including career and technical education standards that address both academic and technical content;

(2) support attainment of employability and career readiness skills;

(3) progress in content specificity by beginning with all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more occupationally specific instruction or by preparing students for ongoing postsecondary career preparation;

(4) incorporate multiple entry and exit points with portable demonstrations of technical or career competency, which may include credit transfer agreements or industry-recognized certifications; and

(5) culminate in the attainment of:

(A) an industry-recognized certification, credential, or license;

(B) a registered apprenticeship;

(C) an apprenticeship certified by the Texas Workforce Commission as an industry-recognized apprenticeship program as provided by commission rule;

(D) a [or] credit-bearing postsecondary certificate; or

(E) [(C)] an associate or baccalaureate degree.

SECTION 2. Section 133.001(1), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(1) "Apprenticeship training program" means a training program that provides on-the-job training, preparatory instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in a trade that has been:

(A) certified as an apprenticeable occupation by the Office of Apprenticeship; or

(B) recognized as an apprenticeable occupation by the commission as provided by commission rule.

SECTION 3. Sections 133.002(d) and (h), Education Code, are amended to read as follows:

(d) Each apprentice participating in a program must be given a written apprenticeship agreement by the apprenticeship committee stating the standards and conditions of the apprentice's employment and training. The standards must conform substantially with the standards of apprenticeship for the particular trade which have been adopted by the Office of Apprenticeship or by the commission by rule.

(h) A program must be:

(1) registered with the Office of Apprenticeship and approved by the commission; or

(2) certified by the commission as an industry-recognized apprenticeship program as provided by commission rule.

SECTION 4. Chapter 133, Education Code, is amended by adding Sections 133.0025 and 133.0065 to read as follows:

Sec. 133.0025. PRE-APPRENTICESHIPS FOR CERTAIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. The commission by rule shall establish procedures and standards by which the commission may allocate funds available for the support of apprenticeship training programs under this chapter to support pre-apprenticeships designed for high school students enrolled in career and technical education programs of study leading to employment in high-wage, high-demand occupations. The standards must:

(1) be developed in coordination with the Texas Education Agency or Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;

(2) align with the strategic framework described by Section 318.001, Labor Code; and

(3) ensure that any committee overseeing a pre-apprenticeship:

(A) excludes from its membership any bargaining agent representing apprenticeable occupations certified by the Office of Apprenticeship;

(B) includes at least one member who is a representative of a community-based organization that demonstrates evidence of success in coordinating and managing job placement services for at least one industry served by the committee; and

(C) maintains, as a majority of the committee's membership, members who represent employers.

Sec. 133.0065. PUBLICATION OF WAGE OUTCOMES. The commission shall publish on the commission's Internet website and include in the unified repository for education and workforce data developed under Section 2308A.005, Government Code, wage outcome data for apprentices who complete an apprenticeship training program.

SECTION 5. Section 133.007, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 133.007. RULES. The commission shall adopt [promulgate] rules necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter, including rules establishing:

(1) which occupations are recognized by the commission as an apprenticeable occupation, based on criteria which must include that the occupation:

(A) be a high-wage, high-demand occupation;

(B) be customarily learned in a practical way through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised training;

(C) be clearly identified and commonly recognized throughout an industry;

(D) involve manual, mechanical, or technical skills or knowledge which requires significant on-the-job work experience; and

(E) require related instruction to supplement the on-the-job training;

(2) standards of apprenticeship for particular trades; and

(3) a process for and the criteria by which the commission may certify a training or apprenticeship program as an industry-recognized apprenticeship program, which must include:

(A) a requirement that the training or program lead to employment in a high-wage, high-demand occupation; and

(B) criteria generally consistent with the standards of apprenticeship as determined by the commission.

SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, the Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt the rules required by Chapter 133, Education Code, as amended by this Act.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.