BILL ANALYSIS



C.S.H.B. 1180
By: Sylvester Turner
04-18-95
Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND

Existing legislation provides employment services through workforce
development centers throughout the state for students, workers, and
employers.  Employment services for persons released from the state
prison system are primarily conducted by Project Rio, a state
Employment Commission program.  The latter has established working
agreements with the local workforce developmental boards, but the
law provides no official basis for cooperation.

This bill provides an official means for Project Rio to establish
working relationships with various state agencies and programs to
facilitate its work.

PURPOSE

To provide for increased cooperation between various programs and
agencies in support of employment services to former inmates.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill expressly grants
additional rulemaking authority in SECTION 4, Section 497.094,
Government Code, to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and
the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 5.01, Workforce and Economic
Competitiveness Act, Article 5190.7a, Vernon's Texas Civil
Statutes, by adding "persons formerly sentenced to the
institutional division or the state jail division of the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice" to the list of people that a local
workforce development board is required to establish workforce
development centers. Also adds a new subsection (7) which allows
the workforce development centers to be used to provide job
training and employment assistance to ex-offenders in cooperation
with Project RIO.

SECTION 2.  Amends Chapter 217, Labor Code, by adding Section
217.007 as follows:

     Sec. 217.007.  PROVISION OF INFORMATION ON STATE SERVICES FOR
     EX-OFFENDERS AND EMPLOYERS.

     (a)  Requires the Texas Employment Commission through Project
     RIO to provide to persons formerly sentenced to the
     institutional division or state jail division, information on
     job training and employment referral services; information on
     substance abuse treatment services; information on housing
     services; information on services for veterans; information on
     tax refund voucher programs.  Requires TEC through Project Rio
     to provide to the employers and potential employers of former
     incarcerated individuals, information on the enterprise zone
     program and smart jobs fund program; and information on
     services listed in Section 4.05(a), Workforce and Economic
     Competitiveness Act.  

     (b) Requires the Commission to adopt memoranda of
     understanding with the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug
     Abuse, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs,
     Texas Veterans Commission, Texas Department of Human Services,
     Texas Department of Commerce and the Texas Council on
     Workforce and Economic Competitiveness to provide the
     information in Subsection (a) to ex-offenders and employers of
     ex-offenders.

     (c)  Requires the Texas Employment Commission to file an
     annual report with the Governor's Office describing the number
     of ex-offenders in the preceding year receiving services under
     each memorandum of understanding.

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 481.158, Government Code, to include
residents formerly sentenced to the institutional division or the
state jail division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to
be eligible for job training funds under the Smart Jobs Program.

SECTION 4.  Amends Section 497.094, Government Code, by adding
Subsection (b) which requires the Texas Council on Workforce and
Economic Competitiveness and the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice, by rule, to adopt a memorandum of understanding to
establish the respective responsibility of the entities to provide
through local workforce development boards information on job
training, employment assistance and services available to ex-offenders and employers of ex-offenders.  Also requires the
department to coordinate the development of the memorandum of
understanding.

SECTION 5.  Amends Section 13 (a) and (c), Article 42.131, Code of
Criminal Procedure, as follows:

     (a) Allows a community supervision and corrections department,
     with the assistance of the Texas Employment Commission, the
     Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, local
     workforce development boards, and other appropriate public and
     private entities, to establish a developmental program for a
     defendant under the supervision of the department.

     (c) Requires the Texas Department of Commerce to provide
     information to CSCD's, Texas Employment Commission, Council on
     Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, local workforce
     development boards, and other appropriate entities for
     obtaining financial assistance through Chapter 301, Labor
     Code, the Job-Training Partnership Act.

SECTION 6. Emergency clause.
           Effective date:  upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The original bill had language that restricted the application of
the bill to "persons formerly confined in the institutional
division."  The substitute changes this language to "persons
formerly sentenced to the institutional division" throughout the
bill.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

H.B. 1180 was considered by the Committee on Corrections in a
public hearing on April 18, 1995.  The Chair recognized
Representative Sylvester Turner to explain the bill.  The committee
considered a complete substitute for the bill.  The substitute was
adopted without objection.  The bill was reported favorably, as
substituted, with the recommendation that it do pass and be
printed, by a record vote of 5 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, and 4 absent.