BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1180 By: Turner, S. (West, R.) Criminal Justice 05-22-95 Senate Committee Report (Unamended) 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 Texas Employment Commission program. Currently, no legislation exists which requires cooperation between local workforce developmental boards and state agencies. PURPOSE As proposed, H.B. 1180 provides 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 rulemaking authority is granted to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness in SECTION 4 (Section 497.094, Government Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 5.01, Article 5190.7a, V.T.C.S. (Workforce and Economic Competitiveness Act), to require a local workforce development board to establish workforce development centers accessible to students, workers, persons formerly sentenced to the institutional division or the state jail division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and employers throughout the workforce development area. Makes conforming changes. 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) Sets forth the information the Texas Employment Commission (commission) through Project Rio is required to provide to assist in the reintegration into the labor force of persons formerly sentenced to the institutional division or the state jail division of TDCJ. (b) Sets forth the agencies with whom the commission is required to adopt a memorandum of understanding that established the respective responsibilities of the commission and the agencies in providing information described by Subsection (a) to persons formerly sentenced to TDCJ facilities, to employers or potential employers of those persons, and to local workforce development boards. (c) Requires the commission to coordinate the development of the memoranda of understanding and to prepare an annual report describing the number of ex-offenders in the preceding year receiving services under each memorandum. Requires the commission to file a copy of the annual report with the governor's office. SECTION 3. Amends Section 481.158, Government Code, to make a conforming change. SECTION 4. Amends Section 497.094, Government Code, to require TDCJ and the Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, by rule, to adopt a memorandum of understanding that establishes the respective responsibility of those entities to provide through local workforce development boards job training and employment assistance to persons formerly sentenced to the institutional division or the state jail division and information on services available to employers or potential employers of those persons. Requires TDCJ to coordinate the development of the memorandum of understanding. Makes a conforming change. SECTION 5. Amends Sections 13(a) and (c), Article 42.131, Code of Criminal Procedure, to authorize a department, with the assistance of the commission, the Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, local workforce development boards, rather than public school districts, community and public junior colleges, public and private institutions of higher education, to establish a developmental program for a defendant under the supervision of the department on the basis of information obtained in the presentence investigation report prepared for the defendant. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 6. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.