SRC-HRD C.S.S.B. 813 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterC.S.S.B. 813 By: Truan International Relations, Trade & Technology 4-30-97 Committee Report (Substituted) DIGEST In recent town meetings held across Texas many manufacturing exporters indicated that they were having extreme difficulty meeting market demand and producing the high quality products that are required in the international marketplace due to the lack of qualified job applicants to fill their needs. Specifically, they are not able to find young applicants in Texas with the basic skills required to operate the machines and equipment used to produce a wide variety of parts, components and finished products for export. Many Texas high schools had good vocational education programs prior to the 1970s or even 1980s, but there are concerns that these programs have not been sustained and much of the machinery and equipment used in them has become old or obsolete. C.S.S.B. 813 requires the Texas Education Agency to conduct quarterly meetings with representatives from the Texas Workforce Commission, the Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Department of Commerce, as well as representatives from business and industry and administrators from career and technology education programs located in different regions throughout this state in order to improve interagency and public-private coordination concerning career and technology education programs and to ensure statewide delivery of career and technology education programs. In addition, this bill authorizes the agency to adopt guidelines that a school career and technology education program may use in forming a partnership with local industries to provide work-based learning stations for students. PURPOSE As proposed, C.S.S.B. 813 requires the Texas Education Agency to conduct quarterly meetings with other agencies as well as the private sector regarding career and technology education programs for students. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is granted to the Texas Education Agency under SECTION 1 (Section 29.186, Education Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 29F, Education Code, by adding Sections 29.1821 and 29.186, as follows: Sec. 29.1821. INTERAGENCY MEETINGS. Requires the Texas Education Agency (agency), in order to improve interagency and public-private coordination concerning career and technology education programs and to ensure the statewide delivery of career and technology education programs at each appropriate grade level, to conduct quarterly meetings that include certain persons. Requires the agency, not later than December 1 of each evennumbered year, to submit to the legislature a written report of the findings and recommendations that result from the meetings held during the preceding biennium. Sec. 29.186. PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY. Authorizes the agency to adopt guidelines that a middle, junior high, or high school career and technology education program may use in forming a partnership with one or more local industries to provide workbased learning stations for students in the school's career and technology education program. Authorizes the agency to adopt rules to ensure that any federal or state money a school receives for purposes of a partnership between the school's career and technology education program and a local industry is used only for that purpose. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE CHANGES SECTION 1. Replaces proposed SECTION 1 with new SECTION 1. SECTION 2. Replaces proposed SECTION 2 with new SECTION 2. SECTION 3. Redesignated from proposed SECTION 2. Removes enactment clause.