By Coleman                                           H.C.R. No. 325

         75R17459 BNL-F                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The State of Texas has authorized the use of federal

 1-2     Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) funds to help TANF

 1-3     recipients move from public assistance to gainful employment; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Seeking to meet federal work participation rates,

 1-5     the 75th Texas Legislature included in H.B. 1 an appropriation for

 1-6     $10 million of TANF federal funds in each year of the biennium to

 1-7     invest in long-term success employment strategies for TANF

 1-8     recipients; and

 1-9           WHEREAS, H.B. 1 specifies that $6 million of those funds in

1-10     each year of the biennium shall be used to develop the

1-11     Self-Sufficiency Fund to work with employers and training

1-12     organizations to provide training for targeted employment for TANF

1-13     recipients; now, therefore, be it

1-14           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

1-15     hereby express its intent that the Texas Workforce Commission

1-16     structure the Self-Sufficiency Fund to be used for grants to public

1-17     community and technical colleges, community-based organizations,

1-18     and state extension agencies for customized job training; and, be

1-19     it further

1-20           RESOLVED, That the training program involve employers who

1-21     will commit to hiring graduates and who will participate in setting

1-22     curricula and standards for the program, which will be specifically

1-23     designed to enable the recipients to find and apply for existing

1-24     jobs; and, be it further

 2-1           RESOLVED, That an entity that receives money from the

 2-2     Self-Sufficiency Fund for a training program shall work with

 2-3     employers to place graduates in positions with wages that are

 2-4     reasonably calculated to make those graduates independent of public

 2-5     assistance under Chapters 31 and 33 of the Human Resources Code;

 2-6     and, be it further

 2-7           RESOLVED, That the funds may also be used for support

 2-8     services as necessary to enable participants to prepare for and

 2-9     participate in training activities and to make the transition from

2-10     training activities to employment; and, be it further

2-11           RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official

2-12     copy of this resolution to the executive director of the Texas

2-13     Workforce Commission.