By: Barrientos S.B. No. 1810
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the creation, operation, and funding of the Texas
1-2 Youthworks Program.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 2306, Government Code, is amended by
1-5 adding Subchapter AA to read as follows:
1-6 SUBCHAPTER AA. TEXAS YOUTHWORKS PROGRAM
1-7 Sec. 2306.621. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-8 (1) "Board" means the board of the Texas Department of
1-9 Housing and Community Affairs;
1-10 (2) "Department" means the Texas Department of Housing
1-11 and Community Affairs;
1-12 (3) "sustainable construction or rehabilitation" means
1-13 long-lasting, energy-efficient construction or rehabilitation that
1-14 reduces the costs of conventional construction or rehabilitation by
1-15 not less than 20 percent.
1-16 Sec. 2306.622. TEXAS YOUTHWORKS PROGRAM. (a) The Texas
1-17 Youthworks Program is created in the Texas Department of Housing
1-18 and Community Affairs to:
1-19 (1) promote economic self-sufficiency of disadvantaged
1-20 or at-risk youth by providing the youth with opportunities to
1-21 acquire job skills while performing community service activities;
2-1 and
2-2 (2) create opportunities for communities to restore
2-3 abandoned properties and historic areas, enhance public places, and
2-4 increase the availability of affordable, energy-efficient housing
2-5 for individuals and families of low and very low income.
2-6 (b) The department shall administer the program and may
2-7 employ personnel as necessary to administer the program.
2-8 Sec. 2306.623. RULES. The board, in consultation with the
2-9 advisory board established in Sec. 2306.629, shall adopt rules as
2-10 necessary to implement the program, including rules for auditing
2-11 and accountability.
2-12 Sec. 2306.624. FUNDING. (a) The program is funded by
2-13 appropriations from the legislature and other available funds
2-14 identified by the department or other state agencies.
2-15 (b) The department may accept gifts, grants, and other
2-16 donations for operation of the program.
2-17 Sec. 2306.625. GRANTS. The director may award grants under
2-18 the program for projects that meet the requirements of this
2-19 subchapter.
2-20 Sec. 2306.626. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS. (a) To be eligible
2-21 to receive a grant, an organization must use the grant for a
2-22 project that provides services specified in Section 2306.627 to
2-23 persons 17 years of age or older but younger than 24 years of age
2-24 who are not attending secondary school and have not received a high
2-25 school diploma or high school equivalency certificate, or who are
3-1 attending secondary school or a program leading to a high school
3-2 equivalency certificate but are at risk of dropping out of school
3-3 or the program. Participants must also meet at least one of the
3-4 following criteria:
3-5 (1) a member of a household that receives public
3-6 assistance and earns not more than 80 percent of the area median
3-7 income;
3-8 (2) errant or homeless or a potential ward of the
3-9 Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
3-10 (3) referred by another state agency; or
3-11 (4) educationally disadvantaged, as defined by board
3-12 rule.
3-13 (b) The department may authorize a grantee to provide
3-14 services to a participant who does not meet the requirements of
3-15 Subsection (a).
3-16 Sec. 2306.627. SERVICES TO PARTICIPANTS. (a) A project for
3-17 which a grant is received under the program shall provide
3-18 participants in the project with:
3-19 (1) integrated job and education training divided
3-20 evenly between:
3-21 (A) practical, hands-on work experience at
3-22 project sites; and
3-23 (B) academic instruction, if the participant has
3-24 not attained a high school diploma or high school equivalency
3-25 certificate, which shall include the attainment of a high school
4-1 diploma or high school equivalency certificate.
4-2 (2) direct access to counseling and support services,
4-3 including assessment and orientation services, life-skills
4-4 training, peer tutoring, gang prevention techniques, parenting and
4-5 child-care skills, and medical and legal screening and referrals;
4-6 (3) direct access to leadership training designed to
4-7 develop ethics, citizenship, personal responsibility, critical
4-8 thinking, and decision-making, problem-solving, and negotiation
4-9 skills;
4-10 (4) direct access to assistance in making the
4-11 transition from training to economic self-sufficiency, including
4-12 career counseling, job placement, personal finance, home buyer
4-13 education, and follow-up services;
4-14 (6) a training stipend, the amount of which is set by
4-15 board rule, for a period not to exceed two years that is
4-16 conditioned on the participant's demonstrating improved job
4-17 performance and personal responsibility; and
4-18 (7) an opportunity to earn scholarship awards for
4-19 college tuition.
4-20 (b) A stipend provided under Subsection (a)(6) does not
4-21 count as income for purposes of determining the eligibility of the
4-22 participant or the participant's household for any form of public
4-23 assistance.
4-24 Sec. 2306.628. COMMUNITY BENEFIT. A project for which a
4-25 grant is received under the program shall provide at least one of
5-1 the following services to a community in which the project is
5-2 located:
5-3 (1) acquisition, rehabilitation, or construction of
5-4 energy-efficient, affordable housing for elderly individuals,
5-5 veterans of the United States armed forces, former participants in
5-6 the Peace Corps, VISTA, or AmeriCorps program, or individuals and
5-7 families of low and very low income;
5-8 (2) transitional housing for individuals who are
5-9 homeless, individuals who have mental or physical disabilities or
5-10 disease; or
5-11 (3) sustainable construction or rehabilitation in
5-12 low-income neighborhoods of historic properties, community
5-13 facilities, cultural districts, or parks owned by public or
5-14 nonprofit agencies.
5-15 Sec. 2306.629. ADVISORY BOARD; PARTICIPANT COUNCIL. A
5-16 grantee who is awarded a grant for a project under the program
5-17 shall establish:
5-18 (1) an advisory board for the project that includes
5-19 senior staff of the person operating the project, area employers,
5-20 industrial leaders, and participants in the project; and
5-21 (2) a participant council to provide comments and
5-22 suggestions regarding project policies.
5-23 Sec. 2306.630. GRANT APPLICATION. (a) Subject to
5-24 Subsection (b), the following organizations may apply to receive a
5-25 grant for an eligible project under this subchapter:
6-1 (1) a private, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization
6-2 listed in Section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
6-3 (2) a public agency that operates a community-based
6-4 youth employment training program;
6-5 (3) a community housing development organization
6-6 certified by the state;
6-7 (4) an educational facility approved by the Texas
6-8 Youth Commission;
6-9 (5) a corps-based community service organization;
6-10 (6) an open-enrollment charter school approved by the
6-11 Texas Education Agency; or
6-12 (7) another organization authorized by board rule.
6-13 (b) To be eligible to receive a grant, an applicant must
6-14 demonstrate that the applicant has at least three years of
6-15 successful experience operating programs that benefit disadvantaged
6-16 or at-risk youth.
6-17 (c) A grant application for a proposed project must be filed
6-18 with the department in a form prescribed by the director. An
6-19 application must include:
6-20 (1) a statement of the amount of money requested;
6-21 (2) a description of the proposed project;
6-22 (3) a description of the applicant's qualifications,
6-23 including the applicant's experience with youth, law enforcement
6-24 agencies, and educational and community groups;
6-25 (4) if applicable, a list of proposed sites for
7-1 construction or rehabilitation of housing or other buildings;
7-2 (5) if applicable, a description of proposed
7-3 sustainable construction or rehabilitation activities, including an
7-4 implementation schedule;
7-5 (6) a description of the applicant's proposed
7-6 procedures for recruiting and selecting participants in the
7-7 project;
7-8 (7) a proposed budget, including procedures for
7-9 auditing and accountability;
7-10 (8) if applicable, a description of proposed financing
7-11 for property acquisition, rehabilitation, or construction;
7-12 (9) a list of relevant contracts or other arrangements
7-13 between the applicant and public agencies that will facilitate
7-14 implementation of the project;
7-15 (10) a list of prospective donations, grants, or
7-16 in-kind contributions for the project that will supplement money
7-17 received through the grant; and
7-18 (11) a certification of the applicant's compliance
7-19 with:
7-20 (A) state and federal fair housing laws;
7-21 (B) the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C.
7-22 Section 2000a et seq.);
7-23 (C) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
7-24 (42 U.S.C. Section 12101 et seq.);
7-25 (D) the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
8-1 U.S.C. Section 701 et seq.); and
8-2 (E) the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of
8-3 1967 (29 U.S.C. Section 621 et seq.).
8-4 (d) In awarding a grant under the program, the department
8-5 shall give preference to an applicant who:
8-6 (1) has experience in providing the services proposed
8-7 to be provided under the project; and
8-8 (2) can document the existence of matching
8-9 contributions from other sources and support from local
8-10 organizations, community leaders, and elected officials.
8-11 Sec. 2306.631. OTHER FUNDING SOURCES REQUIRED. The
8-12 department may not provide more than 75 percent of the money
8-13 budgeted for a project.
8-14 Sec. 2306.632. LIMIT ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE. Not more
8-15 than 15 percent of the money awarded under the program for a
8-16 project may be used for administrative costs associated with the
8-17 project.
8-18 Sec. 2306.633. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The director shall report
8-19 to the governor and the legislature at the end of each fiscal year
8-20 on the status of the program.
8-21 (b) The annual report must include for that fiscal year:
8-22 (1) the number of grants awarded;
8-23 (2) the total amount of grants awarded;
8-24 (3) the geographical distribution of grants awarded;
8-25 (4) the number of youth and other persons
9-1 participating in projects funded by grants;
9-2 (5) the number of youth and other persons who secured
9-3 permanent jobs at the conclusion of participation in projects
9-4 funded by grants; and
9-5 (6) the number of housing units constructed or
9-6 rehabilitated through projects funded by grants.
9-7 SECTION 2. If, before implementing any provision of this
9-8 Act, a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from
9-9 a federal agency is necessary for implementation, the state agency
9-10 shall request the waiver or authorization and may delay
9-11 implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is
9-12 granted.
9-13 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
9-14 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
9-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
9-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
9-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
9-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.