By Solis of Cameron                                   H.B. No. 2029
         76R2625 JSA-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to establishing a workforce coordinator for each public
 1-3     junior college and public technical institute campus.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 130.010 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 130.010.  OFFICE OF COMMUNITY WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.
 1-8     (a)  The governing board of each public junior college district
 1-9     shall designate a community workforce coordinator for the district.
1-10           (b)  The community workforce coordinator shall coordinate the
1-11     institution's programs to:
1-12                 (1)  ensure that the institution's programs and course
1-13     content remain up-to-date and provide the district's graduates with
1-14     the knowledge, skills, and credentials appropriate for the fields
1-15     and industries to which they are directed;
1-16                 (2)  develop partnerships and other cooperative efforts
1-17     with the private sector to provide training and education programs
1-18     to meet specific workforce needs; and
1-19                 (3)  ensure that new training and education programs
1-20     are developed in coordination with state and local economic
1-21     development efforts and to meet workforce needs in expanding and
1-22     emerging fields and industries.
1-23           (c)  The community workforce coordinator shall foster regular
1-24     communications between the institution and representatives of the
 2-1     private sector in the local community in carrying out the
 2-2     coordinator's duties.
 2-3           SECTION 2.  Subchapter C, Chapter 135, Education Code, is
 2-4     amended by adding Section 135.61 to read as follows:
 2-5           Sec. 135.61.  OFFICE OF COMMUNITY WORKFORCE COORDINATOR.  (a)
 2-6     The board shall designate a community workforce coordinator for
 2-7     each campus of the system.
 2-8           (b)  The community workforce coordinator shall coordinate the
 2-9     institution's programs to:
2-10                 (1)  ensure that the institution's programs and course
2-11     content remain up-to-date and provide the district's graduates with
2-12     the knowledge, skills, and credentials appropriate for the fields
2-13     and industries to which they are directed;
2-14                 (2)  develop partnerships and other cooperative efforts
2-15     with the private sector to provide training and education programs
2-16     to meet specific workforce needs; and
2-17                 (3)  ensure that new training and education programs
2-18     are developed in coordination with state and local economic
2-19     development efforts and to meet workforce needs in expanding and
2-20     emerging fields and industries.
2-21           (c)  The community workforce coordinator shall foster regular
2-22     communications between the institution and representatives of the
2-23     private sector in the local community in carrying out the
2-24     coordinator's duties.
2-25           SECTION 3.  The governing board of each public junior college
2-26     district shall designate a community workforce coordinator for the
2-27     district not later than January 1, 2000. The board of regents of
 3-1     the state technical college system shall designate a community
 3-2     workforce coordinator for each campus of the system not later than
 3-3     January 1, 2000.  If a board already employs a person to perform
 3-4     similar functions for a district or campus, the board may designate
 3-5     that person as community workforce coordinator for the district or
 3-6     campus.
 3-7           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.