SRC-JBJ H.B. 2503 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 2503 By: Homer (Lucio) Business & Commerce 5/10/2001 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Employers who use publicly funded services offered by the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards (boards) often find that the workers referred to them lack basic work skills. Boards may be able to better address this by determining the skills employers need and focus training on those skills. H.B. 2503 requires each career development center in a local workforce development area to administer a job skills assessment test to a targeted recipient of public assistance to assess the recipient's job skills before referring the recipient to an employer for an interview or job placement. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 2308G, Government Code, by adding Section 2308.3123, as follows: Sec. 2308.3123. JOB SKILLS ASSESSMENT TEST. (a) Defines "targeted recipient of public assistance." (b) Requires each career development center in a local workforce development area (center) to administer a job skills assessment test to a targeted recipient of public assistance to assess the recipient's job skills before referring the recipient to an employer for an interview or job placement. Authorizes the center to administer a job skills assessment test to another person on request. (c) Requires the local workforce development boards to ensure that any assessment tests utilized are required to be used as counseling tools. Requires the centers, because a single assessment test provides only partial information about future job performance, to also examine the profile of the targeted recipient of public assistance in determining the appropriate referral and job placement. Requires each local workforce development board to ensure that the assessment tools utilized result in no adverse impact for the individual being tested. (d) Authorizes a local workforce development board to apply for, receive, and use state and federal funds to administer job skills assessment tests through career development centers in the local workforce development area. (e) Authorizes a local workforce development board to collect data from the job skills assessment tests to determine the effectiveness of providers of workforce training and services. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001.