SRC-TBR S.B. 429 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 429
77R2062 JMM-DBy: Lucio
Business & Commerce
3/12/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, only three of the five Texas Workforce and Economic
Competitiveness (TCWEC) council agencies are funding TCWEC activities,
although state law requires that all five proportionally fund them.  As
proposed, S.B. 429 authorizes the establishment of a proportional funding
formula to enable an equitable funding by the five council agencies;
establishes two performance measures as part of the state's
performance-based budgeting and accountability system for agencies with
work force programs; and provides for the dissemination of workforce
development system information over the Internet. 

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 Section 2308.065(b), Government Code, to require the
Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness (council), with the
governor's approval, to establish a funding formula to determine the level
of support each agency must provide in participating in the workforce
development system. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 2308.101, Government Code, as follows:

(b)  Requires the council to provide the information required to be
reported under Subsections (a)(13) and (14) and Section 2308.104(a) to the
Texas Workforce Commission (commission). Requires the commission to include
information provided under this subsection that relates to the
administration and operation of the state's workforce development system
with other information the commission provides to the public on the
Internet.  Deletes language regarding the Job Training Partnership Act (29
U.S.C. Section 1501 et seq.). 

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 2308.104, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 2308.104.  New heading: STRATEGIC PLANNING.  Requires the council to
develop and recommend to the governor and report to the legislature
strategic plans as provided by this section, rather than a single plan,
that establish the framework for the budgeting and operation of the
workforce development system.  Makes conforming change. 

(b)  Requires the council to engage in strategic planning by developing two
types of performance measures as described by Subsections (c) and (d). 

(c)  Provides the first performance measure consists of formal measures,
reviewed and approved by the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), that require
all state agencies that administer workforce programs to report annually as
part of each agency's performance budget and accounting system.  Prohibits
the measures adopted under this subsection from including more than five
individual measures selected by the council, in  consultation with each
agency required to report under this subsection, and approved by the
governor. 

(d)  Provides the second performance measure consists of less formal
performance measures, developed with technical support from the LBB to
ensure that the measures and reporting criteria are consistent with the
state's performance budget and accounting system.  Requires the measures
under this subsection to be adopted to apply individually to each agency
that administers a workforce program with no single measure intended to
apply to all of the agencies.  Requires the measures under this subsection
to be developed by the council, in consultation with each agency required
to report under this subsection, and approved by the governor. 

  (e)  Makes a conforming change.

(f)  Requires the council to include in the council's strategic plans,
rather than plan, goals, objectives, and performance measures for the
workforce system that involve programs of all state agencies that
administer workforce programs.  Deletes language regarding the council. 

  (g)  Makes conforming changes.

SECTION 4.  Amends Section 2308.151, Government Code, by adding Subsection
(c) as follows: 

(c)  Requires the council, with the approval of the governor, to establish
a funding formula to determine the level of support each agency
administering a workforce program must provide to operate the automated
follow-up and evaluation system required by this section. 

SECTION 5.  Effective date:September 1, 2001.
Requires the council and the LBB to complete the development, review, and
approval, as appropriate, of the performance measures required by Section
2308.104, Government Code, as amended by this Act, on or before September
1, 2002.