By Villarreal, Naishtat H.B. No. 1243 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to monitoring by the Texas Workforce Commission of the 1-3 long-term employment history of certain former recipients of public 1-4 assistance. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Labor Code, is amended 1-7 by adding Section 302.009 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 302.009. MONITORING OF EMPLOYMENT HISTORY OF CERTAIN 1-9 FORMER RECIPIENTS OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. (a) The division shall 1-10 develop and implement a system to monitor the long-term employment 1-11 history of persons who are former recipients of assistance under: 1-12 (1) Chapter 31, Human Resources Code; and 1-13 (2) Chapter 33, Human Resources Code. 1-14 (b) In designing the system, the division shall cooperate 1-15 with the Texas Department of Human Services and the department 1-16 shall provide all information needed by the division to evaluate 1-17 results. 1-18 (c) For each former recipient of assistance, the system must 1-19 be designed to: 1-20 (1) establish a baseline earnings measure based on the 1-21 recipient's earnings on leaving the employment program; 1-22 (2) track the wage and employment outcomes of the 1-23 recipient for a period of up to but not more than three years; 1-24 (3) provide, to the extent possible, information 2-1 regarding the recipient's household composition and earnings; 2-2 (4) provide, to the extent possible, information 2-3 regarding additional training or education received by the 2-4 recipient; 2-5 (5) compute: 2-6 (A) the recipient's individual earnings as a 2-7 percentage of the federal poverty level; and 2-8 (B) if data is available, the recipient's 2-9 household earnings as a percentage of the federal poverty level; 2-10 and 2-11 (C) if data is available, the recipient's income 2-12 as a percentage of the federal poverty level adjusted for the total 2-13 value of any public assistance utilized by the recipient's 2-14 household including, but not limited to, medical assistance, food 2-15 stamps, child care, transportation assistance, the federal earned 2-16 income tax credit, and job training activities; and 2-17 (6) compare the recipient's individual earnings to a 2-18 self-sufficiency standard similar to that required under 20 C.F.R. 2-19 Section 663.230. 2-20 (d) The commission, with the assistance of the department, 2-21 shall report to the legislature not later than January 1 of each 2-22 odd-numbered year regarding the information obtained from the 2-23 system developed under Subsection (a). The report required under 2-24 this subsection may be made separately or as a part of any other 2-25 required report submitted to the legislature by the commission. 2-26 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 2-27 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 3-1 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 3-2 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 3-3 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.