By:  Zaffirini                                                            S.B. No. 69



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to providing employment services to certain recipients of 
financial assistance.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Labor Code, is 
amended  by adding Section 302.0025 to read as follows:
	Sec. 302.0025.  EMPLOYMENT SERVICES REFERRAL PROGRAM. (a) 
The commission and local workforce development boards shall develop 
an employment services referral program for recipients of financial 
assistance who participate in employment programs under Chapter 31, 
Human Resources Code, and have, in comparison to other recipients, 
higher levels of barriers to employment.  The referral program must 
be designed to provide to a recipient referrals to preemployment 
and postemployment services offered by community-based 
organizations.
	(b)  In developing the referral program, the commission and 
local workforce development boards shall, to the maximum extent 
possible, use federal funds to coordinate partnerships and contract 
with community-based organizations that provide employment 
services specifically for persons with high levels of barriers to 
employment.
	SECTION 2.  Section 302.011, Labor Code, is amended to read 
as follows:      
	Sec. 302.011.  POSTEMPLOYMENT CASE MANAGEMENT AND 
MENTORING.  The commission shall encourage local workforce 
development boards to provide postemployment case management 
services for and use mentoring techniques to assist recipients of 
financial assistance who participate in employment programs under 
Chapter 31, Human Resources Code, and have, in comparison to other 
recipients, higher levels of barriers to employment.  The case 
management services and mentoring techniques must be designed to 
increase the recipient's potential for wage growth and development 
of a stable employment history.
	SECTION 3.  Not later than December 1, 2003, the Texas 
Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards shall 
develop the employment services referral program required by 
Section 302.0025, Labor Code, as added by this Act.
	SECTION 4.  If before implementing any provision of this Act 
a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a 
federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, 
the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or 
authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the 
waiver or authorization is granted.
	SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.