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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 2745

By: Isett

Technology, Economic Development & Workforce

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In this time of economic uncertainty in the global marketplace, the issues of workforce training and employer selection criteria for job applicants have become important.  Our current system leaves many questions unanswered when it comes to what skills workers may or may not have that are applicable to a particular job.  Those seeking employment struggle to find jobs that match their particular skill set and to learn new skills.  Those seeking to hire struggle to identify workers that would be best suited for openings.  These struggles create uncertainty for businesses and frustration for job seekers.

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 addresses this uncertainty and frustration by creating the Texas Ready to Work Certification Program.  The bill requires the Texas Workforce Commission to establish the certification program and to include job identification, workplace skill identification, curriculum, and assessment components.  The program will benefit workers seeking to further their careers and employers seeking to gain a greater knowledge of applicants' skills.  Additionally, certification will allow participants to gain a leg-up on the competition and provide reassurance to businesses that an applicant has the needed skills to accomplish a particular job.      

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Workforce Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2745 amends the Labor Code to require the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to develop and establish the Texas Ready to Work Certification Program to provide job skills training to individuals receiving unemployment benefits and individuals identified by TWC as individuals who will soon enter the workforce.    The bill requires TWC to identify occupations appropriate for inclusion in the certification program and to develop a set of basic skills for each included occupation.  The bill requires TWC to develop or adopt an assessment methodology to determine a program participant's level of proficiency with each of the skills identified for each included occupation. The bill requires TWC to determine appropriate facilities and settings at which to conduct the assessment. The bill defines "certification program," "program participant," and "commission."

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 requires TWC to develop or adopt an instructional curriculum that targets the skills in which a program participant is not proficient, as measured by the assessment.  The bill requires TWC to provide Internet-based instruction to assist each program participant in achieving proficiency in the targeted skills.  The bill authorizes a program participant to take a post-instructional assessment after receiving the instructional program. 

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 requires TWC to provide to each program participant who successfully demonstrates proficiency in identified job skills a Texas Ready to Work certificate and a portfolio that describes in detail each of the skills in which the program participant is proficient as determined by the post-instructional assessment.  The bill requires TWC to adopt rules as necessary to administer its duties under the bill's provisions.

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 establishes that TWC is required to implement the bill's provisions only if TWC receives funds for the purpose of establishing the certification program from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; a legislative appropriation; gifts, grants, or donations; or any other lawful source.     

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 requires the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to develop and establish a certification program to provide job skills training to individuals receiving unemployment benefits and individuals identified by TWC as individuals who will soon enter the workforce, rather than to program participants as in the original.  The substitute adds a provision not in the original to define "program participant." The substitute requires TWC to develop a set of basic skills for each included occupation, rather than a set of workplace skills for each included occupation as in the original. 

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 requires TWC to develop or adopt an assessment methodology to determine a program participant's level of proficiency with each of the skills identified for each included occupation, whereas the original requires TWC to develop a preinstructional assessment to determine a student's mastery level of each of the skills.  The substitute requires TWC to determine appropriate facilities and settings at which to conduct an assessment, rather than facilities and settings at which to conduct the certification program as in the original.

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 differs from the original by requiring TWC to develop or adopt an instructional curriculum that targets the skills in which a program participant is not proficient, whereas the original requires TWC to develop an instructional program targeting those skills.  The substitute differs from the original by requiring TWC to provide Internet-based instruction to assist each program participant in achieving proficiency in the targeted skills, whereas the original requires the program to provide web-based instruction customized to meet the needs of local employers. 

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 requires TWC to provide to each program participant who successfully demonstrates proficiency in identified job skills a Texas Ready to Work certificate and a portfolio that describes in detail each of the skills in which the program participant is proficient, rather than providing each program participant with a certificate indicating successful completion of the certification program and a similar portfolio as in the original.    

 

C.S.H.B. 2745 adds a provision not in the original establishing that TWC is required to implement the bill's provisions only if TWC receives certain funds for the purpose of establishing the certification program.