BILL ANALYSIS
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Senate Research Center |
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AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The skills development fund currently may be used by public community and technical colleges, community-based organizations, and the Texas Engineering Extension Service as start-up or emergency funds for job training purposes, including developing customized training programs for businesses and trade unions and sponsoring small and medium-sized business networks and consortiums. In some cases a business works with college partners to submit proposals, develop curricula, and conduct training. The skills development fund will pay for the training, the college will administer the grant, and the business will create new jobs and improve the skills of their current workers.
Many Texans believe that money from the skills development fund is not allocated in the most effective way possible. These individuals believe it would be beneficial to award money from the fund to support courses offered for high school and junior college credit and other courses that would lead to an industry-recognized license, credential, or certificate.
H.B. 3028 amends current law relating to the use of the skills development fund and other funds available to the Texas Workforce Commission to support certain joint credit courses offered by school districts under agreements with public junior colleges.
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 303.003, Labor Code, by adding Subsection (b-2), as follows:
(b-2) Authorizes an amount of money from the skills development fund not to exceed five percent of the amount of general revenue appropriated to the skills development fund for that biennium, in addition to the purposes described by Subsections (b) (relating to authorizing the skills development fund to be used by public community and technical colleges, community-based organizations, and the Texas Engineering Extension Service as start-up or emergency funds fort certain job-training purposes) and (b-1) (relating to authorizing the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) by rule to establish and develop certain additional job incentive programs), in each state fiscal biennium, to be used as provided by this subsection. Authorizes funds available to TWC from other sources to also be used as provided by this subsection. Authorizes funds to be awarded under this subsection to a public junior college to be used under an agreement with a school district to support courses offered for joint high school and public junior college credit or offered under a college credit career or technical education program that leads to an industry-recognized license, credential, or certificate. Provides that appropriate uses of funds awarded under this subsection include purchasing or repairing necessary equipment for a course and developing a course curriculum. Requires that a course or program supported under this subsection:
(1) have the endorsement of, or a letter of support from, at least one employer in this state; and
(2) be targeted to address the needs of high-demand fields or occupations, as identified by the applicable local workforce development board.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.