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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Structural change in an increasingly global economy |
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has contributed to high unemployment and a decline in wages for |
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those without college degrees; and |
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WHEREAS, By 2011, a quarter of all young high school |
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graduates were unemployed and more than half were underemployed; |
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wages for those with only a high school diploma have fallen by 12 |
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percent over the past decade to under $20,000 a year, below the |
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poverty threshold for a family of four; and |
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WHEREAS, While the job market has shrunk dramatically for |
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those with no education beyond high school, and college is out of |
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reach or inappropriate for many individuals, the workforce has |
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great demand in "middle jobs" that require no bachelor's degree but |
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necessitate education and training beyond high school, commonly |
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referred to as career and technical education or CTE; and |
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WHEREAS, A recent Georgetown University study found there are |
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at least 29 million middle jobs in such areas as nursing, sales, and |
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the trades, representing one in every five jobs and nearly half of |
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all middle-class jobs; the average annual wage for these positions |
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is $42,000, and more than 11 million of these jobs pay well above |
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$50,000 a year, including over four million that pay $75,000 or |
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more; and |
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WHEREAS, The share of high school students concentrating in |
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vocational studies has declined for decades, but the modern |
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equivalent of vocational programming, CTE, can provide career |
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exploration and curricula that align with postsecondary programs |
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and employer-based training; moreover, CTE encourages persistence |
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to high school graduation along with academic development and |
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stronger transitions to postsecondary education; at the |
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postsecondary level, CTE often results in an industry-based |
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certification, a postsecondary certificate, or an associate's |
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degree in a particular career or educational pathway; and |
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WHEREAS, Nearly two out of every three jobs will require some |
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postsecondary education and training by 2020, but the United States |
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currently lags behind other countries in linking postsecondary |
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education with the needs of the labor market; in order for Texas to |
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remedy this gap in the educational system, it is necessary to |
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explore such topics as curriculum requirements, opportunities for |
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new education-workforce partnerships, and the impact of emerging |
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industrial sectors; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house |
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of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study |
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education policy as it relates to developing a skilled workforce; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim |
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committees as the 83rd Legislature may adopt. |