BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 947

By: Zaffirini

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties report that encouraging institutions of higher education to collaborate with businesses to provide career relevant work-study placements is a stated priority of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. According to the parties, many businesses in Texas have expressed an increasing need for talent that has specific experience in their industry, rather than talent that only relies on a college education. Currently, the parties note, all work-study placements funded through the Texas college work-study program are on-campus positions, despite a need to give these students work-study experience in off-campus businesses. S.B. 947 seeks to further investigate this need by means of a feasibility study and report.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 947 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct a one-time study to examine the feasibility of providing employment positions located off-campus through the Texas college work-study program. The bill requires the study to identify best practices for developing partnerships with employers to provide off-campus employment positions through the work-study program, to identify any careers or industries that are well-suited for providing off-campus employment positions through the work-study program, to identify current barriers that public junior colleges face in developing partnerships with employers to provide off-campus employment positions through the work-study program, and to identify any public junior colleges that demonstrate strong potential for successful participation in a pilot program to develop partnerships with employers to provide off-campus employment positions through the work-study program.

S.B. 947 requires the coordinating board to submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over higher education a report on the results of the study and any recommendations for legislative or other action, not later than December 1, 2016. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2017.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.