BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 1949
86R14517 KSD-D	By: Guillen (West)
	Natural Resources & Economic Development
	5/13/2019
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

H.B. 1949 amends the Labor Code to require the criteria prescribed by the Texas Workforce Commission for the award of incentive funds to an entity delivering adult education and literacy services based on performance during a program year to include the achievement by the entity of the following benchmarks:

� the enrollment in a high school equivalency program or a postsecondary ability to benefit program of at least 25 percent of all students receiving services from the entity during the program year; and

� the achievement by the end of the program year of a high school equivalency certificate or a postsecondary certificate by at least 70 percent of those students who exit the entity's program during that program year and who are enrolled in a high school equivalency program or a postsecondary ability to benefit program.

H.B. 1949 defines "postsecondary ability to benefit program" as a postsecondary certificate program in which a person who does not have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate and who both qualifies for federal student financial aid and demonstrates on a test that the person can pass college-level courses with some support may enroll.

H.B. 1949 amends current law relating to the criteria for awarding adult education and literacy program performance incentive funds.

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 315.007, Labor Code, by adding Subsections (c) and (d), as follows:

(c) Requires the criteria prescribed under Subsection (b)(1) (relating to requiring the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to prescribe criteria, including fiscal and programmatic performance criteria, to be used to evaluate the performance of entities providing certain adult education and literacy services) for the award of funds to entities described by Subsection (a) (relating to requiring TWC by rule to develop and establish a performance-based process for annually awarding funds to entities that deliver adult education and literacy services) based on performance during a program year to include the achievement by an entity of the following enrollment target and performance benchmarks:

(1) the enrollment in a high school equivalency program or a postsecondary ability to benefit program of at least 25 percent of all students receiving adult education and literacy services from the entity during that program year; and

(2) the achievement by the end of that program year of a high school equivalency certificate or a postsecondary certificate by at least 70 percent of those students who exit the entity's adult education program during that program year and who are enrolled in a high school equivalency program or a postsecondary ability to benefit program.

(d) Defines "postsecondary ability to benefit program" for purposes of this section (Performance Incentive Funding).

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2019. �