BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 508
86R3477 KJE-D	By: Miles
	Education
	4/18/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Texas needs more skilled workers to meet the demand of a growing economy. Paid internships are good for students and beneficial to Texas by creating an experienced work force. Incentive programs like the one created in S.B. 508 will encourage private companies to hire interns so students receive the necessary experience in the workforce.

S.B. 508 creates an online education and career advising tool as well as a paid internship program for Texas students. The paid internship program will include grants that reimburse private employers for the internships they provide career and technology education students, but only up to $2500 per student. The internship program encourages skills development in an occupational skills training program while also receiving course credit.

The online education and career advising tool provides information regarding a student's postsecondary and career options catered to each student's community, endorsement, and credit accumulated throughout high school. The tool, overall, will assist children in making informed decisions on their postsecondary plans.

Support for this bill may come from schools with CTE programs along with private companies interested in the grant as well as students. There is no known opposition at the time.

As proposed, S.B. 508 amends current law relating to the development of a statewide online education and career advising tool and the establishment of a grant program to reimburse private employers for paid internships provided to certain public school students in career and technology education programs.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 2 (Section 29.194, Education Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, by adding Section 28.0092, as follows:

Sec. 28.0092. ONLINE EDUCATION AND CAREER ADVISING TOOL. (a) Defines "institution of higher learning."

(b) Requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA), subject to the availability of federal funding for this purpose, to develop and implement a statewide online education and career advising tool to assist children in making informed, meaningful, and attainable postsecondary and career plans.

(1) an individualized career pathway generator that assists a child in selecting a career and identifying the secondary and postsecondary courses the child should take to advance toward that career; and

(2) certain information regarding education and career options.

(d) Requires TEA, in developing and implementing the online education and career advising tool, to consult with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Requires THECB and TWC, on request by TEA, to provide TEA with any data maintained by THEBC or TWC that is necessary to develop the tool.

SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter F, Chapter 29, Education Code, by adding Section 29.194, as follows:

Sec. 29.194. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PAID INTERNSHIPS. (a) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner) to establish a competitive grant program under which grants are awarded to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools� for the reimbursement or private entities for all or part of the cost of providing a paid internship or similar program to a student participating in a career and technology education program in the district or school, in order to encourage private entities to participate in providing career and technology education to assist public school students in developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a broad range of career opportunities.

(b) Requires the commissioner, in awarding grants under this section, to give preference to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that, as determined by the commissioner, have a high percentage or students who fail to perform satisfactorily on relevant state assessments and that serve economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

(c) Requires a paid internship or similar program, to be eligible to receive reimbursement under the grant program, to satisfy a curriculum requirement for an endorsement adopted by rule under Section 28.025(c-1) (relating to a student earning an endorsement on their transcript), or qualify as a dual credit course and pay the student at least minimum wage required by law.

(d) Prohibits the total amount of grants awarded under this section from exceeding $5 million in a state fiscal biennium. Prohibits a grant awarded to a school district or open-enrollment charter school from exceeding the lesser of $1 million or an amount determined by the commissioner not to exceed $2,500 for each participating student enrolled in the district or school in the school year in which the grant is awarded.

(e) Authorizes a grant awarded to a school district or open-enrollment charter school only to be used to reimburse a private entity for all or part of the cost of providing an eligible paid internship or similar program to a student participating in a career and technology education program in the district or school. Prohibits a private entity from receiving reimbursement under this section for providing a paid internship or similar program to a student who is related to the owner of the entity within the third degree of consanguinity as determined under Subchapter B (Relationships by Consanguinity), Chapter 573, Government Code.

(f) Requires the commissioner, not later than December 1 of each even‑numbered year, in cooperation with TWC, to submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the legislature a report on the effectiveness of the grant program in creating jobs. Requires the report, to the extent available, to include certain information.

(g) Requires the commissioner, in consultation with TWC, to adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.

SECTION 3. Amends Section 42.005, Education Code, by adding Subsection (g-2), as follows:

(g-2) Requires the time during which a student participates in a paid internship or similar program that is funded in whole or in part through a grant awarded under the grant program established by Section 29.194 to be counted as part of the minimum number of instructional hours required for a student to be considered a full-time student in average daily attendance for purposes of this section.

SECTION 4. Provides that Section 29.194, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with the 2019�2020 school year.

SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.