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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the administration by the Texas Workforce Commission of |
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a workforce diploma pilot program. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by |
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adding Chapter 317 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 317. WORKFORCE DIPLOMA PILOT PROGRAM |
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Sec. 317.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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(1) "Adult" means any individual who is over the age of |
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compulsory school attendance prescribed by Section 25.085, |
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Education Code. |
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(2) "Program" means the workforce diploma pilot |
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program established under this chapter. |
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Sec. 317.002. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION; |
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PURPOSE. The commission, in consultation with the Texas Education |
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Agency, shall establish and administer a workforce diploma pilot |
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program under which eligible high school diploma-granting entities |
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participating in the program may be reimbursed for successfully |
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assisting adult students to obtain a high school diploma and |
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develop technical career readiness skills and employability. |
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Sec. 317.003. REQUEST FOR PROGRAM PROVIDER |
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QUALIFICATIONS. Not later than October 15 of each year, the |
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commission shall publish a request for qualifications for providers |
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to participate in the program. |
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Sec. 317.004. PROVIDER ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to |
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participate as a provider under the program, a provider must: |
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(1) apply to the commission in the manner prescribed |
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by commission rule; |
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(2) be a public, nonprofit, or private high school |
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diploma-granting entity accredited by a regional accrediting body; |
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(3) have at least two years of experience providing |
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dropout reengagement services to adult students, including |
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recruitment, learning plan development, and proactive coaching and |
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mentoring, leading to the obtainment of a high school diploma; |
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(4) be equipped to: |
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(A) provide: |
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(i) academic skill intake assessment and |
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transcript evaluations; |
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(ii) remediation coursework in literacy and |
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numeracy; |
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(iii) a research-validated academic |
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resiliency assessment and intervention; |
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(iv) employability skills development |
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aligned to employer needs; |
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(v) career pathways coursework; |
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(vi) preparation for the attainment of |
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industry-recognized credentials; and |
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(vii) career placement services; and |
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(B) develop a learning plan that integrates |
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academic requirements and career goals; and |
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(5) offer a course catalog that includes all courses |
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necessary to meet high school graduation requirements in this |
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state. |
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Sec. 317.005. PROVIDER APPROVAL; LIST OF APPROVED |
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PROVIDERS. (a) Not later than November 15 of each year, the |
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commission shall publish a list of providers approved by the |
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commission to participate in the program during the next calendar |
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year. |
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(b) An approved provider maintains approval to participate |
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in the program during a subsequent calendar year without reapplying |
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to the commission unless the provider is removed from the approved |
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provider list as provided by Section 317.008. |
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Sec. 317.006. REIMBURSEMENT OF PROGRAM PROVIDERS FOR |
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STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. (a) To the extent money is available for that |
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purpose, the commission shall reimburse each approved provider |
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participating in the program for the achievement of the following |
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milestones by students receiving services from the provider: |
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(1) $250 for the completion of a half credit; |
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(2) $250 for the completion of an employability skills |
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certification program equal to at least one Carnegie unit or the |
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equivalent; |
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(3) $250 for the attainment of an industry-recognized |
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credential requiring not more than 50 hours of training; |
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(4) $500 for the attainment of an industry-recognized |
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credential requiring at least 50 but not more than 100 hours of |
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training; |
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(5) $750 for the attainment of an industry-recognized |
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credential requiring more than 100 hours of training; and |
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(6) $1,000 for the obtainment of a high school |
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diploma. |
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(b) Not later than the 10th calendar day of each month, an |
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approved provider participating in the program shall submit to the |
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commission an invoice for the milestones achieved by the provider's |
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students during the previous calendar month. |
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(c) The commission shall reimburse approved program |
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providers in the order in which invoices are received by the |
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commission until all funds available for the program are exhausted. |
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Sec. 317.007. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than January 15 of |
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each year, each approved provider that participated in the program |
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during the previous calendar year shall report to the commission |
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the following data regarding the provider's students for that year: |
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(1) the number of students for which the provider |
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received reimbursement under the program; |
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(2) the total number of credits earned by the |
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students; |
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(3) the total number of employability skills |
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certification programs completed by the students; |
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(4) the total number of industry-recognized |
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credentials attained by the students in each of the funding tiers |
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described by Sections 317.006(a)(3), (4), and (5); and |
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(5) the number of students who obtained a high school |
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diploma. |
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Sec. 317.008. PROVIDER PERFORMANCE REVIEW. (a) The |
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commission by rule shall prescribe minimum performance standards |
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for providers participating in the program. The minimum |
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performance standards must include: |
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(1) a graduation rate of at least 50 percent; and |
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(2) a program cost per graduate of $7,000 or less. |
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(b) For purposes of Subsections (a)(1) and (2), the |
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commission by rule shall develop formulas to make the appropriate |
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calculations. The graduation rate must be calculated one cohort |
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year in arrears. |
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(c) The commission shall review data from each |
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participating approved provider annually to ensure that the |
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services offered by the provider are meeting the minimum |
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performance standards. If the commission determines that an |
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approved provider did not meet the minimum performance standards in |
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the previous calendar year, the commission shall place the provider |
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on probationary status for the remainder of the current calendar |
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year. |
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(d) The commission shall remove from the approved provider |
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list published under Section 317.005 any provider that does not |
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meet the minimum performance standards for two consecutive calendar |
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years. |
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Sec. 317.009. REPORT. Not later than December 1 of each |
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even-numbered year, the commission shall submit to the legislature |
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a report on the effectiveness of the program. The commission shall |
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include in the report a recommendation regarding whether the |
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program should be continued, expanded, or terminated. |
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Sec. 317.010. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September |
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1, 2025. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |