|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to the creation of the Texas Industrial Workforce |
|
Apprenticeship Grant Program. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Chapter 302, Labor Code, is amended by adding |
|
Subchapter I to read as follows: |
|
SUBCHAPTER I. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP GRANT |
|
PROGRAM |
|
Sec. 302.251. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas Industrial |
|
Workforce Apprenticeship Grant Program is to address the immediate |
|
industrial workforce needs of this state resulting from the impact |
|
of Hurricane Harvey and overall workforce shortages. |
|
Sec. 302.252. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
|
(1) "Apprenticeship program" means a training program |
|
that: |
|
(A) provides on-the-job training, preparatory |
|
instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in |
|
a trade that has been recognized as an apprenticeable occupation by |
|
the Office of Apprenticeship of the United States Department of |
|
Labor; or |
|
(B) is certified as an industry-recognized |
|
apprenticeship program by a third-party certifier that has received |
|
from the United States Department of Labor a favorable |
|
determination of qualification to award that certification. |
|
(2) "Person" does not include a governmental entity. |
|
Sec. 302.253. PROGRAM. The commission shall establish and |
|
administer the Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Grant |
|
Program to encourage the private sector to develop specialized |
|
industrial workforce apprenticeship programs in this state. Under |
|
the program, the commission shall provide grants for persons who |
|
meet the requirements of Section 302.255. |
|
Sec. 302.254. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP |
|
FUND. (a) The Texas industrial workforce apprenticeship fund is a |
|
dedicated account in the general revenue fund. |
|
(b) The following amounts shall be deposited in the fund: |
|
(1) money appropriated by the legislature for the fund |
|
for purposes described by this subchapter; |
|
(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the |
|
fund; and |
|
(3) gifts, grants, and other donations received for |
|
the fund. |
|
(c) The fund may be used only for an apprenticeship program |
|
that meets the requirements of Section 302.255. |
|
Sec. 302.255. APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. To be |
|
eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter, a person must: |
|
(1) if the person is an entity, be in good standing |
|
under the laws of the state in which the person was formed or |
|
organized, as evidenced by a certificate issued by the secretary of |
|
state or the state official of another state having custody of the |
|
records pertaining to a person formed or organized under the laws of |
|
that state; |
|
(2) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this |
|
state; and |
|
(3) have in place an apprenticeship program that: |
|
(A) provides on-the-job training under an |
|
industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum; |
|
(B) guarantees employment for participants |
|
during and on successful completion of the training period; |
|
(C) pays each participant at least $15 per hour |
|
during the training period and provides eligibility for |
|
participants to receive full-time employee benefits during and on |
|
successful completion of the training period; |
|
(D) requires participants to advance their |
|
skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed, performance-verified |
|
mid-level status in the field related to the apprenticeship |
|
program; |
|
(E) has a duration of not more than 26 weeks; and |
|
(F) gives preference to training and hiring: |
|
(i) unemployed Texans who have filed with |
|
the commission; |
|
(ii) veterans of the United States armed |
|
forces; |
|
(iii) formerly incarcerated individuals; |
|
and |
|
(iv) underemployed individuals who are |
|
working without industry-recognized certifications or other |
|
credentials. |
|
Sec. 302.256. LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNT. The amount of a |
|
grant awarded under this subchapter may not exceed the lesser of |
|
$10,000 per apprenticeship program participant or the cost of |
|
training, not including wages and benefits. |
|
Sec. 302.257. REQUIREMENTS; GRANT AWARD. (a) The |
|
commission shall distribute the grant funds on an individualized |
|
basis as a reimbursement for training costs incurred by grant |
|
recipients in accordance with Section 302.256. |
|
(b) Before awarding a grant to a person under this |
|
subchapter, the commission must determine that a sufficient number |
|
of apprenticeship program participants have: |
|
(1) completed the program and achieved the training |
|
requirements specified by Section 302.255(3)(D); and |
|
(2) maintained available and suitable employment for a |
|
period of not less than six months. |
|
(c) The commission by rule may develop the criteria for |
|
making the determinations required by Subsection (b). |
|
Sec. 302.258. PROGRAM RULES. (a) The commission shall |
|
adopt rules to administer and enforce this subchapter. |
|
(b) The commission shall post the rules on its Internet |
|
website. |
|
Sec. 302.259. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) Not later than December |
|
1 of each year, the commission shall submit to the lieutenant |
|
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the |
|
members of the legislature a report on grants made under this |
|
subchapter that states: |
|
(1) the number of direct jobs each grant recipient |
|
created in this state in each job category of the federal Equal |
|
Employment Opportunity Commission's job classification guide; |
|
(2) the median wage of the jobs each grant recipient |
|
created in this state; |
|
(3) the total amount of each grant awarded to a grant |
|
recipient; and |
|
(4) the number and categorization of apprenticeship |
|
program participants trained and employed by each grant recipient |
|
under Section 302.255(3)(F). |
|
(b) The report may not include information that is made |
|
confidential by law. |
|
(c) The commission may require a grant recipient under this |
|
subchapter to submit, on a form provided by the commission, |
|
information required to complete the report. |
|
(d) The commission shall post the annual report on its |
|
Internet website. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |