86R13046 KSD-F
 
  By: Alvarado S.B. No. 1576
 
 
 
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 481, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter EE to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER EE. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP GRANT
  PROGRAM
         Sec. 481.601.  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. 481.602.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
               (1)  "Apprenticeship program" means a training program
  that 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.
               (2)  "Person" does not include a governmental entity.
         Sec. 481.603.  PROGRAM. The office 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 office shall provide grants for persons who meet
  the requirements of Section 481.605.
         Sec. 481.604.  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 481.605.
         Sec. 481.605.  APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. To be
  eligible to receive a grant under this section, 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 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
  completion of the training period;
                     (D)  requires participants to advance their
  skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed mid-level status in the
  field related to the apprenticeship program;
                     (E)  has a duration of not less than 16 weeks and
  not more than 26 weeks; and
                     (F)  gives preference to training and hiring:
                           (i)  unemployed Texans who have filed with
  the Texas Workforce 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. 481.606.  LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNT AND USE. The
  amount of a grant awarded under this chapter may not exceed $10,000
  per apprenticeship program participant and may be used only to
  reimburse the cost of training, not including wages and benefits.
         Sec. 481.607.  REQUIREMENTS; GRANT AWARD.  (a)  The office
  shall distribute the grant funds as a reimbursement for training
  costs incurred by grant recipients in accordance with Section
  481.606.
         (b)  Before awarding a grant to a person under this section,
  the office must determine that a sufficient number of
  apprenticeship program participants have:
               (1)  completed the program and achieved the training
  requirements specified by Section 481.605(3)(D); and
               (2)  maintained available and suitable employment for a
  period of not less than six months cumulatively after completion of
  the apprenticeship program.
         (c)  The executive director by rule may develop the criteria
  for making the determinations required by Subsection (b).
         Sec. 481.608.  PROGRAM RULES. (a)  The executive director
  shall adopt rules to administer and enforce this chapter.
         (b)  The office shall post the rules on its Internet website.
         Sec. 481.609.  ANNUAL REPORT. (a)  Not later than December
  1 of each year, the office 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 Section 481.607 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 481.605(3)(F).
         (b)  The report may not include information that is made
  confidential by law.
         (c)  The office may require a grant recipient under Section
  481.607 to submit, on a form provided by the office, information
  required to complete the report.
         (d)  The office shall post the annual report on its Internet
  website.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.