BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4176

By: Guillen

International Relations & Economic Development

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been reported that there is a need to establish performance benchmarks for entities that receive funds to provide certain adult education and literacy programs to ensure they achieve state adult education goals. C.S.H.B. 4176 seeks to address this issue by requiring the Texas Workforce Commission to set those benchmarks and prioritize awarding funds to entities that meet those benchmarks.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Workforce Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4176 amends the Labor Code to require the Texas Workforce Commission, to the extent permitted under federal law, by rule to establish the following:

·       annual performance requirements that each entity that receives money appropriated under statutory provisions relating to adult education and literacy program must satisfy to qualify for a continuing award of those funds; and

·       a process for giving priority in awarding funds to entities that consistently satisfy the established performance requirements.

The bill requires those requirements to include the achievement of enrollment targets and performance benchmarks that are comparable to those provided by statutory provisions relating to performance incentive funding.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4176 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a provision not in the original requiring the Texas Workforce Commission to establish by rule a process for giving priority in awarding funds to entities that consistently satisfy the established performance requirements.