BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 4361
87R6158 KJE-D	By: Raney; Parker (Bettencourt)
	Higher Education
	5/20/2021
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

As the ninth largest economy among the nations of the world and home to 50 Fortune 500 headquarters, Texas offers a business-friendly climate. Texas offers companies of all sizes and across all industries one of the best business climates in the nation, with a fair, transparent tax and regulatory structure designed for businesses to succeed.

The influx of new businesses moving here has been great for Texas and the jobs created have boosted the economy.

Texas needs to ensure these corporations are able to hire their workforce from the Texas population. In order to do this, the potential workforce needs to be properly educated and trained. H.B. 4361 will allow for employer-driven workforce training. Employers will be able to issue a request for proposal to any higher education institution, community college, or public technical college to offer off-campus workforce education if the institution in the service district area where the employer is located does not formalize an agreement meeting the employer or consortium of employers' specifications and timeframe within a period of six weeks of the employer's initial contact with the institution.�

H.B. 4361 amends current law relating to off-campus workforce education or lower-division programs offered by a public institution of higher education at the request of an employer.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, by adding Section 51.981, as follows:

Sec. 51.981. OFF-CAMPUS WORKFORCE EDUCATION OR LOWER-DIVISION PROGRAMS REQUESTED BY EMPLOYERS. Authorizes an institution of higher education to enter into an agreement with an employer to provide a credit or noncredit off-campus workforce education or lower-division program to the institution's students at a site requested by the employer without the approval of a higher education regional council established under Subchapter N (Partnerships Between Community/Junior Colleges and Other Institutions of Higher Education), regardless of whether the site at which the program would be offered is located within the institution's uniform state service region or, if the institution is a public junior college, within the junior college district's service area, if:

(1) the employer has solicited an agreement to offer the program at that site with another institution of higher education that offers the same or substantially equivalent coursework as that requested by the employer;

(2) the proposed site for the off-campus program is located within the uniform state service region in which the institution described by Subdivision (1) is located or, if the institution is a public junior college, within the junior college district's service area; and

(3) the institution of higher education described by Subdivision (1) does not finalize an offer to enter into an agreement with the employer that meets the employer's specifications for the off-campus program within six weeks after the employer's initial written solicitation requesting the institution to offer the program.

SECTION 2. Provides that Section 51.981, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2021.