BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1595
88R7652 KSD-F	By: Hancock
	Natural Resources & Economic Development
	4/17/2023
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Lacking a high school diploma can create a significant barrier to full-time employment. In 2019, the Texas Legislature established a pilot program to create an adult workforce diploma program at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). This program allows for eligible high school diploma-granting entities to be reimbursed for helping adult students obtain high school diplomas and industry-recognized credentials. These eligible providers are public, nonprofit, or private entities that are either authorized under the Texas Education Code to grant a high school diploma or are accredited by a regional accrediting body.

S.B. 1595 amends current law relating to the TWC Diploma Program to allow an entity to be eligible to be a provider in the program if it is partnering with an entity authorized to grant a high school diploma or an entity accredited by a regional accrediting body. Additionally, S.B. 1595 extends the expiration date of the program to September 1, 2027.

As proposed, S.B. 1595 amends current law relating to the workforce diploma pilot program.

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 Sections 317.004 and 317.010, Labor Code, as follows:

Sec. 317.004.  PROVIDER ELIGIBILITY. Requires a provider, to be eligible to participate as a provider under the workforce diploma pilot program (program), to:

(1) makes no changes to this subdivision;

(2) be a public, nonprofit, or private entity that:

(A) is:

(i) authorized under the Education Code or other state law to grant a high school diploma; or

(ii) working in partnership with an entity described by Subparagraph (i); or

(B)  makes a nonsubstantive change to this paragraph;

(3)-(5) makes no changes to these subdivisions.

Sec. 317.010.  EXPIRATION.� Provides that Chapter 317 (Workforce Diploma Pilot Program) expires September 1, 2027, rather than 2025.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2023.