88R2595 KSD-F
 
  By: Alvarado S.B. No. 592
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of the Lone Star Workforce of the Future
  Fund.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle G, Title 3, Education Code, is amended
  by adding Chapter 134A to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 134A. LONE STAR WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE FUND
         Sec. 134A.001.  DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
               (1)  "Commission" means the Texas Workforce
  Commission.
               (2)  "Public junior college" and "public technical
  institute" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
         Sec. 134A.002.  PURPOSE. The purpose of this chapter is to:
               (1)  create and sustain a utilization-driven supply of
  qualified workers for entry-level to mid-level jobs in high demand
  occupations in this state;
               (2)  address and close the gap between the skills
  needed by workers and the current skills of the available workforce
  in this state; 
               (3)  increase the interest of current and future Texans
  to fill the available and emerging jobs in this state that require
  less education than a bachelor's degree but more than a high school
  diploma; and
               (4)  strengthen the state's economy by increasing the
  competitiveness of businesses in this state and the recruitment of
  businesses to this state.
         Sec. 134A.003.  LONE STAR WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE FUND. (a)
  The commission shall establish and administer the Lone Star
  Workforce of the Future Fund as a dedicated account in the general
  revenue fund.
         (b)  The following amounts shall be deposited in the fund:
               (1)  any money appropriated by the legislature for the
  fund for purposes of this chapter;
               (2)  interest earned on the investment of money in the
  fund; and
               (3)  gifts, grants, and donations received for the
  fund.
         Sec. 134A.004.  ADVISORY BOARD.  (a)  An advisory board of
  education and workforce stakeholders is created to assist the
  commission in administering this chapter.
         (b)  The advisory board is composed of six members who serve
  two-year terms and are appointed as follows:
               (1)  one member appointed by the governor;
               (2)  one member appointed by the lieutenant governor;
               (3)  one member appointed by the speaker of the house of
  representatives;
               (4)  one member appointed by the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board;
               (5)  one member appointed by the commission; and
               (6)  the chair of the commission, who serves as the
  presiding officer.
         (c)  The advisory board shall meet at least once each
  calendar quarter, or as needed, to review grant applications and
  make recommendations on awarding grants under this chapter.
         Sec. 134A.005.  FUND USE. Money in the Lone Star Workforce
  of the Future Fund may be used by the commission only to:
               (1)  award grants as provided by this chapter; and
               (2)  conduct, with a consortium of corporate partners
  identified by the commission as having available entry-level
  workforce demand, due diligence assessment reviews of entities
  receiving grants under this chapter.
         Sec. 134A.006.  LONE STAR WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE FUND GRANT
  PROGRAM.  (a)  The commission shall establish and administer the
  Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund grant program to provide
  grants to eligible public junior colleges, public technical
  institutes, and nonprofit organizations that apply to the advisory
  board in the manner prescribed by the advisory board.  The
  commission shall award the grants on the advice and recommendations
  of the advisory board.
         (b)  Grants may be awarded under this chapter from the Lone
  Star Workforce of the Future Fund to eligible public junior
  colleges, public technical institutes, and nonprofit organizations
  with demonstrated success at delivering impactful workforce
  training that enables underserved Texans to access careers in high
  demand occupations in this state.
         Sec. 134A.007.  GRANT ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to
  receive a grant under this chapter, a public junior college, public
  technical institute, or nonprofit organization must:
               (1)  coordinate and deliver a workforce training
  program, through classroom-based or online instruction, work-based
  experiences internships, or apprenticeships, or through a
  combination of those methods, in at least one of the following high
  growth fields, which may be revised by the commission periodically
  by rule based on input from the Texas Workforce Investment Council:
                     (A)  accounting and corporate finance;
                     (B)  application development and support;
                     (C)  business fundamentals;
                     (D)  client services and sales support;
                     (E)  consumer banking;
                     (F)  customer service;
                     (G)  cybersecurity;
                     (H)  data analytics;
                     (I)  help desk/desktop support;
                     (J)  investment operations;
                     (K)  life science and bioscience development;
                     (L)  manufacturing;
                     (M)  project management support; or
                     (N)  quality assurance;
               (2)  demonstrate through third-party validated data
  successful outcomes in:
                     (A)  recruiting local unemployed and
  underemployed individuals to participate in the training program;
                     (B)  training individuals with the skills needed
  to secure full-time, family-sustaining employment in the relevant
  job field; and
                     (C)  placing individuals in employment described
  by Paragraph (B);
               (3)  demonstrate the ability to attract at least 40
  percent of the necessary funding for training program operation
  from revenue streams other than government funding, philanthropy,
  and earned revenue; and
               (4)  agree to:
                     (A)  collaborate with the commission, corporate
  partners, and nonprofit educational partners to determine the
  training programs to be provided using grant money;
                     (B)  secure support from local businesses to
  ensure alignment between training program offerings and in-demand
  skills;
                     (C)  collaborate with regional employers to make
  available developmental work-based experiences to further enhance
  training program participants' career readiness;
                     (D)  engage local entities and organizations,
  including local workforce development boards and community-based
  organizations, to assist with identifying and recruiting eligible
  training program participants; and
                     (E)  comply with any additional grant conditions
  prescribed by commission rule, including performance benchmarks
  established under Section 134A.008 and reporting requirements
  established under Section 134A.009.
         Sec. 134A.008.  PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS. The commission by
  rule shall establish performance benchmarks for entities receiving
  grants under this chapter. The benchmarks must include a
  requirement that an entity facilitate the successful transition of
  at least 50 percent of an entity's training program participants
  from low wage work or unemployment to full-time jobs offering a
  family-sustaining wage and the opportunity for career mobility, as
  determined by the commission, within four months of training
  program completion.
         Sec. 134A.009.  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The commission by
  rule shall require each entity receiving a grant under this chapter
  to submit progress reports to the commission at least twice
  annually. Each progress report must include the following
  information relating to a training program funded by the grant:
               (1)  the number of participants;
               (2)  an update on progress toward performance
  benchmarks;
               (3)  a description of any accomplishments achieved,
  lessons learned, or setbacks or risks incurred by the entity in
  administering the training program;
               (4)  an explanation of any changes to the training
  program's work plan, team, or budget; and
               (5)  the amount of grant money spent by the entity
  during the reporting period.
         Sec. 134A.010.  GRANT AMOUNT. The amount of a grant awarded
  to an entity under this chapter for a training program may not
  exceed $15,000 per training program participant.
         Sec. 134A.011.  GRANT USE. An entity may use grant money
  received under this chapter only for curriculum development,
  instructor fees and certifications, training materials, and
  work-related expenses for training program participants as
  determined by commission rule.
         Sec. 134A.012.  RULES.  The commission shall adopt rules as
  necessary to administer this chapter.
         SECTION 2.  The Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt rules
  for the administration of Chapter 134A, Education Code, as added by
  this Act, as soon as practicable following the effective date of
  this Act but not later than December 1, 2023.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.