H.B. No. 120
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to college, career, and military readiness in public
  schools, including career and technology education programs, the
  Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program, and the Rural
  Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program, funding for those
  programs under the Foundation School Program, and workforce
  reporting to support those programs, to the public school
  accountability system, and to the new instructional facility
  allotment and the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation
  School Program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 4.002, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 4.002.  PUBLIC EDUCATION ACADEMIC GOALS.  To serve as a
  foundation for a well-balanced and appropriate education:
               GOAL 1:  The students in the public education system
  will demonstrate exemplary performance in the reading and writing
  of the English language.
               GOAL 2:  The students in the public education system
  will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of
  mathematics.
               GOAL 3:  The students in the public education system
  will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of
  science.
               GOAL 4:  The students in the public education system
  will demonstrate exemplary performance in the understanding of
  social studies.
               GOAL 5: The students who graduate high school in the
  public education system will have the skills and credentials
  necessary to immediately enter this state's workforce.
               GOAL 6: The students who graduate high school in the
  public education system and who elect to pursue postsecondary
  education will be ready for postsecondary coursework without the
  need for remediation.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 7, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Sections 7.0405 and 7.043 to read as follows:
         Sec. 7.0405.  POSTING OF POSTSECONDARY OUTCOMES. (a)
  Subject to Subsection (b), the agency shall post on the agency's
  Internet website the following de-identified data, disaggregated
  by school district or open-enrollment charter school, high school
  campus, and annual cohort for the 10 most recent annual cohorts:
               (1)  for students who graduate from high school:
                     (A)  the number and percentage of students who
  enroll in, enroll in remedial postsecondary coursework as part of,
  persist for at least one year in, or complete a postsecondary
  degree, certificate, or other credentialing program, disaggregated
  by program and postsecondary educational institution; and
                     (B)  employment status, occupation, industry,
  wage, and county of employment and residence, as reported under
  Section 204.0025, Labor Code; and
               (2)  for students who did not graduate from high
  school:
                     (A)  the highest grade level completed;
                     (B)  for each cohort for which data is available,
  employment status, occupation, industry, wage, and county of
  employment and residence, as reported under Section 204.0025, Labor
  Code; and
                     (C)  whether the student has earned a high school
  equivalency certificate.
         (a-1)  The agency is required to provide data regarding
  students who graduate from high school and enroll in remedial
  postsecondary coursework as part of a postsecondary degree,
  certificate, or other credentialing program under Subsection
  (a)(1)(A) only to the extent that data is available.
         (b)  The agency shall post the data required under Subsection
  (a) in a manner that complies with the Family Educational Rights and
  Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g) and may, if necessary
  to comply with that act, create a private portal for school district
  board of trustees or open-enrollment charter school governing body
  members, school administrators, and school counselors at a high
  school to access data for the member's, administrator's, or
  counselor's school district or open-enrollment charter school.
         (c)  The agency shall ensure the data posted under Subsection
  (a) is made available to:
               (1)  school district board of trustees and
  open-enrollment charter school governing body members and
  superintendents to assist in adopting college, career, and military
  readiness plans under Section 11.186; and
               (2)  school counselors at a high school to assist the
  counselors in performing the duties under Section 33.007.
         Sec. 7.043.  STATEWIDE GOAL FOR CAREER READINESS. (a) Using
  the data posted under Section 7.0405(a), the agency shall create a
  quantifiable statewide goal for public school students to achieve
  career readiness, including by attaining a workforce-aligned
  credential while in high school.
         (b)  The agency shall update the goal created under
  Subsection (a) at least once every five years.
         SECTION 3.  Section 11.186, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (d), (e),
  and (f) to read as follows:
         (b)  Each plan adopted under Subsection (a) must:
               (1)  identify annual goals for students in each group
  evaluated under the closing the gaps domain under Section
  39.053(c)(3);
               (2)  include an annual goal [goals] for aggregate
  student growth on each college, career, and military readiness
  indicator [indicators] evaluated under the student achievement
  domain under Section 39.053(c)(1);
               (3)  include specific annual goals for student
  completion while enrolled in high school of postsecondary
  credentials, including industry-based credentials, level one or
  level two certificates, and associate degrees, prioritizing
  credentials identified in the long-range master plan for higher
  education established under Section 61.051 and the performance tier
  funding for public junior colleges for credentials of value under
  Section 130A.101;
               (4)  include annual goals for the outcomes of the
  district's annual graduates at one, three, and five years after
  graduation from high school, including goals for:
                     (A)  the rate of enrollment at a postsecondary
  educational institution;
                     (B)  the percentage of graduates who enroll at a
  postsecondary educational institution and do not require remedial
  postsecondary coursework;
                     (C)  the rate of persistence at a postsecondary
  educational institution in each of the first two years of
  enrollment;
                     (D)  the rate of completion of a postsecondary
  degree, certificate, or other credentialing program; and
                     (E)  wages earned;
               (5)  assign at least one district-level administrator
  or employee of the regional education service center for the
  district's region to:
                     (A)  coordinate implementation of the plan; and
                     (B)  submit an annual report to the board of
  trustees, the agency, and the Legislative Budget Board on the
  district's performance and progress toward the goals set under the
  plan; and
               (6) [(4)]  be reviewed and approved by majority vote
  annually by the board of trustees at a public meeting.
         (c)  In identifying and including goals in each plan adopted
  under Subsection (a) as provided by Subsection (b), the board of
  trustees shall use longitudinal student outcomes data posted under
  Section 7.0405(a) and any other resources available to the board.
         (d)  A school district shall post the annual report described
  by Subsection (b)(5)(B) [(b)(3)(B)] on the district's Internet
  website and on the Internet website, if any, of each campus in the
  district not later than two weeks before the date of the public
  meeting at which the report is reviewed and approved as required by
  Subsection (b)(6).  The district shall update the annual report on
  each Internet website if any modifications are made to the report by
  the board of trustees.
         (e)  The commissioner by rule shall establish a deadline for
  the submission of the annual reports described by Subsection
  (b)(5)(B). The agency shall compile and make publicly accessible on
  the agency's Internet website the annual reports.
         (f)  The agency may evaluate the goals identified or included
  in an annual report described by Subsection (b)(5)(B) to determine
  whether those goals align with state secondary, postsecondary, and
  workforce goals.
         SECTION 4.  Section 28.0095, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:
         (c-1)  Notwithstanding Subsection (c)(1)(A), a student
  otherwise described by Subsection (c) is eligible to enroll at no
  cost in a dual credit course under the program if the student has
  graduated from high school but is:
               (1)  enrolled in a school district or open-enrollment
  charter school at a campus designated as a P-TECH school under
  Section 29.556 or in a school district participating in a
  partnership under Section 29.912; and
               (2)  completing a course of study offered through an
  articulation agreement or memorandum of understanding with an
  institution of higher education and the district or school
  described by Subdivision (1), as applicable, under the Pathways in
  Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program under
  Subchapter N, Chapter 29, or the Rural Pathway Excellence
  Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section 29.912.
         SECTION 5.  Section 29.182(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  The state plan must include procedures designed to
  ensure that:
               (1)  all secondary and postsecondary students have the
  opportunity to participate in career and technology education
  programs;
               (2)  the state complies with requirements for
  supplemental federal career and technology education funding;
               (3)  career and technology education is established as
  a part of the total education system of this state and constitutes
  an option for student learning that provides a rigorous course of
  study consistent with the required curriculum under Section 28.002
  and under which a student may receive specific education in a career
  and technology program that:
                     (A)  incorporates competencies leading to
  academic and technical skill attainment;
                     (B)  leads to:
                           (i)  an industry-recognized license,
  credential, or certificate; or
                           (ii)  at the postsecondary level, an
  associate or baccalaureate degree;
                     (C)  includes opportunities for students to earn
  college credit for coursework; and
                     (D)  includes, as an integral part of the program,
  participation by students and teachers in activities of career and
  technical student organizations supported by the agency and the
  State Board of Education; [and]
               (4)  a school district provides, to the greatest extent
  possible, to a student participating in a career and technology
  education program opportunities to enroll in dual credit courses
  designed to lead to a degree, license, or certification as part of
  the program; and
               (5)  a course of study offered under a Junior Reserve
  Officers' Training Corps program established under 10 U.S.C.
  Section 2031 is considered a career and technology education
  program.
         SECTION 6.  Sections 29.190(a-1), (b), and (c), Education
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a-1)  A student may not receive more than two subsidies [one
  subsidy] under this section.
         (b)  A teacher is entitled to a subsidy under this section if
  the teacher passes a certification examination related to career
  and technology education [cybersecurity].
         (c)  On approval by the commissioner, the agency shall pay
  each school district an amount equal to the cost paid by the
  district for a certification examination under this section,
  including any costs paid for associated fingerprinting or criminal
  history record information review.  To obtain reimbursement for a
  subsidy paid under this section, a district must:
               (1)  pay the costs described by this subsection [fee
  for the examination]; and
               (2)  submit to the commissioner a written application
  on a form prescribed by the commissioner stating the amount of the
  costs [fee] paid under Subdivision (1) [for the certification
  examination].
         SECTION 7.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 29.9017 to read as follows:
         Sec. 29.9017.  NOTICE REGARDING MILITARY-RELATED TRAINING
  PROGRAMS. (a) As part of the high school registration process and
  annually, a school district or open-enrollment charter school shall
  notify the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in a Junior
  Reserve Officers' Training Corps program established under 10
  U.S.C. Section 2031 regarding any early registration or scholarship
  program available to students in military-related training
  programs.
         (b)  The notice required under Subsection (a) must provide
  the student's parent or guardian with the option to share the
  student's data with one or more public institutions of higher
  education for the purpose of learning about any opportunity to
  participate in an early registration or scholarship program
  described by Subsection (a), including:
               (1)  the student's directory contact information;
               (2)  the student's education records; or
               (3)  any other information prescribed by the agency, in
  coordination with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board,
  that would allow the student to learn about an opportunity to
  participate in military-related training programs at public
  institutions of higher education, including financial aid or
  scholarship programs.
         SECTION 8.  Section 29.912, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsection (j) to read as
  follows:
         (c-1)  A school district that has participated in the program
  may continue to participate in the program regardless of the number
  of students in average daily attendance in the district for the
  current school year.
         (j)  The commissioner shall make grants available for use by
  a coordinating entity for a two-year period to assist with costs
  associated with the planning, development, establishment, or
  expansion, as applicable, of partnerships under the program using
  [a portion of state funds allocated under Section 48.118 as well as]
  money appropriated for that purpose, federal funds, and any other
  funds available.  The commissioner may award a grant only to a
  coordinating entity that has entered into a performance agreement
  approved under Subsection (i) or, if in the planning stage, has
  entered into a memorandum of understanding to enter into a
  performance agreement, unless the source of funds does not permit a
  grant to the coordinating entity, in which case the grant shall be
  made to a participating school district acting as fiscal agent.
  Eligible use of grant funds shall include planning, development,
  establishment, or expansion of partnerships under the program.  The
  commissioner may use not more than 15 percent of the money allocated
  for the grants to cover the cost of administering grants awarded
  under the program and to provide technical assistance and support
  to partnerships under the program.  The total amount of grants
  awarded under this subsection for a school year may not exceed $5
  million.
         SECTION 9.  Section 33.007, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  During the first school year a student is enrolled in a
  high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment
  charter school, and again during each year of a student's
  enrollment in high school or at the high school level, a school
  counselor shall provide information about postsecondary education
  to the student and the student's parent or guardian.  The
  information must include information regarding:
               (1)  the importance of postsecondary education,
  including:
                     (A)  career readiness and workforce training
  opportunities; and
                     (B)  a link to the My Texas Future Internet
  website and information regarding how to create a profile on that
  website;
               (2)  the advantages of earning an endorsement and a
  performance acknowledgment and completing the distinguished level
  of achievement under the foundation high school program under
  Section 28.025;
               (3)  the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for
  a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of
  taking courses leading to a high school diploma;
               (4)  financial aid eligibility;
               (5)  instruction on how to apply for federal financial
  aid;
               (6)  the center for financial aid information
  established under Section 61.0776;
               (7)  the automatic admission of certain students to
  general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section
  51.803;
               (8)  the eligibility and academic performance
  requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M,
  Chapter 56;
               (9)  the availability of programs in the district under
  which a student may earn college credit, including advanced
  placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and
  college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs;
               (10)  the availability of education and training
  vouchers and tuition and fee waivers to attend an institution of
  higher education as provided by Section 54.366 for a student who is
  or was previously in the conservatorship of the Department of
  Family and Protective Services; [and]
               (11)  the availability of college credit awarded by
  institutions of higher education to veterans and military
  servicemembers for military experience, education, and training
  obtained during military service as described by the informational
  materials developed under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code;
               (12)  opportunities to complete career training and
  obtain a postsecondary credential while enrolled in high school,
  whether at the student's campus, another campus in the school
  district or open-enrollment charter school, or an educational
  institution that partners with the district or school, including:
                     (A)  information regarding program costs, program
  completion rates, and the average wages of students who complete
  the program; and
                     (B)  the availability of information regarding
  those opportunities on the My Texas Future Internet website; and
               (13)  the outcomes of graduates from the campus and
  school district or open-enrollment charter school in which the
  student is enrolled, including completion rates and average wages
  based on postsecondary pathways available to those graduates at the
  campus, district, or school using data posted under Section
  7.0405(a) or available on the My Texas Future Internet website.
         (d)  The agency shall make available to school counselors an
  annual online training regarding statewide trends identified in the
  data posted under Section 7.0405(a) or available on the My Texas
  Future Internet website. The training must include information to
  assist school counselors in identifying the postsecondary outcomes
  for students at the counselor's campus and school district or
  open-enrollment charter school for purposes of performing the
  counselor's duties under this section.  The agency may make the
  training or other resources provided by the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board available through the Texas OnCourse Internet
  website.
         SECTION 10.  The heading to Section 39.0261, Education Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 39.0261.  COLLEGE PREPARATION AND CAREER READINESS
  ASSESSMENTS.
         SECTION 11.  Section 39.0261(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  In addition to the assessment instruments otherwise
  authorized or required by this subchapter:
               (1)  each school year and at state cost, a school
  district may administer to students in the spring of the eighth
  grade an established, valid, reliable, and nationally
  norm-referenced preliminary college preparation assessment
  instrument for the purpose of diagnosing the academic strengths and
  deficiencies of students before entrance into high school;
               (2)  each school year and at state cost, a school
  district may administer to students in the 10th grade an
  established, valid, reliable, and nationally norm-referenced
  preliminary college preparation assessment instrument for the
  purpose of measuring a student's progress toward readiness for
  college and the workplace; and
               (3)  high school students in the spring of the 11th
  grade or during the 12th grade may select and take once, at state
  cost:
                     (A)  one of the valid, reliable, and nationally
  norm-referenced assessment instruments used by colleges and
  universities as part of their undergraduate admissions processes;
  [or]
                     (B)  the assessment instrument designated by the
  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 51.334; or
                     (C)  a nationally recognized career readiness
  assessment instrument that measures foundational workforce skills
  approved by commissioner rule.
         SECTION 12.  Section 45.105(c), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  Local school funds from district taxes, tuition fees of
  students not entitled to a free education, other local sources, and
  state funds not designated for a specific purpose may be used for
  the purposes listed for state and county available funds and for
  purchasing appliances and supplies, paying insurance premiums,
  paying janitors and other employees, buying school sites, buying,
  building, repairing, and renting school buildings, including
  acquiring school buildings and sites by leasing through annual
  payments with an ultimate option to purchase, providing advising
  support as described by Section 48.0035(1), and educating students
  as described by Section 48.0035(2), and, except as provided by
  Subsection (c-1), for other purposes necessary in the conduct of
  the public schools determined by the board of trustees. The
  accounts and vouchers for county districts must be approved by the
  county superintendent. If the state available school fund in any
  municipality or district is sufficient to maintain the schools in
  any year for at least eight months and leave a surplus, the surplus
  may be spent for the purposes listed in this subsection.
         SECTION 13.  Section 48.003(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  A student is entitled to the benefits of the Foundation
  School Program if, on September 1 of the school year, the student:
               (1)  is 5 years of age or older and under 21 years of age
  and:
                     (A)  has not graduated from high school; or
                     (B)  has graduated from high school but is:
                           (i)  enrolled in a school district at a
  campus designated as a P-TECH school under Section 29.556 or in a
  school district participating in a partnership under Section
  29.912; and
                           (ii)  completing a course of study offered
  through an articulation agreement or memorandum of understanding
  with an institution of higher education, as defined by Section
  61.003, and the district described by Subparagraph (i), as
  applicable, under the Pathways in Technology Early College High
  School (P-TECH) program under Subchapter N, Chapter 29, and the
  Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section
  29.912, regardless of whether the student is enrolled in the
  district providing the course of study;
               (2)  [, or] is at least 21 years of age and under 26
  years of age and has been admitted by a school district to complete
  the requirements for a high school diploma; or
               (3) [(2)]  is at least 18 years of age and under 50
  years of age and is enrolled in an adult education program provided
  under the adult high school charter school program under Subchapter
  G, Chapter 12.
         SECTION 14.  Subchapter A, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 48.0035 to read as follows:
         Sec. 48.0035.  USE OF FUNDING FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES. A school
  district may use funding to which the district is entitled under
  this chapter to:
               (1)  provide district graduates, during the first two
  years after high school graduation, advising support toward the
  successful completion of a certificate or degree program at a
  public institution of higher education or a postsecondary
  vocational training program; and
               (2)  educate a student who has graduated from high
  school but is enrolled in the district in a program through which
  the student may earn dual credit, including the Pathways in
  Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program under
  Subchapter N, Chapter 29, and the Rural Pathway Excellence
  Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section 29.912.
         SECTION 15.  Section 48.106(a-1), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a-1)  In addition to the amounts under Subsection (a), [for
  each student in average daily attendance,] a district is entitled
  to $150 [$50] for each [of the following in which the] student in
  average daily attendance who [is enrolled]:
               (1)  is enrolled in a campus designated as a P-TECH
  school under Section 29.556; or
               (2)  completes a course of study offered under the
  Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program
  under Subchapter N, Chapter 29, or the Rural Pathway Excellence
  Partnership (R-PEP) program under Section 29.912, regardless of
  whether the student is enrolled in the district that provides the
  course of study [a campus that is a member of the New Tech Network
  and that focuses on project-based learning and work-based
  education].
         SECTION 16.  Sections 48.106(b)(1) and (1-a), Education
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
               (1)  "Approved career and technology education
  program":
                     (A)  means:
                           (i)  a sequence of career and technology
  education courses, including technology applications courses,
  authorized by the State Board of Education; and
                           (ii)  courses offered under a Junior Reserve
  Officers' Training Corps program established under 10 U.S.C.
  Section 2031; and
                     (B)  includes only courses that qualify for high
  school credit.
               (1-a)  "Approved program of study" means a course
  sequence that:
                     (A)  provides students with the knowledge and
  skills necessary for success in the students' chosen careers,
  including the military; and
                     (B)  is approved by the agency for purposes of the
  Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century
  Act (Pub. L. No. 115-224).
         SECTION 17.  Section 48.118, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-3) and amending Subsection (f) to read as
  follows:
         (a-3)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), a school district
  described by Section 29.912(c-1) may receive funding under this
  section for up to 110 percent of the number of students who
  qualified under Subsection (a) for the school year immediately
  preceding the school year in which the district's enrollment first
  reached 1,600 or more.
         (f)  The total amount of state funding for allotments and
  outcomes bonuses under this section may not exceed $20 [$5] million
  per year.  If the total amount of allotments and outcomes bonuses to
  which school districts are entitled under this section exceeds the
  amount permitted under this subsection, the agency shall allocate
  state funding to districts under this section in the following
  order:
               (1)  [allotments under Subsection (a) for which school
  districts participating in partnerships prioritized under Section
  29.912(h) are eligible;
               [(2)]  allotments under Subsection (a) for which school
  districts that entered into a memorandum of understanding or letter
  of commitment regarding a multidistrict pathway partnership, as
  defined by commissioner rule, before May 1, 2023, are eligible;
               (2) [(3)]  allotments under Subsection (a) for which
  school districts that have entered into a performance agreement
  under Section 29.912 with a coordinating entity that is an
  institution of higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, are
  eligible;
               (3) [(4)]  allotments under Subsection (a) for which
  school districts with the highest percentage of students who are
  educationally disadvantaged, in descending order, are eligible;
  and
               (4) [(5)]  outcomes bonuses under Subsection (c) for
  which school districts with the highest percentage of students who
  are educationally disadvantaged, in descending order, are
  eligible.
         SECTION 18.  Section 48.152(a)(2), Education Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
               (2)  "New instructional facility" includes:
                     (A)  a newly constructed instructional facility;
                     (B)  a repurposed instructional facility; [and]
                     (C)  a leased facility operating for the first
  time as an instructional facility with a minimum lease term of not
  less than 10 years; and
                     (D)  a renovated portion of an instructional
  facility to be used for the first time to provide high-cost and
  undersubscribed career and technology education programs, as
  determined by the commissioner.
         SECTION 19.  Section 48.152(f), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (f)  The amount appropriated for allotments under this
  section may not exceed $150 [$100] million in a school year.  If the
  total amount of allotments to which districts are entitled under
  this section for a school year exceeds the amount appropriated
  under this subsection, the commissioner:
               (1)  shall reduce each district's allotment under this
  section in the manner provided by Section 48.266(f); and
               (2)  for new instructional facilities described by
  Subsection (a)(2)(D), may remove a career and technology education
  program from the list of programs that qualify under that
  subsection.
         SECTION 20.  The heading to Section 48.155, Education Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 48.155.  COLLEGE PREPARATION AND CAREER READINESS
  ASSESSMENT REIMBURSEMENT.
         SECTION 21.  Section 48.156, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 48.156.  CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION REIMBURSEMENT. (a)  
  A school district is entitled to reimbursement for the amount of a
  subsidy paid by the district for not more than two [a student's]
  certification examinations per student [examination] under Section
  29.190(a), including costs paid for associated fingerprinting or
  criminal history record information review, as provided by Section
  29.190(c).
         (b)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), the total amount that
  may be used for reimbursement under that subsection for a school
  year may not exceed $20 million, of which not more than $500,000 may
  be used to reimburse the costs of fingerprinting or criminal
  history record information review. If the total amount to which
  school districts are entitled under Subsection (a) exceeds the
  amount permitted under this subsection, the commissioner shall
  proportionately reduce each school district's entitlement under
  this section.
         SECTION 22.  (a)  This section takes effect only if S.B.
  1786, 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, becomes law.
         (b)  Section 204.0025, Labor Code, is amended to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 204.0025.  ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE DATA REPORTING. The
  commission shall [It is the intent of the legislature that the
  commission, subject to the availability of federal funding or other
  resources for the purpose,] work with employers to enhance the
  reporting of employment and earnings data by employers to the
  commission as part of an employer's routine wage filings under this
  subtitle or commission rule and consistent with federal law and
  regulations. The enhanced wage filings must include information
  related to wage, industry, occupational field, full-time and
  part-time status, county of primary employment, remote work status,
  [occupation] and other important employment information necessary
  to conduct the assessment required under Section 302.0205 [that
  would improve the state's labor market information].
         SECTION 23.  (a)  This section takes effect only if S.B.
  1786, 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, does not become law.
         (b)  Section 204.0025, Labor Code, is amended to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 204.0025.  ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE DATA REPORTING. The
  commission shall [It is the intent of the legislature that the
  commission, subject to the availability of federal funding or other
  resources for the purpose,] work with employers to enhance the
  reporting of employment and earnings data by employers to the
  commission as part of an employer's routine wage filings under this
  subtitle or commission rule and consistent with federal law and
  regulations. The enhanced wage filings must include information
  related to wage, industry, occupational field, full-time and
  part-time status, county of primary employment, remote work status,
  [occupation] and other important employment information that would
  improve the state's labor market information.
         SECTION 24.  The heading to Section 312.003, Labor Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 312.003.  INVENTORY OF CERTIFICATIONS [CREDENTIALS AND
  CERTIFICATES].
         SECTION 25.  Sections 312.003(a), (b), (c), and (d), Labor
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The advisory council shall develop an inventory of
  industry-recognized certifications [credentials and certificates]
  that may be earned by a public high school student through a career
  and technology education program and that:
               (1)  are aligned to state and regional workforce needs;
  and
               (2)  serve as an entry point to middle- and high-wage
  jobs.
         (b)  The inventory must include for each certification
  [credential or certificate]:
               (1)  the associated career cluster;
               (2)  the awarding entity;
               (3)  the level of education required and any additional
  requirements for the certification [credential or certificate];
               (4)  any fees for obtaining the certification
  [credential or certificate]; and
               (5)  the average wage or salary for jobs that require or
  prefer the certification [credential or certificate].
         (c)  In developing the inventory, the advisory council may
  consult with local workforce boards, the Texas Workforce Investment
  Council, the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, the
  Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
  Board.
         (d)  The advisory council shall establish a process for
  developing the inventory, including the criteria for the inclusion
  of a certification [credential or certificate] in the inventory.
         SECTION 26.  Section 29.912(h), Education Code, is repealed.
         SECTION 27.  The Texas Education Agency shall first update
  the statewide goal for career readiness created under Section
  7.043(a), Education Code, as added by this Act, in accordance with
  Subsection (b) of that section not later than the 2028-2029 school
  year.
         SECTION 28.  Section 28.0095(c-1), Education Code, as added
  by this Act, and Sections 29.190, 29.912, 33.007(b), and
  39.0261(a), Education Code, as amended by this Act, apply beginning
  with the 2025-2026 school year.
         SECTION 29.  To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails
  over another Act of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025.
         SECTION 30.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
  this section and as otherwise provided by this Act, this Act takes
  effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the
  members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article
  III, Texas Constitution.  If this Act does not receive the vote
  necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1,
  2025.
         (b)  The amendments by this Act to Chapter 48, Education
  Code, take effect September 1, 2025.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 120 was passed by the House on April
  16, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 144, Nays 1, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 120 on May 28, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 116, Nays 6, 1
  present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 120 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 25, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor