Bill Text: TX HB2416 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to the administration by the Texas Workforce Commission of a workforce diploma pilot program.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-06 - Laid on the table subject to call [HB2416 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB2416-Comm_Sub.html
86R9295 KSD-F | ||
By: Frullo, Longoria | H.B. No. 2416 |
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relating to the administration by the Texas Workforce Commission of | ||
a workforce diploma pilot program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by | ||
adding Chapter 317 to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 317. WORKFORCE DIPLOMA PILOT PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 317.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
(1) "Adult" means any individual who is over the age of | ||
compulsory school attendance prescribed by Section 25.085, | ||
Education Code. | ||
(2) "Program" means the workforce diploma pilot | ||
program established under this chapter. | ||
Sec. 317.002. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION; | ||
PURPOSE. The commission, in consultation with the Texas Education | ||
Agency, shall establish and administer a workforce diploma pilot | ||
program under which eligible high school diploma-granting entities | ||
participating in the program may be reimbursed for successfully | ||
assisting adult students to obtain a high school diploma and | ||
develop technical career readiness skills and employability. | ||
Sec. 317.003. REQUEST FOR PROGRAM PROVIDER | ||
QUALIFICATIONS. Not later than October 15 of each year, the | ||
commission shall publish a request for qualifications for providers | ||
to participate in the program. | ||
Sec. 317.004. PROVIDER ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to | ||
participate as a provider under the program, a provider must: | ||
(1) apply to the commission in the manner prescribed | ||
by commission rule; | ||
(2) be a public, nonprofit, or private high school | ||
diploma-granting entity accredited by a regional accrediting body; | ||
(3) have at least two years of experience providing | ||
dropout reengagement services to adult students, including | ||
recruitment, learning plan development, and proactive coaching and | ||
mentoring, leading to the obtainment of a high school diploma; | ||
(4) be equipped to: | ||
(A) provide: | ||
(i) academic skill intake assessment and | ||
transcript evaluations; | ||
(ii) remediation coursework in literacy and | ||
numeracy; | ||
(iii) a research-validated academic | ||
resiliency assessment and intervention; | ||
(iv) employability skills development | ||
aligned to employer needs; | ||
(v) career pathways coursework; | ||
(vi) preparation for the attainment of | ||
industry-recognized credentials; and | ||
(vii) career placement services; and | ||
(B) develop a learning plan that integrates | ||
academic requirements and career goals; and | ||
(5) offer a course catalog that includes all courses | ||
necessary to meet high school graduation requirements in this | ||
state. | ||
Sec. 317.005. PROVIDER APPROVAL; LIST OF APPROVED | ||
PROVIDERS. (a) Not later than November 15 of each year, the | ||
commission shall publish a list of providers approved by the | ||
commission to participate in the program during the next calendar | ||
year. | ||
(b) An approved provider maintains approval to participate | ||
in the program during a subsequent calendar year without reapplying | ||
to the commission unless the provider is removed from the approved | ||
provider list as provided by Section 317.008. | ||
Sec. 317.006. REIMBURSEMENT OF PROGRAM PROVIDERS FOR | ||
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. (a) To the extent money is available for that | ||
purpose, the commission shall reimburse each approved provider | ||
participating in the program for the achievement of the following | ||
milestones by students receiving services from the provider: | ||
(1) $250 for the completion of a half credit; | ||
(2) $250 for the completion of an employability skills | ||
certification program equal to at least one Carnegie unit or the | ||
equivalent; | ||
(3) $250 for the attainment of an industry-recognized | ||
credential requiring not more than 50 hours of training; | ||
(4) $500 for the attainment of an industry-recognized | ||
credential requiring at least 50 but not more than 100 hours of | ||
training; | ||
(5) $750 for the attainment of an industry-recognized | ||
credential requiring more than 100 hours of training; and | ||
(6) $1,000 for the obtainment of a high school | ||
diploma. | ||
(b) Not later than the 10th calendar day of each month, an | ||
approved provider participating in the program shall submit to the | ||
commission an invoice for the milestones achieved by the provider's | ||
students during the previous calendar month. | ||
(c) The commission shall reimburse approved program | ||
providers in the order in which invoices are received by the | ||
commission until all funds available for the program are exhausted. | ||
Sec. 317.007. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than January 15 of | ||
each year, each approved provider that participated in the program | ||
during the previous calendar year shall report to the commission | ||
the following data regarding the provider's students for that year: | ||
(1) the number of students for which the provider | ||
received reimbursement under the program; | ||
(2) the total number of credits earned by the | ||
students; | ||
(3) the total number of employability skills | ||
certification programs completed by the students; | ||
(4) the total number of industry-recognized | ||
credentials attained by the students in each of the funding tiers | ||
described by Sections 317.006(a)(3), (4), and (5); and | ||
(5) the number of students who obtained a high school | ||
diploma. | ||
Sec. 317.008. PROVIDER PERFORMANCE REVIEW. (a) The | ||
commission by rule shall prescribe minimum performance standards | ||
for providers participating in the program. The minimum | ||
performance standards must include: | ||
(1) a graduation rate of at least 50 percent; and | ||
(2) a program cost per graduate of $7,000 or less. | ||
(b) For purposes of Subsections (a)(1) and (2), the | ||
commission by rule shall develop formulas to make the appropriate | ||
calculations. The graduation rate must be calculated one cohort | ||
year in arrears. | ||
(c) The commission shall review data from each | ||
participating approved provider annually to ensure that the | ||
services offered by the provider are meeting the minimum | ||
performance standards. If the commission determines that an | ||
approved provider did not meet the minimum performance standards in | ||
the previous calendar year, the commission shall place the provider | ||
on probationary status for the remainder of the current calendar | ||
year. | ||
(d) The commission shall remove from the approved provider | ||
list published under Section 317.005 any provider that does not | ||
meet the minimum performance standards for two consecutive calendar | ||
years. | ||
Sec. 317.009. REPORT. Not later than December 1 of each | ||
even-numbered year, the commission shall submit to the legislature | ||
a report on the effectiveness of the program. The commission shall | ||
include in the report a recommendation regarding whether the | ||
program should be continued, expanded, or terminated. | ||
Sec. 317.010. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September | ||
1, 2025. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |