Bill Text: TX HB2784 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of the Texas Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs Grant Program.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-2)
Status: (Passed) 2019-06-14 - Effective on 9/1/19 [HB2784 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB2784-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 2784 |
|
||
relating to the creation of the Texas Industry-Recognized | ||
Apprenticeship Programs Grant Program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 302, Labor Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter I to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER I. TEXAS INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS | ||
GRANT PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 302.251. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas | ||
Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs Grant Program is to | ||
address the immediate industrial workforce needs of this state | ||
resulting from the impact of Hurricane Harvey and overall workforce | ||
shortages. | ||
Sec. 302.252. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Industry-recognized apprenticeship program" | ||
means a training program that: | ||
(A) provides on-the-job training, preparatory | ||
instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in | ||
an occupation that has been recognized as an apprenticeable | ||
occupation by the Office of Apprenticeship of the United States | ||
Department of Labor; or | ||
(B) is certified as an industry-recognized | ||
apprenticeship program by a third-party certifier that has received | ||
from the United States Department of Labor a favorable | ||
determination of qualification to award that certification. | ||
(2) "Person" does not include a governmental entity. | ||
Sec. 302.253. PROGRAM. The commission shall establish and | ||
administer the Texas Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs | ||
Grant Program to encourage the private sector to develop | ||
specialized industry-recognized apprenticeship programs in this | ||
state. Under the program, the commission shall award grants to | ||
persons who meet the requirements of Section 302.255. | ||
Sec. 302.254. TEXAS INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED APPRENTICESHIP | ||
FUND. (a) The Texas industry-recognized apprenticeship fund is a | ||
dedicated account in the general revenue fund. | ||
(b) The following amounts shall be deposited in the fund: | ||
(1) money appropriated by the legislature for the fund | ||
for purposes described by this subchapter; | ||
(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the | ||
fund; and | ||
(3) gifts, grants, and other donations received for | ||
the fund. | ||
(c) The fund may be used only for an apprenticeship program | ||
that meets the requirements of Section 302.255. | ||
Sec. 302.255. APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. The | ||
commission shall establish eligibility criteria for a person to | ||
receive a grant under this subchapter. The eligibility criteria | ||
must include the requirement that the person: | ||
(1) apply to the commission in the form and manner | ||
prescribed by commission rule; | ||
(2) if the person is an entity, be in good standing | ||
under the laws of the state in which the person was formed or | ||
organized, as evidenced by a certificate issued by the secretary of | ||
state or the state official of another state having custody of the | ||
records pertaining to a person formed or organized under the laws of | ||
that state; | ||
(3) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this | ||
state; and | ||
(4) operate an industry-recognized apprenticeship | ||
program that: | ||
(A) provides on-the-job training under an | ||
industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum; | ||
(B) guarantees employment for participants | ||
during and on successful completion of the training period; | ||
(C) pays each participant a wage and provides | ||
eligibility for participants to receive full-time employee | ||
benefits during and on successful completion of the training | ||
period; | ||
(D) requires participants to advance their | ||
skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed, performance-verified | ||
mid-level status in a field related to the industry-recognized | ||
apprenticeship program; | ||
(E) has a duration of not more than 26 weeks; and | ||
(F) gives preference to training and hiring: | ||
(i) unemployed Texans who have filed with | ||
the commission; | ||
(ii) veterans of the United States armed | ||
forces; | ||
(iii) formerly incarcerated individuals; | ||
and | ||
(iv) underemployed individuals who are | ||
working without industry-recognized certifications or other | ||
credentials. | ||
Sec. 302.256. GRANT AWARD; GRANT AMOUNT. (a) The | ||
commission may award grants under this subchapter only to reimburse | ||
an eligible person for the cost of training industry-recognized | ||
apprenticeship program participants who: | ||
(1) complete a program operated by the person that | ||
meets the requirements of Section 302.255(4) having achieved the | ||
skills level required by Section 302.255(4)(D); and | ||
(2) maintain suitable employment for at least 12 | ||
consecutive months immediately following completion of the | ||
program. | ||
(b) Grant funds awarded to an eligible person under this | ||
subchapter must be awarded on a per industry-recognized | ||
apprenticeship program participant basis. The amount of a grant | ||
awarded to an eligible person for training a participant described | ||
by Subsection (a) may not exceed the lesser of: | ||
(1) the total cost to the person for training the | ||
participant, excluding wages and benefits; or | ||
(2) $10,000. | ||
(c) In determining the amount of a grant awarded under this | ||
subchapter for an industry-recognized apprenticeship program | ||
participant, the commission may consider the increased economic | ||
value to the state resulting from or reasonably anticipated to | ||
result from the participant's completion of the program, including | ||
by considering any increase or anticipated increase in the amount | ||
of tax revenue generated by the participant, and any decrease in the | ||
participant's use of a state-funded benefit, attributable to the | ||
participant's job placement and earning projections. The | ||
commission by rule may establish guidelines or formulas for | ||
determining an increase in economic value to the state attributable | ||
to a participant's program completion for purposes of this | ||
subsection. | ||
(d) The commission by rule may establish limitations on the | ||
total amount of grant funds that a person may be awarded under this | ||
subchapter. | ||
Sec. 302.257. PROGRAM RULES. (a) The commission shall | ||
adopt rules to administer and enforce this subchapter. | ||
(b) The commission shall post the rules on its Internet | ||
website. | ||
Sec. 302.258. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) Not later than December 1 | ||
of each year, the commission shall submit to the lieutenant | ||
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the | ||
members of the legislature a report on grants made under this | ||
subchapter that states: | ||
(1) the number of direct jobs each grant recipient | ||
created in this state in each job category of the federal Equal | ||
Employment Opportunity Commission's job classification guide; | ||
(2) the median wage of the jobs each grant recipient | ||
created in this state; | ||
(3) the total amount of each grant awarded to a grant | ||
recipient; | ||
(4) the number and categorization of | ||
industry-recognized apprenticeship program participants trained | ||
and employed by each grant recipient under Section 302.255(4)(F); | ||
(5) a determination of whether the grant program | ||
administered under this subchapter has resulted in a positive | ||
return on investment to the state and an explanation of the methods | ||
used by the commission in making that determination; and | ||
(6) if the commission considers it appropriate and | ||
feasible, a list of recommendations for legislative or other | ||
changes to the grant program administered under this subchapter to | ||
increase the return on investment to the state. | ||
(b) The report may not include information that is made | ||
confidential by law. | ||
(c) The commission may require a grant recipient under this | ||
subchapter to submit, on a form provided by the commission, | ||
information required to complete the report. | ||
(d) The commission shall post the annual report on its | ||
Internet website. | ||
SECTION 2. The Texas Workforce Commission is required to | ||
implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature | ||
appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the | ||
legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that | ||
purpose, the Texas Workforce Commission may, but is not required | ||
to, implement a provision of this Act using other appropriations | ||
available for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 2784 was passed by the House on May | ||
10, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 117, Nays 16, 1 present, not | ||
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
No. 2784 on May 24, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 119, Nays 23, | ||
2 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 2784 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays | ||
4. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |