Bill Text: TX HB2784 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
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-Introduced.html
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-Introduced.html
By: Phelan | H.B. No. 2784 |
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relating to the creation of the Texas Industrial Workforce | ||
Apprenticeship grant program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. C | ||
hapter 481, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subchapter EE to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER EE. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP GRANT | ||
PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 481.601. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas Industrial | ||
Workforce Apprenticeship grant program is to meet the immediate | ||
industrial workforce needs of the state resulting from the impact | ||
of Hurricane Harvey and overall workforce shortages. | ||
Sec. 481.602. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, | ||
(1) "Apprenticeship program" means a training program | ||
that provides on-the-job training, preparatory instruction, | ||
supplementary instruction, or related instruction in a trade that | ||
has been certified as an apprenticible occupation by the Bureau of | ||
Apprenticeship Training of the United States Department of Labor. | ||
(2) "Person" means an individual or a corporation, | ||
partnership, limited liability company, business trust, trust, | ||
association, or other organization, estate, or other legal entity, | ||
or a series of a domestic limited liability company or foreign | ||
entity. The term does not include government or a governmental | ||
subdivision or agency. | ||
Sec. 481.603. PROGRAM. The office shall establish and | ||
administer the Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship grant | ||
program to encourage the private sector to develop specialized | ||
industrial workforce apprenticeship training programs. Under the | ||
program, the office shall provide grants for persons who meet the | ||
requirements in Section 481.605. | ||
Sec. 481.604. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP | ||
FUND. (a) The Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Fund is a | ||
dedicated account in the general revenue fund. | ||
(b) The following amounts shall be deposited in the fund: | ||
(1) any amounts appropriated by the legislature for | ||
the fund for purposes described by this chapter; | ||
(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 481.605. | ||
Sec. 481.605. APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. (a) To | ||
be eligible to receive a grant under this section, the person must: | ||
(1) 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 | ||
having custody of the records pertaining to entities or other | ||
organizations formed under the laws of that state; and | ||
(2) owe no delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this | ||
state. | ||
(b) The person shall also have in place an apprenticeship | ||
program that: | ||
(1) provides on-the-job training under an | ||
industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum; | ||
(2) guarantees employment for participants during and | ||
upon completion of the training period; | ||
(3) pays each participant a minimum of $15 per hour | ||
during the training period, and provides eligibility for | ||
participants to receive full-time employee benefits during and upon | ||
completion of the training period; | ||
(4) requires participants to advance their skills, at | ||
a minimum, to a credentialed mid-level status in the field related | ||
to the apprenticeship program; | ||
(5) has a duration of no less than 16 weeks and no | ||
longer than 26 weeks; and | ||
(6) gives preference to training and hiring: | ||
(A) unemployed Texans listed on the database of | ||
the Texas Workforce Commission; | ||
(B) U.S. military veterans; | ||
(C) formerly incarcerated individuals; and | ||
(D) underemployed individuals who are working | ||
without industry-recognized credentials or certifications. | ||
Sec. 481.606. LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNT. The amount of a | ||
grant under this chapter may not exceed $10,000 per apprenticeship | ||
program participant to reimburse the cost of training, not | ||
including wages and benefits. | ||
Sec. 481.607. REQUIREMENTS; GRANT AWARD. (a) Before | ||
awarding a grant to a person under this section, the office shall | ||
determine that a sufficient number of apprenticeship program | ||
participants: | ||
(1) completed the program and achieved the training | ||
requirements specified by Section 481.605(b) (4); and | ||
(2) have maintained available and suitable employment | ||
for a period not less than six months cumulatively after completion | ||
of the apprenticeship program. | ||
(b) The office by rule may develop the criteria for making | ||
the determinations specified by Subsection (a). | ||
(c) The office shall distribute the grant funds as a | ||
reimbursement for training costs incurred by grant recipients in | ||
accordance with Section 481.606. | ||
Sec. 481.608. PROGRAM RULES. (a) The executive director | ||
shall adopt rules to administer and enforce this chapter. | ||
(b) The office shall post a copy of the rules on its website. | ||
Sec. 481.609. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) By December 1 of each | ||
year, the office shall submit to the lieutenant governor, the | ||
speaker of the house of representatives, and each other member of | ||
the legislature a report on grants made under Section 481.607 that | ||
states: | ||
(1) the number of direct jobs each recipient created | ||
in this state in each category of the Equal Employment Opportunity | ||
Code; | ||
(2) the median wage of the jobs each recipient created | ||
in this state; | ||
(3) the total amount of grants made to each recipient; | ||
and | ||
(4) the number and categorization of program | ||
participants trained and employed by each recipient under Section | ||
481.605(b)(6). | ||
(b) The report may not include information that is made | ||
confidential by law. | ||
(c) The office may require a recipient of a grant under | ||
Section 481.607 to submit, on a form the office provides, | ||
information required to complete the report. | ||
(d) The office shall post the annual report on its website. | ||
SECTION 2. 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, 2019. |