By: Phelan	H.B. No. 2784

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	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.