Bill Text: TX HB2784 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Engrossed
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-Engrossed.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-Engrossed.html
86R25983 KSD-F | ||
By: Phelan, Romero, Jr., Blanco, Burrows | H.B. No. 2784 |
|
||
|
||
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. Chapter 302, Labor Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter I to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER I. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP GRANT | ||
PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 302.251. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas Industrial | ||
Workforce Apprenticeship 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) "Apprenticeship program" means a training program | ||
that: | ||
(A) provides on-the-job training, preparatory | ||
instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in | ||
a trade 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 Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Grant | ||
Program to encourage the private sector to develop specialized | ||
industrial workforce apprenticeship programs in this state. Under | ||
the program, the commission shall provide grants for persons who | ||
meet the requirements of Section 302.255. | ||
Sec. 302.254. 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) 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. To be | ||
eligible to receive a grant under this subchapter, a person must: | ||
(1) 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; | ||
(2) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this | ||
state; and | ||
(3) have in place an 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 at least $15 per hour | ||
during the training period 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 the field related to the 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. LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNT. The amount of a | ||
grant awarded under this subchapter may not exceed the lesser of | ||
$10,000 per apprenticeship program participant or the cost of | ||
training, not including wages and benefits. | ||
Sec. 302.257. REQUIREMENTS; GRANT AWARD. (a) The | ||
commission shall distribute the grant funds on an individualized | ||
basis as a reimbursement for training costs incurred by grant | ||
recipients in accordance with Section 302.256. | ||
(b) Before awarding a grant to a person under this | ||
subchapter, the commission must determine that a sufficient number | ||
of apprenticeship program participants have: | ||
(1) completed the program and achieved the training | ||
requirements specified by Section 302.255(3)(D); and | ||
(2) maintained available and suitable employment for a | ||
period of not less than six months. | ||
(c) The commission by rule may develop the criteria for | ||
making the determinations required by Subsection (b). | ||
Sec. 302.258. 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. 302.259. 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; and | ||
(4) the number and categorization of apprenticeship | ||
program participants trained and employed by each grant recipient | ||
under Section 302.255(3)(F). | ||
(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. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |