Bill Text: TX HB437 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to career and technical education and workforce development grant programs.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 7-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective on 9/1/13 [HB437 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB437-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 437 |
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relating to career and technical education and workforce | ||
development grant programs. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 134.004, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 134.004. JOBS AND EDUCATION FOR TEXANS (JET) GRANT | ||
PROGRAM. (a) The comptroller shall establish and administer the | ||
Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program to provide grants | ||
to public junior colleges and [ |
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in the manner prescribed by the advisory board. The comptroller | ||
shall award the grants on the advice and recommendations of the | ||
advisory board. | ||
(b) Grants may be awarded under this chapter from the Jobs | ||
and Education for Texans (JET) fund [ |
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development of new career and technical education programs at | ||
public junior colleges and public technical institutes that meet | ||
the requirements of Section 134.006[ |
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SECTION 2. Subtitle G, Title 3, Education Code, is amended | ||
by adding Chapter 136 to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 136. TEXAS INNOVATIVE ADULT CAREER EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 136.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
(1) "Nonprofit organization" means an organization | ||
exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(a), Internal | ||
Revenue Code of 1986, as an organization described by Section | ||
501(c)(3) of that code. | ||
(2) "Nonprofit workforce intermediary and job | ||
training organization" means a nonprofit organization that engages | ||
in comprehensive long-term job training in partnership with a | ||
public junior college, public state college, or public technical | ||
institute and provides labor market intermediary services to | ||
participant students. | ||
(3) "Program" means the Texas Innovative Adult Career | ||
Education (ACE) Grant Program established under Section 136.005. | ||
(4) "Public junior college," "public state college," | ||
and "public technical institute" have the meanings assigned by | ||
Section 61.003. | ||
Sec. 136.002. GRANT ADMINISTRATOR. (a) The Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board shall designate the governing board of | ||
a junior college district primarily located in a municipality with | ||
a population of 750,000 or more that is primarily located in a | ||
county with a population of 1.5 million or less as the grant | ||
administrator of the program, including the funds available under | ||
Section 136.003. | ||
(b) The grant administrator may participate in the program | ||
if the grant administrator is otherwise an eligible organization | ||
under Section 136.006. | ||
Sec. 136.003. TEXAS INNOVATIVE ADULT CAREER EDUCATION (ACE) | ||
GRANT FUND. (a) The comptroller shall establish the Texas | ||
Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) Grant fund as 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 of this chapter; | ||
(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the | ||
fund; and | ||
(3) gifts, grants, and other donations received for | ||
the fund. | ||
Sec. 136.004. PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD. (a) The grant | ||
administrator shall establish a program advisory board that | ||
provides input and recommendations for the awarding of grants under | ||
this chapter. | ||
(b) The program advisory board must be composed of members | ||
representing the philanthropic community, the business employer | ||
community, and public junior colleges and public technical | ||
institutes and must include the mayor of one of the five most | ||
populous municipalities in this state. The grant administrator may | ||
appoint a nonvoting, ex officio member to the program advisory | ||
board. The program advisory board shall elect a chair of the board | ||
from among its members. | ||
(c) The program advisory board shall provide oversight to | ||
ensure that the grant administrator: | ||
(1) establishes and adheres to an appropriate system | ||
that provides acceptable standards for ensuring accountability in | ||
the awarding and monitoring of grants; | ||
(2) enters into a written grant agreement or contract | ||
with each grantee that establishes clear goals and obligations in | ||
unambiguous terms; | ||
(3) acts with due diligence to monitor the | ||
implementation of a grant agreement, including carrying out | ||
appropriate monitoring activities including reviews at reasonable | ||
intervals; and | ||
(4) takes prompt and appropriate corrective action on | ||
becoming aware of any evidence of a violation by a grantee of this | ||
chapter or of rules adopted under this chapter. | ||
(d) The program advisory board shall meet as needed to | ||
review received grant applications and make recommendations to the | ||
grant administrator regarding awarding grants under this chapter. | ||
Sec. 136.005. TEXAS INNOVATIVE ADULT CAREER EDUCATION (ACE) | ||
GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The grant administrator shall establish and | ||
administer the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) Grant | ||
Program to provide grants to eligible nonprofit workforce | ||
intermediary and job training organizations. In awarding grants | ||
under the program, the grant administrator shall take into | ||
consideration the recommendations of the program advisory board. | ||
(b) Grants may be awarded under this chapter from the Texas | ||
Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) Grant fund only to develop, | ||
support, or expand programs of eligible nonprofit workforce | ||
intermediary and job training organizations to prepare low-income | ||
students to enter careers in high-demand and significantly | ||
higher-earning occupations. | ||
Sec. 136.006. ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. (a) To be eligible | ||
for a grant under the program, a nonprofit workforce intermediary | ||
and job training organization must: | ||
(1) apply to the grant administrator in the manner | ||
prescribed by the grant administrator; | ||
(2) provide to eligible low-income students, in | ||
partnership with public junior colleges, public state colleges, or | ||
public technical institutes: | ||
(A) job training; and | ||
(B) a continuum of services designed to move a | ||
program participant from application to employment, including | ||
outreach, assessment, case management, support services, and | ||
career placement; | ||
(3) be governed by a board or other governing | ||
structure that includes recognized leaders of broad-based | ||
community organizations and executive-level or managerial-level | ||
members of the local business community; | ||
(4) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the program | ||
advisory board that the organization's program has achieved or will | ||
achieve the following measures of success among program | ||
participants: | ||
(A) above-average completion of developmental | ||
education among participating public junior college, public state | ||
college, or public technical institute students; | ||
(B) above-average persistence rates among | ||
participating public junior college, public state college, or | ||
public technical institute students; | ||
(C) above-average certificate or degree | ||
completion rates by participating students within a three-year | ||
period compared to demographically comparable public junior | ||
college, public state college, and public technical institute | ||
students; and | ||
(D) entry into careers with significantly higher | ||
earnings for program participants than previously achieved; and | ||
(5) provide matching funds in accordance with rules | ||
adopted under this chapter. | ||
(b) The matching funds required under Subsection (a)(5) may | ||
be obtained from any source available to the organization, | ||
including in-kind contributions, community or foundation grants, | ||
individual contributions, and local governmental agency operating | ||
funds. The grant administrator may adopt rules requiring an | ||
organization to demonstrate compliance with the matching funds | ||
requirement before the payment of the next installment under an | ||
awarded grant. | ||
Sec. 136.007. RULES. (a) The grant administrator shall | ||
adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this chapter in | ||
the manner provided by Chapter 2001, Government Code, for a state | ||
agency. | ||
(b) The grant administrator, with recommendations of the | ||
program advisory board, shall adopt rules regarding eligibility, | ||
program tuition and fees, administrative costs, matching funds, and | ||
case management and other supports for the program. The rules may | ||
include provisions for the payment in periodic installments of | ||
grant awards. | ||
SECTION 3. (a) Sections 134.001(1), 134.005, and 134.007, | ||
Education Code, are repealed. | ||
(b) Subchapter O, Chapter 403, Government Code, is | ||
repealed. | ||
SECTION 4. A person receiving a scholarship or other | ||
financial assistance under Chapter 134, Education Code, or | ||
Subchapter O, Chapter 403, Government Code, before the effective | ||
date of this Act for the 2013-2014 academic year may continue to | ||
receive a scholarship or other financial assistance under that law | ||
as applicable to the person immediately before that date, until the | ||
person is no longer eligible for the scholarship or other | ||
assistance under Chapter 134, Education Code, or Subchapter O, | ||
Chapter 403, Government Code, as the applicable law exists on | ||
January 1, 2013, and the former law is continued in effect for that | ||
purpose. | ||
SECTION 5. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
shall designate a grant administrator as required by Section | ||
136.002, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as possible | ||
after the effective date of this Act. | ||
SECTION 6. Grants provided under the Texas Innovative Adult | ||
Career Education (ACE) Grant Program established under Chapter 136, | ||
Education Code, as added by this Act, may benefit only a permanent | ||
legal resident or citizen of the United States. | ||
SECTION 7. This Act does not make an appropriation. This | ||
Act takes effect regardless of whether a specific appropriation for | ||
the implementation of this Act is provided in a general | ||
appropriations act of the 83rd Legislature. | ||
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 437 was passed by the House on April | ||
4, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 1, 1 present, not | ||
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
No. 437 on May 24, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, 3 | ||
present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 437 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 22, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays | ||
1. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |