Bill Text: TX SB955 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to economic development and workforce retraining opportunities in the transition to the use of clean energy sources.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-11 - Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development [SB955 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-SB955-Introduced.html

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87R2349 SLB-F
By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 955

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to economic development and workforce retraining
opportunities in the transition to the use of clean energy sources.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 403.0285 to read as follows:
Sec. 403.0285. COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND
WORKFORCE RETRAINING IN CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION. (a) In this
section, "committee" means the Committee on Economic Development
and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition.
(b) The governor shall appoint the Committee on Economic
Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition
to assist the comptroller in identifying and evaluating economic
development and workforce retraining opportunities with regard to
the transition to clean energy sources.
(c) The committee is composed of not more than 21 members
and shall include:
(1) representatives of environmental justice
communities, environmental associations, and labor organizations;
(2) at least five representatives of industries that
use large amounts of energy;
(3) representatives of the renewable energy industry,
the oil and gas industry, including pipeline construction and
operation and refineries, and clean energy developers; and
(4) at least one representative from each of the
following agencies:
(A) the comptroller of public accounts;
(B) the office of the governor;
(C) the Railroad Commission of Texas;
(D) the State Energy Conservation Office;
(E) the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality;
(F) the Texas Department of Housing and Community
Affairs; and
(G) the Texas Workforce Commission.
(d) The governor shall solicit nominations for the
committee and select from among those nominated to the extent
possible in order to meet the requirements of Subsection (c).
(e) The committee shall advise the comptroller by
identifying:
(1) opportunities for workforce development and
training related to energy efficiency measures, renewable energy,
and other clean energy technologies, with specific focus on
training and workforce opportunities for individuals from
disadvantaged communities and other groups that may be
underrepresented in the workforce, including veterans, women, and
formerly incarcerated persons;
(2) industries that use large amounts of energy and
trades related to those industries;
(3) impacts of the transition to the use of clean
energy sources on each sector of the state's workforce and ways to
maximize the skills and expertise of workers throughout the
transition;
(4) sites of electric generating facilities that may
be closed as a result of the transition to the use of clean energy
sources and the issues and opportunities presented by reuse of
those sites;
(5) potential effects of state or federal greenhouse
gas emissions limits on state industries and local communities,
including the impact of any potential carbon reduction measures on
the competitiveness of state business and industry; and
(6) any other matters relevant to the workforce of the
state with regard to the transition to the use of clean energy
sources.
(f) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the
State Energy Conservation Office shall provide the committee with
facilities, data, and other assistance necessary for the committee
to carry out its duties under this section. A state agency or
political subdivision of this state shall provide the committee
with facilities, data, and other assistance as requested by the
committee to carry out its duties under this section.
(g) The committee may enter into an interagency agreement
with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Public
Utility Commission of Texas, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the
Texas Workforce Commission, or another state agency for technical
advice or assistance as necessary to complete the requirements of
this section.
SECTION 2. (a) Not later than December 1, 2022, the
comptroller, with the advice of the Committee on Economic
Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy
Transition, shall prepare a report on the effects and opportunities
of the transition to clean energy, including:
(1) issues and opportunities related to industries
that use large amounts of energy and trades associated with those
industries;
(2) clean energy workforce development for:
(A) workers in industries that may be negatively
affected by the transition to the use of clean energy sources; and
(B) disadvantaged communities and other segments
of the population that are underrepresented in the state's
workforce;
(3) measures to minimize the loss of jobs and industry
that would be associated with the imposition of any potential
greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies or other energy sector
mandates related to greenhouse gases;
(4) the number of jobs that have been created to
counter climate change, including in the energy, building,
transportation, and working lands sectors;
(5) the projection of the inventory of jobs needed and
the skills and training required to meet the demand of jobs to
counter climate change; and
(6) other issues related to workforce disruption due
to community transitions from an economy based on fossil fuels.
(b) The comptroller shall make the report described by
Subsection (a) of this section available to the public on the
comptroller's Internet website and deliver the report to:
(1) the governor;
(2) the lieutenant governor;
(3) the speaker of the house of representatives; and
(4) the chair and vice chair of the:
(A) House Environmental Regulation Committee;
(B) House State Affairs Committee;
(C) Senate Natural Resources Committee; and
(D) Senate Business and Commerce Committee.
(c) This section expires September 1, 2023.
SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2021, the governor
shall make the appointments to the Committee on Economic
Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition
as required by Section 403.0285, Government Code, as added by this
Act.
SECTION 4. 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, 2021.