By: Hunter (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.C.R. No. 82
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2013;
May 6, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Economic
Development; May 16, 2013, reported favorably by the following
vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 16, 2013, sent to printer.)
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Structural change in an increasingly global economy
has contributed to high unemployment and a decline in wages for
those without college degrees; and
WHEREAS, By 2011, a quarter of all young high school
graduates were unemployed and more than half were underemployed;
wages for those with only a high school diploma have fallen by 12
percent over the past decade to under $20,000 a year, below the
poverty threshold for a family of four; and
WHEREAS, While the job market has shrunk dramatically for
those with no education beyond high school, and college is out of
reach or inappropriate for many individuals, the workforce has
great demand in "middle jobs" that require no bachelor's degree but
necessitate education and training beyond high school, commonly
referred to as career and technical education or CTE; and
WHEREAS, A recent Georgetown University study found there are
at least 29 million middle jobs in such areas as nursing, sales, and
the trades, representing one in every five jobs and nearly half of
all middle-class jobs; the average annual wage for these positions
is $42,000, and more than 11 million of these jobs pay well above
$50,000 a year, including over four million that pay $75,000 or
more; and
WHEREAS, The share of high school students concentrating in
vocational studies has declined for decades, but the modern
equivalent of vocational programming, CTE, can provide career
exploration and curricula that align with postsecondary programs
and employer-based training; moreover, CTE encourages persistence
to high school graduation along with academic development and
stronger transitions to postsecondary education; at the
postsecondary level, CTE often results in an industry-based
certification, a postsecondary certificate, or an associate's
degree in a particular career or educational pathway; and
WHEREAS, Nearly two out of every three jobs will require some
postsecondary education and training by 2020, but the United States
currently lags behind other countries in linking postsecondary
education with the needs of the labor market; in order for Texas to
remedy this gap in the educational system, it is necessary to
explore such topics as curriculum requirements, opportunities for
new education-workforce partnerships, and the impact of emerging
industrial sectors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study
education policy as it relates to developing a skilled workforce;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim
committees as the 83rd Legislature may adopt.
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