By: Ashby, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.B. No. 2994
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 1, 2017;
May 12, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on Higher
Education; May 17, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
May 17, 2017, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2994 By: West
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to workforce continuing education offered by public junior
colleges.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter L to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER L. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION
Sec. 130.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Adult" means a person who:
(A) has completed the person's sophomore year of
high school;
(B) is 17 years of age and has been awarded a high
school diploma or its equivalent; or
(C) is 18 years of age or older, regardless of the
person's previous educational experience.
(2) "Avocational course" means a course of study in a
subject or activity that is usually engaged in by a person in
addition to the person's regular work or profession for recreation
or in relation to a hobby. The term includes a community interest
course.
(3) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board.
(4) "Workforce continuing education" means a program
of instruction that:
(A) is designed primarily for adults; and
(B) is intended, on completion by a participant,
to prepare the participant to qualify to apply for and accept an
employment offer or a job upgrade within a specific occupational
category or to bring the participant's knowledge or skills up to
date on new developments in a particular occupation or profession.
(5) "Workforce continuing education course" means a
course of instruction in workforce continuing education that is
approved by the coordinating board. The term does not include an
avocational course.
Sec. 130.302. FORMULA FUNDING FOR WORKFORCE CONTINUING
EDUCATION COURSES. Notwithstanding Section 130.003 or any other
law, contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a student in a
workforce continuing education course offered by a public junior
college shall be included in the contact hours used to determine the
college's proportionate share of state money appropriated and
distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 and
130.0031, regardless of whether the college waives all or part of
the tuition or fees for the course under Section 130.304.
Sec. 130.303. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS. (a) A public junior college may offer, or may
enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or
other person that operates a high school to offer, workforce
continuing education courses other than learning framework
courses, basic employability courses, and basic learning skills
courses to a person who:
(1) is enrolled in high school on the completion of the
person's sophomore year;
(2) is enrolled in a school that is not formally
organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of age; or
(3) is attending high school while incarcerated, is at
least 16 years of age, and is not eligible for release from
incarceration before the person's 18th birthday.
(b) This section does not prohibit a public junior college
from offering community interest continuing education courses
using local funds.
Sec. 130.304. WAIVER OF TUITION AND FEES FOR WORKFORCE
CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES. A public junior college may waive
all or part of the tuition or fees charged to a student for a
workforce continuing education course.
Sec. 130.305. RULES. The coordinating board shall adopt
any rules the coordinating board considers necessary for the
administration of this subchapter. In adopting those rules, the
coordinating board shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures
under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
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