| 1 | 1 | | 85R29365 JG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Miles, et al. S.B. No. 677 |
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| 3 | 3 | | (White) |
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| 4 | 4 | | Substitute the following for S.B. No. 677: No. |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the creation of a task force to identify opportunities |
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| 10 | 10 | | for academic credit and industry recognition for inmates of the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 19, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 14 | 14 | | Section 19.012 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 19.012. TASK FORCE ON ACADEMIC CREDIT AND INDUSTRY |
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| 16 | 16 | | RECOGNITION. (a) The Windham School District, in consultation |
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| 17 | 17 | | with the department, shall establish a task force to review the work |
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| 18 | 18 | | or other productive activities in which persons confined or |
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| 19 | 19 | | imprisoned in the department engage. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) The task force is composed of the following 10 members: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) two representatives of the department designated |
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| 22 | 22 | | by the executive director of the department; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) one representative of the district designated by |
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| 24 | 24 | | the superintendent of the district; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) one representative of the Texas Higher Education |
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| 26 | 26 | | Coordinating Board designated by the commissioner of higher |
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| 27 | 27 | | education; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (4) one representative of the Texas Workforce |
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| 29 | 29 | | Commission designated by the executive director of the commission; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (5) one representative of a private vendor operating a |
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| 31 | 31 | | correctional facility under a contract with the department, |
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| 32 | 32 | | appointed by the governor; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (6) three representatives of public junior colleges, |
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| 34 | 34 | | as defined by Section 61.003, appointed by the governor, including: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (A) at least one representative of a public |
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| 36 | 36 | | junior college that provides education services to persons confined |
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| 37 | 37 | | or imprisoned in the department; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (B) at least one representative of a public |
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| 39 | 39 | | junior college that does not provide services described by |
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| 40 | 40 | | Paragraph (A); and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (7) one representative of a faith-based organization, |
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| 42 | 42 | | appointed by the governor. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) The governor shall designate a member of the task force |
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| 44 | 44 | | to serve as presiding officer. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (d) A vacancy on the task force shall be filled in the same |
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| 46 | 46 | | manner as the initial appointment. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) A member of the task force may not receive compensation |
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| 48 | 48 | | for service on the task force but is entitled to reimbursement for |
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| 49 | 49 | | actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing task force |
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| 50 | 50 | | duties. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (f) The task force may accept gifts and grants from any |
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| 52 | 52 | | source to be used to carry out a function of the task force. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (g) The task force shall meet at the call of the presiding |
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| 54 | 54 | | officer. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (h) The task force shall: |
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| 56 | 56 | | (1) conduct an ongoing comprehensive review of the |
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| 57 | 57 | | work or other productive activities in which persons confined or |
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| 58 | 58 | | imprisoned in the department engage; and |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) identify opportunities for the award of high |
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| 60 | 60 | | school credit, college credit, or joint high school and college |
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| 61 | 61 | | credit, or the award of an industry-recognized credential or |
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| 62 | 62 | | certificate, for engaging in that work or activity. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (i) The district, in consultation with the department, the |
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| 64 | 64 | | Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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| 65 | 65 | | Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission, shall, for any type of |
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| 66 | 66 | | work or productive activity for which an opportunity is identified |
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| 67 | 67 | | under Subsection (h), determine the actions necessary for obtaining |
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| 68 | 68 | | the award of the applicable academic credit or industry |
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| 69 | 69 | | recognition. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (j) Not later than September 1, 2021, the task force shall |
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| 71 | 71 | | submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the |
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| 72 | 72 | | house of representatives, and the standing committees of the |
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| 73 | 73 | | legislature having jurisdiction over the department a report that |
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| 74 | 74 | | summarizes the review conducted under Subsection (h) and the |
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| 75 | 75 | | district's actions with regard to obtaining the award of academic |
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| 76 | 76 | | credit or industry recognition under Subsection (i). The district |
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| 77 | 77 | | shall provide the task force with any information necessary to |
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| 78 | 78 | | complete the report. |
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| 79 | 79 | | (k) This section expires December 1, 2021. |
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| 80 | 80 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2017, the executive |
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| 81 | 81 | | director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the |
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| 82 | 82 | | superintendent of the Windham School District, the commissioner of |
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| 83 | 83 | | higher education, the executive director of the Texas Workforce |
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| 84 | 84 | | Commission, and the governor shall appoint members to the task |
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| 85 | 85 | | force established by Section 19.012, Education Code, as added by |
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| 86 | 86 | | this Act, in the manner required by Subsection (b) of that section. |
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| 87 | 87 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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