Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1055 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	S.B. No. 1055
	1	+	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1055
	2	+	(Frullo, Longoria, Blanco)
2	3
3	4
	5	+	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
4	6		AN ACT
5	7		relating to the administration by the Texas Workforce Commission of
6	8		a workforce diploma pilot program.
7	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	10		SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by
9	11		adding Chapter 317 to read as follows:
10	12		CHAPTER 317. WORKFORCE DIPLOMA PILOT PROGRAM
11	13		Sec. 317.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
12	14		(1) "Adult" means any individual who is over the age of
13	15		compulsory school attendance prescribed by Section 25.085,
14	16		Education Code.
15	17		(2) "Program" means the workforce diploma pilot
16	18		program established under this chapter.
17	19		Sec. 317.002. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION;
18	20		PURPOSE. The commission, in consultation with the Texas Education
19	21		Agency, shall establish and administer a workforce diploma pilot
20	22		program under which eligible high school diploma-granting entities
21	23		participating in the program may be reimbursed for successfully
22	24		assisting adult students to obtain a high school diploma and
23	25		develop technical career readiness skills and employability.
24	26		Sec. 317.003. REQUEST FOR PROGRAM PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS.
25	27		Not later than October 15 of each year, the commission shall publish
26	28		a request for qualifications for providers to participate in the
27	29		program.
28	30		Sec. 317.004. PROVIDER ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to
29	31		participate as a provider under the program, a provider must:
30	32		(1) apply to the commission in the manner prescribed
31	33		by commission rule;
32		-	(2) be a public, nonprofit, or private entity that is:
33		-	(A) authorized under the Education Code or other
34		-	state law to grant a high school diploma; or
35		-	(B) accredited by a regional accrediting body;
	34	+	(2) be a public, nonprofit, or private high school
	35	+	diploma-granting entity accredited by a regional accrediting body;
36	36		(3) have at least two years of experience providing
37	37		dropout reengagement services to adult students, including
38	38		recruitment, learning plan development, and proactive coaching and
39	39		mentoring, leading to the obtainment of a high school diploma;
40	40		(4) be equipped to:
41	41		(A) provide:
42	42		(i) academic skill intake assessment and
43	43		transcript evaluations;
44	44		(ii) remediation coursework in literacy and
45	45		numeracy;
46	46		(iii) a research-validated academic
47	47		resiliency assessment and intervention;
48	48		(iv) employability skills development
49	49		aligned to employer needs;
50	50		(v) career pathways coursework;
51	51		(vi) preparation for the attainment of
52	52		industry-recognized credentials; and
53	53		(vii) career placement services; and
54	54		(B) develop a learning plan that integrates
55	55		academic requirements and career goals; and
56	56		(5) offer a course catalog that includes all courses
57	57		necessary to meet high school graduation requirements in this
58	58		state.
59	59		Sec. 317.005. PROVIDER APPROVAL; LIST OF APPROVED
60	60		PROVIDERS. (a) Not later than November 15 of each year, the
61	61		commission shall publish a list of providers approved by the
62	62		commission to participate in the program during the next calendar
63	63		year.
64	64		(b) An approved provider maintains approval to participate
65	65		in the program during a subsequent calendar year without reapplying
66	66		to the commission unless the provider is removed from the approved
67	67		provider list as provided by Section 317.008.
68	68		Sec. 317.006. REIMBURSEMENT OF PROGRAM PROVIDERS FOR
69	69		STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. (a) To the extent money is available for
70	70		that purpose, the commission shall reimburse each approved provider
71	71		participating in the program for the achievement of the following
72	72		milestones by students receiving services from the provider:
73	73		(1) $250 for the completion of a half credit;
74	74		(2) $250 for the completion of an employability skills
75		-	certification program equal to at least one ~~credit~~ or the
	75	+	certification program equal to at least one Carnegie unit or the
76	76		equivalent;
77	77		(3) $250 for the attainment of an industry-recognized
78	78		credential requiring not more than 50 hours of training;
79	79		(4) $500 for the attainment of an industry-recognized
80	80		credential requiring at least 50 but not more than 100 hours of
81	81		training;
82	82		(5) $750 for the attainment of an industry-recognized
83	83		credential requiring more than 100 hours of training; and
84	84		(6) $1,000 for the obtainment of a high school
85	85		diploma.
86	86		(b) Not later than the 10th calendar day of each month, an
87	87		approved provider participating in the program shall submit to the
88	88		commission an invoice for the milestones achieved by the provider's
89	89		students during the previous calendar month.
90	90		(c) The commission shall reimburse approved program
91	91		providers in the order in which invoices are received by the
92	92		commission until all funds available for the program are exhausted.
93	93		Sec. 317.007. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than January 15 of
94	94		each year, each approved provider that participated in the program
95	95		during the previous calendar year shall report to the commission
96	96		the following data regarding the provider's students for that year:
97	97		(1) the number of students for which the provider
98	98		received reimbursement under the program;
99	99		(2) the total number of credits earned by the
100	100		students;
101	101		(3) the total number of employability skills
102	102		certification programs completed by the students;
103	103		(4) the total number of industry-recognized
104	104		credentials attained by the students in each of the funding tiers
105	105		described by Sections 317.006(a)(3), (4), and (5); and
106	106		(5) the number of students who obtained a high school
107	107		diploma.
108	108		Sec. 317.008. PROVIDER PERFORMANCE REVIEW. (a) The
109	109		commission by rule shall prescribe minimum performance standards
110	110		for providers participating in the program. The minimum
111	111		performance standards must include:
112	112		(1) a graduation rate of at least 50 percent; and
113	113		(2) a program cost per graduate of $7,000 or less.
114	114		(b) For purposes of Subsections (a)(1) and (2), the
115	115		commission by rule shall develop formulas to make the appropriate
116	116		calculations. The graduation rate must be calculated one cohort
117	117		year in arrears.
118	118		(c) The commission shall review data from each
119	119		participating approved provider annually to ensure that the
120	120		services offered by the provider are meeting the minimum
121	121		performance standards. If the commission determines that an
122	122		approved provider did not meet the minimum performance standards in
123	123		the previous calendar year, the commission shall place the provider
124	124		on probationary status for the remainder of the current calendar
125	125		year.
126	126		(d) The commission shall remove from the approved provider
127	127		list published under Section 317.005 any provider that does not
128	128		meet the minimum performance standards for two consecutive calendar
129	129		years.
130	130		Sec. 317.009. REPORT. Not later than December 1 of each
131	131		even-numbered year, the commission shall submit to the legislature
132	132		a report on the effectiveness of the program. The commission shall
133	133		include in the report a recommendation regarding whether the
134	134		program should be continued, expanded, or terminated.
135	135		Sec. 317.010. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September
136	136		1, 2025.
137	137		SECTION 2. The Texas Workforce Commission is required to
138	138		implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature
139	139		appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the
140	140		legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that
141	141		purpose, the Texas Workforce Commission may, but is not required
142	142		to, implement a provision of this Act using other appropriations
143	143		available for that purpose.
144	144		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
145		-	______________________________ ______________________________
146		-	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
147		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1055 passed the Senate on
148		-	April 25, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 2; and that
149		-	the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 13, 2019, by the
150		-	following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.
151		-	______________________________
152		-	Secretary of the Senate
153		-	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1055 passed the House, with
154		-	amendment, on May 7, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 131,
155		-	Nays 16, one present not voting.
156		-	______________________________
157		-	Chief Clerk of the House
158		-	Approved:
159		-	______________________________
160		-	Date
161		-	______________________________
162		-	Governor