Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1192 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: West, et al. S.B. No. 1192
2		-	(Turner of Tarrant)
	1	+	By: West, Miles S.B. No. 1192
3	2
4	3
5	4		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	5		AN ACT
7	6		relating to the Texas college work-study program and to
8	7		establishing a program for the off-campus employment of certain
9	8		students at public or private institutions of higher education.
10	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	10		SECTION 1. Section 56.074, Education Code, is amended to
12	11		read as follows:
13	12		Sec. 56.074. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION; PARTICIPATION
14	13		REQUIREMENTS. (a) An eligible institution is:
15	14		(1) an institution of higher education; or
16	15		(2) a private or independent college, university,
17	16		association, agency, institution, or facility that is located in
18	17		this state which meets program standards and accreditation
19	18		comparable to public institutions as determined by the board.
20	19		(b) To participate in the Texas college work-study program,
21	20		an eligible institution must:
22	21		(1) provide employment to an eligible student in
23	22		nonpartisan and nonsectarian activities;
24	23		(2) provide, insofar as is practicable, employment to
25	24		an eligible student that is related to the student's academic
26	25		interests;
27	26		(3) use work-study program positions only to
28	27		supplement and not supplant positions normally filled by persons
29	28		not eligible to participate in the work-study program;
30	29		(4) provide from sources other than federal college
31	30		work-study program funds a percentage of an employed student's
32	31		wages that is equal to the percentage of a student's wages that the
33	32		eligible institution would be required to provide to the student in
34	33		that academic year under the federal college work-study program;
35	34		and
36	35		(5) provide from sources other than federal college
37	36		work-study funds 100 percent of other employee benefits for the
38	37		employed student.
39	38		SECTION 2. Section 56.078, Education Code, is amended to
40	39		read as follows:
41	40		Sec. 56.078. FUNDING. Funding to cover the state's
42	41		contribution toward the funding of the work-study program under
43	42		this subchapter and the Texas WORKS internship program under
44	43		Subchapter E-1 is payable from funds appropriated for that purpose.
45	44		SECTION 3. Section 56.082, Education Code, is amended to
46	45		read as follows:
47	46		Sec. 56.082. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than January 1 of
48	47		each year, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
49	48		submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the
50	49		house of representatives, and the standing legislative committees
51	50		with primary jurisdiction over higher education and post on the
52	51		coordinating board's Internet website a report on the Texas college
53	52		work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship program under
54	53		Subchapter E-1. The report must include the total number of
55	54		students employed through the programs [program], disaggregated
56	55		by:
57	56		(1) race, ethnicity, and gender;
58	57		(2) major and certificate or degree program;
59	58		(3) classification as a freshman, sophomore, junior,
60	59		or senior or the equivalent;
61	60		(4) enrollment in a full course load or less than a
62	61		full course load, as determined by the coordinating board;
63	62		(5) the employment position's location on or off
64	63		campus; and
65	64		(6) the employer's status as a for-profit or nonprofit
66	65		entity.
67	66		SECTION 4. Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
68	67		Subchapter E-1 to read as follows:
69	68		SUBCHAPTER E-1. TEXAS WORKING OFF-CAMPUS: REINFORCING KNOWLEDGE
70	69		AND SKILLS (WORKS) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
71	70		Sec. 56.0851. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
72	71		(1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
73	72		Education Coordinating Board.
74	73		(2) "Eligible wages" means gross wages paid to an
75	74		individual student in the student's program employment.
76	75		(3) "Program" or "Texas WORKS internship program"
77	76		means the Texas Working Off-Campus: Reinforcing Knowledge and
78	77		Skills (WORKS) Internship Program.
79	78		Sec. 56.0852. PROGRAM NAME. The student financial
80	79		assistance program authorized by this subchapter is the Texas
81	80		Working Off-Campus: Reinforcing Knowledge and Skills (WORKS)
82	81		Internship Program.
83	82		Sec. 56.0853. PURPOSE. The purpose of the program is to
84	83		provide jobs funded in part by the State of Texas to enable students
85	84		employed through the program to attend public or private
86	85		institutions of higher education in Texas while exploring career
87	86		options and strengthening marketable skills.
88	87		Sec. 56.0854. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The coordinating board
89	88		shall administer the program and collaborate with eligible
90	89		employers to provide students employed through the program with
91	90		employment funded in part by the state.
92	91		(b) The coordinating board shall establish criteria to
93	92		ensure that:
94	93		(1) a participating employer is reimbursed under the
95	94		program at the rate established by the coordinating board only for
96	95		fully paid eligible wages; and
97	96		(2) marketable skills to be strengthened or gained
98	97		through a student's internship position are identified.
99	98		(c) The coordinating board shall develop a standard
100	99		contract establishing the roles and responsibilities of eligible
101	100		employers, base wages and minimum work hours for students employed
102	101		through the program, and any other provisions identified by the
103	102		coordinating board as necessary to administer the program. The
104	103		coordinating board shall use the standard contract as a model for
105	104		the memorandum of understanding required to be entered into by
106	105		eligible employers.
107	106		(d) The coordinating board may use funds appropriated for
108	107		the Texas college work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship
109	108		program to establish and maintain an online portal for use by
110	109		students and participating entities in fulfilling their
111	110		responsibilities for participation in the Texas WORKS internship
112	111		program. The coordinating board may use funds appropriated for the
113	112		Texas college work-study program and the Texas WORKS internship
114	113		program to cover the expenses and personnel costs of administering
115	114		and assessing the Texas WORKS internship program.
116	115		(e) If funding for the program is insufficient to cover the
117	116		cost of all students eligible for the program, as provided by
118	117		coordinating board rule, priority for funding is based on
119	118		eligibility criteria established by coordinating board rule to
120	119		further the purposes of the program.
121	120		(f) Funds received by students employed through the program
122	121		as eligible wages are not considered as financial aid for the
123	122		academic year in which the funds are earned.
124	123		Sec. 56.0855. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYER. (a) The coordinating
125	124		board may enter into agreements with employers that participate in
126	125		the program.
127	126		(b) To be eligible to enter into an agreement with the
128	127		coordinating board to participate in the program, an employer must:
129	128		(1) except as provided by Subsection (c), be a private
130	129		nonprofit or for-profit entity or a governmental entity;
131	130		(2) demonstrate the administrative and financial
132	131		capacity to carry out the employer's responsibilities under the
133	132		program, including the ability to pay full wages and benefits to a
134	133		student employed through the program;
135	134		(3) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the
136	135		coordinating board;
137	136		(4) provide employment to a student employed through
138	137		the program in nonpartisan and nonsectarian activities that relate
139	138		to the student's long-term career interests;
140	139		(5) use program positions only to supplement and not
141	140		supplant positions normally filled by persons who are not eligible
142	141		to participate in the program, as provided by coordinating board
143	142		rule;
144	143		(6) provide the entirety of an employed student's
145	144		wages and employee benefits;
146	145		(7) submit eligible wages to the coordinating board
147	146		for reimbursement; and
148	147		(8) comply with other requirements adopted by the
149	148		coordinating board under this subchapter.
150	149		(c) An employer is not eligible to participate in the
151	150		program if the employer is:
152	151		(1) a public or private institution of higher
153	152		education in Texas; or
154	153		(2) a career school or college, as defined by Section
155	154		132.001.
156	155		Sec. 56.0856. ADOPTION OF RULES. (a) The coordinating
157	156		board shall adopt reasonable rules, consistent with the purpose of
158	157		the program, to enforce the requirements, conditions, and
159	158		limitations provided by this subchapter.
160	159		(b) The coordinating board shall adopt rules necessary to
161	160		ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI (Pub.
162	161		L. No. 88-352), concerning nondiscrimination in admissions or
163	162		employment.
164	163		Sec. 56.0857. ONLINE LIST OF TEXAS WORKS EMPLOYMENT
165	164		OPPORTUNITIES. The coordinating board shall:
166	165		(1) establish and maintain an online listing of Texas
167	166		WORKS internship program employment opportunities available to
168	167		students, sortable by employer, and include other relevant features
169	168		such as job description, job field, or skills required, as
170	169		appropriate; and
171	170		(2) ensure that the list is easily accessible to the
172	171		public through a clearly identifiable link that appears in a
173	172		prominent place on the coordinating board's Internet website.
174	173		SECTION 5. Section 56.076(b), Education Code, is repealed.
175	174		SECTION 6. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective
176	175		date of this Act, the commissioner of the Texas Higher Education
177	176		Coordinating Board shall develop the rules and procedures necessary
178	177		for the implementation of Subchapter E-1, Chapter 56, Education
179	178		Code, as added by this Act.
180	179		(b) The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with
181	180		the 2020 summer term.
182	181		SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
183	182		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
184	183		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
185	184		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
186	185		Act takes effect September 1, 2019.