Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3878 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R2349 SLB-F
2	2	By: Hinojosa H.B. No. 3878
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to economic development and workforce retraining
8	8	opportunities in the transition to the use of clean energy sources.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 403.0285 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 403.0285. COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND
13	13	WORKFORCE RETRAINING IN CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION. (a) In this
14	14	section, "committee" means the Committee on Economic Development
15	15	and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition.
16	16	(b) The governor shall appoint the Committee on Economic
17	17	Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition
18	18	to assist the comptroller in identifying and evaluating economic
19	19	development and workforce retraining opportunities with regard to
20	20	the transition to clean energy sources.
21	21	(c) The committee is composed of not more than 21 members
22	22	and shall include:
23	23	(1) representatives of environmental justice
24	24	communities, environmental associations, and labor organizations;
25	25	(2) at least five representatives of industries that
26	26	use large amounts of energy;
27	27	(3) representatives of the renewable energy industry,
28	28	the oil and gas industry, including pipeline construction and
29	29	operation and refineries, and clean energy developers; and
30	30	(4) at least one representative from each of the
31	31	following agencies:
32	32	(A) the comptroller of public accounts;
33	33	(B) the office of the governor;
34	34	(C) the Railroad Commission of Texas;
35	35	(D) the State Energy Conservation Office;
36	36	(E) the Texas Commission on Environmental
37	37	Quality;
38	38	(F) the Texas Department of Housing and Community
39	39	Affairs; and
40	40	(G) the Texas Workforce Commission.
41	41	(d) The governor shall solicit nominations for the
42	42	committee and select from among those nominated to the extent
43	43	possible in order to meet the requirements of Subsection (c).
44	44	(e) The committee shall advise the comptroller by
45	45	identifying:
46	46	(1) opportunities for workforce development and
47	47	training related to energy efficiency measures, renewable energy,
48	48	and other clean energy technologies, with specific focus on
49	49	training and workforce opportunities for individuals from
50	50	disadvantaged communities and other groups that may be
51	51	underrepresented in the workforce, including veterans, women, and
52	52	formerly incarcerated persons;
53	53	(2) industries that use large amounts of energy and
54	54	trades related to those industries;
55	55	(3) impacts of the transition to the use of clean
56	56	energy sources on each sector of the state's workforce and ways to
57	57	maximize the skills and expertise of workers throughout the
58	58	transition;
59	59	(4) sites of electric generating facilities that may
60	60	be closed as a result of the transition to the use of clean energy
61	61	sources and the issues and opportunities presented by reuse of
62	62	those sites;
63	63	(5) potential effects of state or federal greenhouse
64	64	gas emissions limits on state industries and local communities,
65	65	including the impact of any potential carbon reduction measures on
66	66	the competitiveness of state business and industry; and
67	67	(6) any other matters relevant to the workforce of the
68	68	state with regard to the transition to the use of clean energy
69	69	sources.
70	70	(f) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the
71	71	State Energy Conservation Office shall provide the committee with
72	72	facilities, data, and other assistance necessary for the committee
73	73	to carry out its duties under this section. A state agency or
74	74	political subdivision of this state shall provide the committee
75	75	with facilities, data, and other assistance as requested by the
76	76	committee to carry out its duties under this section.
77	77	(g) The committee may enter into an interagency agreement
78	78	with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Public
79	79	Utility Commission of Texas, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the
80	80	Texas Workforce Commission, or another state agency for technical
81	81	advice or assistance as necessary to complete the requirements of
82	82	this section.
83	83	SECTION 2. (a) Not later than December 1, 2022, the
84	84	comptroller, with the advice of the Committee on Economic
85	85	Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy
86	86	Transition, shall prepare a report on the effects and opportunities
87	87	of the transition to clean energy, including:
88	88	(1) issues and opportunities related to industries
89	89	that use large amounts of energy and trades associated with those
90	90	industries;
91	91	(2) clean energy workforce development for:
92	92	(A) workers in industries that may be negatively
93	93	affected by the transition to the use of clean energy sources; and
94	94	(B) disadvantaged communities and other segments
95	95	of the population that are underrepresented in the state's
96	96	workforce;
97	97	(3) measures to minimize the loss of jobs and industry
98	98	that would be associated with the imposition of any potential
99	99	greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies or other energy sector
100	100	mandates related to greenhouse gases;
101	101	(4) the number of jobs that have been created to
102	102	counter climate change, including in the energy, building,
103	103	transportation, and working lands sectors;
104	104	(5) the projection of the inventory of jobs needed and
105	105	the skills and training required to meet the demand of jobs to
106	106	counter climate change; and
107	107	(6) other issues related to workforce disruption due
108	108	to community transitions from an economy based on fossil fuels.
109	109	(b) The comptroller shall make the report described by
110	110	Subsection (a) of this section available to the public on the
111	111	comptroller's Internet website and deliver the report to:
112	112	(1) the governor;
113	113	(2) the lieutenant governor;
114	114	(3) the speaker of the house of representatives; and
115	115	(4) the chair and vice chair of the:
116	116	(A) House Environmental Regulation Committee;
117	117	(B) House State Affairs Committee;
118	118	(C) Senate Natural Resources Committee; and
119	119	(D) Senate Business and Commerce Committee.
120	120	(c) This section expires September 1, 2023.
121	121	SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2021, the governor
122	122	shall make the appointments to the Committee on Economic
123	123	Development and Workforce Retraining in the Clean Energy Transition
124	124	as required by Section 403.0285, Government Code, as added by this
125	125	Act.
126	126	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
127	127	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
128	128	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
129	129	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
130	130	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.