| 1 | 1 | | 89R6196 DNC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bhojani H.B. No. 4443 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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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 establishment by the Texas Workforce Commission of |
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| 10 | 10 | | a pilot program to train workers for careers in energy-efficient |
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| 11 | 11 | | technologies. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Labor Code is amended |
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| 14 | 14 | | by adding Section 302.02015 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 302.02015. CAREERS IN ENERGY-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES |
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| 16 | 16 | | PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) "Agency" means the Texas Education Agency. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher |
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| 19 | 19 | | Education Coordinating Board. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) "Public junior college" has the meaning assigned |
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| 21 | 21 | | by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) The commission, in consultation with the agency and the |
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| 23 | 23 | | coordinating board, shall establish and administer a pilot program |
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| 24 | 24 | | in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area under which the |
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| 25 | 25 | | commission partners with public junior colleges and |
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| 26 | 26 | | energy-efficient technology employers to provide necessary |
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| 27 | 27 | | education and training to students for entry into jobs in |
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| 28 | 28 | | industries using energy-efficient technologies. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (c) Subject to coordinating board approval, a public junior |
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| 30 | 30 | | college participating in the program may offer dual credit courses |
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| 31 | 31 | | to high school students or college-level courses to high school |
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| 32 | 32 | | graduates participating in the pilot program. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (d) The commission, in consultation with the agency and the |
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| 34 | 34 | | coordinating board, shall establish: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) curriculum requirements for courses and training |
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| 36 | 36 | | offered under the pilot program; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) eligibility criteria for a student or an |
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| 38 | 38 | | energy-efficient technology employer to participate in the pilot |
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| 39 | 39 | | program; and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) a certificate of completion the commission may |
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| 41 | 41 | | award to a pilot program participant for the successful completion |
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| 42 | 42 | | of a course of study and training in energy-efficient technologies |
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| 43 | 43 | | under the pilot program. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (e) Under the pilot program, the commission shall ensure |
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| 45 | 45 | | that the local workforce development board serving the workforce |
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| 46 | 46 | | development area in which the pilot program is administered |
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| 47 | 47 | | maintains the following information for each pilot program |
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| 48 | 48 | | participant following program completion, disaggregated by race, |
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| 49 | 49 | | ethnicity, sex, income, and location: |
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| 50 | 50 | | (1) the evaluation data described by Section |
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| 51 | 51 | | 302.082(b); and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (2) data regarding the attainment of employment within |
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| 53 | 53 | | the field of energy-efficient technologies. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) The commission, agency, and coordinating board may |
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| 55 | 55 | | adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this section. |
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| 56 | 56 | | (g) Not later than December 1, 2030, the commission shall |
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| 57 | 57 | | evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program at enhancing the |
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| 58 | 58 | | entry rate of participants into careers in energy-efficient |
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| 59 | 59 | | technologies and report the results of the evaluation to the |
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| 60 | 60 | | legislature. The report must include the commission's |
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| 61 | 61 | | recommendation on whether the pilot program should be implemented |
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| 62 | 62 | | on a statewide basis. |
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| 63 | 63 | | (h) This section expires September 1, 2031. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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