89R7697 LRM-D
By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1441
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to state agency employment openings and aptitude
assessments.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 656.002, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (b), (c), and (e) and adding Subsections (f),
(g), and (h) to read as follows:
(b) The online system for listing state agency employment
openings maintained by the Texas Workforce Commission must allow an
applicant for employment to:
(1) complete a single state application and the
standardized aptitude test online; and
(2) enter the application and the standardized
aptitude test into an online database from which the applicant may
electronically send the application and the standardized aptitude
test to multiple state agencies.
(c) The Texas Workforce Commission shall:
(1) prescribe a standard electronic format for the
online application and standardized aptitude test described by
Subsection (b); and
(2) ensure that the commission's online system allows
an applicant to submit and a state agency to receive an online
application and the standardized aptitude test for state agency
employment.
(e) This section does not prohibit a state agency from
accepting an application for an employment opening, the
standardized aptitude test, or a specialized aptitude test in a
manner other than the manner described by this section.
(f) The online system must inform an applicant that the
applicant is not required to complete the standardized aptitude
test to apply for an employment opening.
(g) The online system must list the classified positions for
which the standardized aptitude test will be accepted.
(h) In this section, "specialized aptitude test" and
"standardized aptitude test" have the meanings assigned by Section
656.028.
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 656, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 656.028 to read as follows:
Sec. 656.028. APTITUDE ASSESSMENTS. (a) In this section:
(1) "Career education and training program" has the
meaning assigned by Section 2308A.001.
(2) "Specialized aptitude test" means an assessment of
the competencies and skills needed for a specific state agency
position that are not measured by the standardized aptitude test,
including a skills demonstration, skills-based questionnaire,
skills-based interview, and any other valid skills measurement
strategy.
(3) "Standardized aptitude test" means the uniform
assessment that measures the skill set of a job applicant developed
by the state auditor under this section.
(b) Each state agency shall at least once each calendar year
review each classified position in the state agency to determine
the skills needed for each position. The state agency shall compile
a list of skills for each position identified under this subsection
and submit the list to the state auditor.
(c) The state auditor shall review each list of skills for
each position submitted under Subsection (b) and determine the
skills shared across state agency classified positions. The state
auditor shall develop, in consultation with state agencies, a
standardized aptitude test to determine whether a job applicant has
the shared skills. The state auditor may contract with a person
that specializes in certification of occupation-based skills
assessments to develop, certify, or evaluate the results of the
standardized aptitude test.
(d) The Texas Workforce Commission shall make the
standardized aptitude test available on the online system for
listing state agency employment openings described by Section
656.002.
(e) If a state agency determines a specialized aptitude test
would improve the agency's hiring process, the agency must consult
with the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative established by Chapter
2308A to align career education and training programs and the state
workforce development strategies developed under Section 2308A.006
with the competencies and skills measured by the test.
(f) A state agency may not consider the fact that an
applicant for employment did not complete the standardized aptitude
test in making a hiring determination.
(g) The state auditor shall adopt rules necessary to
implement this section, including rules that require a state agency
to accept the standardized aptitude test as an alternative to a
hiring requirement that relates to an applicant's education or
experience, as determined appropriate by the state auditor.
SECTION 3. Each state agency shall complete the initial
review required by Section 656.028(b), Government Code, as added by
this Act, and submit the list of skills for each position to the
state auditor not later than December 1, 2026.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.