Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1961 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R14958 RDR-F
2	2	By: Bettencourt S.B. No. 1961
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the reporting of data relating to postsecondary
10	10	education and workforce trends by the Texas Higher Education
11	11	Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission, to
12	12	performance tier funding under the public junior college finance
13	13	program, and to a biennial regional labor demand assessment by the
14	14	coordinating board.
15	15	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
16	16	SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
17	17	amended by adding Sections 61.09023 and 61.09096 to read as
18	18	follows:
19	19	Sec. 61.09023. REPORTING ON POSTSECONDARY OUTCOMES. (a)
20	20	The board shall post on the board's Internet website the following
21	21	de-identified data, disaggregated by institution of higher
22	22	education and matriculating cohort:
23	23	(1) for students who graduate from a degree,
24	24	certificate, or other credential program:
25	25	(A) the program completed;
26	26	(B) the employment status of graduates from each
27	27	program, including, if known, the number of those graduates who
28	28	enrolled in additional postsecondary education; and
29	29	(C) the counties of employment and residence,
30	30	industries of employment, occupations, and wages of graduates from
31	31	each program; and
32	32	(2) for students who have not graduated from a degree,
33	33	certificate, or other credential program and are no longer enrolled
34	34	in that program:
35	35	(A) the program in which the student was most
36	36	recently enrolled;
37	37	(B) the number of credits remaining before the
38	38	student would complete the program;
39	39	(C) the student's employment status, including,
40	40	if known, whether the student is enrolled in another degree,
41	41	certificate, or other credential program at an institution of
42	42	higher education; and
43	43	(D) the counties and industries of employment,
44	44	occupations, and wages of those students.
45	45	(b) The board shall ensure the data posted under Subsection
46	46	(a) complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of
47	47	1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g).
48	48	Sec. 61.09096. BIENNIAL REGIONAL LABOR DEMAND ASSESSMENT.
49	49	(a) The board, in consultation with the Texas Workforce
50	50	Commission, shall conduct a biennial assessment of regional labor
51	51	demands across the state to allow institutions of higher education
52	52	to better align educational programs with workforce needs. In
53	53	conducting the assessment, the board shall:
54	54	(1) analyze current and projected workforce needs in
55	55	each region of the state over a 10-year period, disaggregated by
56	56	wage, industry, occupational field, full-time and part-time
57	57	status, county of primary employment, county of residence, and
58	58	remote work status;
59	59	(2) identify for each region and county the industries
60	60	and occupations that lead to a self-sufficient wage, as determined
61	61	under Section 2308A.012, Government Code, based on local labor
62	62	market conditions;
63	63	(3) provide a list of degrees, certificates, or other
64	64	credentials included in the library of credentials established
65	65	under Section 2308A.007, Government Code, that lead to jobs in the
66	66	industries or occupations identified under Subdivision (2); and
67	67	(4) provide information on outcomes relating to each
68	68	degree, certificate, or other credential listed under Subdivision
69	69	(3), including:
70	70	(A) the median wage earned by students who
71	71	graduated with the degree, certificate, or other credential in 1
72	72	year, 5 years, and 10 years after completion of the program; and
73	73	(B) job placement rates in six months of
74	74	completion of the degree, certificate, or other credential.
75	75	(b) To assist the board in conducting the assessment under
76	76	this section, the board, in coordination with other state agencies,
77	77	including the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Education
78	78	Agency, and other relevant entities, shall:
79	79	(1) access labor market information, employment data,
80	80	and workforce projections; and
81	81	(2) ensure that educational and training programs,
82	82	credentialing pathways, and career preparation efforts are
83	83	informed by comprehensive and accurate labor market data.
84	84	(c) The board shall provide the labor market information and
85	85	workforce projections obtained from the assessment conducted under
86	86	this section to institutions of higher education, school districts,
87	87	and open-enrollment charter schools to support program development
88	88	aligned with regional workforce needs.
89	89	(d) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
90	90	the board shall report the results of the assessment conducted
91	91	under this section to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
92	92	speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing
93	93	legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over higher
94	94	education.
95	95	SECTION 2. Section 130A.101(c), Education Code, is amended
96	96	to read as follows:
97	97	(c) The measurable outcomes considered for purposes of
98	98	performance tier funding are:
99	99	(1) the number of credentials of value awarded, as
100	100	determined by the coordinating board under Section 130A.102 [based
101	101	on analyses of wages and costs associated with the credential],
102	102	including degrees, certificates, and other credentials from credit
103	103	and non-credit programs that equip students for continued learning
104	104	and greater earnings in the state economy, with an additional
105	105	weight for placement of students who earn that credential in a
106	106	high-demand occupation, as defined by coordinating board rule, or
107	107	an appropriate proxy determined by the coordinating board based on
108	108	available data;
109	109	(2) the number of students who earn at least 15
110	110	semester credit hours or the equivalent at the junior college
111	111	district and:
112	112	(A) subsequently transfer to a general academic
113	113	teaching institution, as that term is defined by Section 61.003; or
114	114	(B) are enrolled in a structured co-enrollment
115	115	program, as authorized by coordinating board rule; and
116	116	(3) the number of students who complete a sequence of
117	117	at least 15 semester credit hours or the equivalent for dual credit
118	118	or dual enrollment courses, as defined by coordinating board rule,
119	119	that apply toward academic or workforce program requirements at the
120	120	postsecondary level.
121	121	SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 130A, Education Code, is
122	122	amended by adding Section 130A.102 to read as follows:
123	123	Sec. 130A.102. CREDENTIALS OF VALUE. (a) For purposes of
124	124	Section 130A.101(c)(1), the coordinating board shall designate a
125	125	postsecondary credential as a credential of value if the
126	126	credential:
127	127	(1) is aligned with regional or state workforce
128	128	demand;
129	129	(2) provides a positive return on investment within a
130	130	time frame relatively proportional, as determined by the
131	131	coordinating board, to the duration of the certificate or degree
132	132	program at a public junior college through which a person may earn
133	133	the credential; and
134	134	(3) ensures a person who graduates from a public
135	135	junior college with the credential achieves a minimum earnings
136	136	threshold as determined under Subsection (b).
137	137	(b) The coordinating board by rule shall establish a minimum
138	138	earnings threshold for a credential of value. In establishing the
139	139	threshold, the coordinating board must consider:
140	140	(1) the time frame in which earnings from the
141	141	credential exceed the total cost of attendance at a public junior
142	142	college, including foregone wages; and
143	143	(2) whether the earnings meet or exceed the amount of
144	144	the self-sufficient wage determined under Section 2308A.012,
145	145	Government Code, within a time frame relatively proportional, as
146	146	determined by the coordinating board, to the duration of the
147	147	certificate or degree program at a public junior college through
148	148	which a person may earn the credential.
149	149	(c) The coordinating board by rule may designate a
150	150	postsecondary credential as a credential of value regardless of
151	151	whether the credential meets the requirements under Subsection (a)
152	152	if the coordinating board determines the designation necessary. A
153	153	designation under this subsection expires on the second anniversary
154	154	of the date on which the designation was made unless renewed by the
155	155	coordinating board. In determining whether a designation is
156	156	necessary, the coordinating board shall consider:
157	157	(1) workforce demand in critical industries;
158	158	(2) alignment with state economic priorities;
159	159	(3) public service or essential workforce roles; and
160	160	(4) other considerations the coordinating board deems
161	161	necessary.
162	162	SECTION 4. Section 204.0025, Labor Code, is amended to read
163	163	as follows:
164	164	Sec. 204.0025. ADDITIONAL WORKFORCE DATA REPORTING. The
165	165	commission shall [It is the intent of the legislature that the
166	166	commission, subject to the availability of federal funding or other
167	167	resources for the purpose,] work with employers to enhance the
168	168	reporting of employment and earnings data by employers to the
169	169	commission as part of an employer's routine wage filings under this
170	170	subtitle or commission rule and consistent with federal law and
171	171	regulations. The enhanced wage filings must include information
172	172	related to wage, industry, occupational field, full-time and
173	173	part-time status, county of primary employment, county of
174	174	residence, remote work status, [occupation] and other important
175	175	employment information necessary to conduct the assessment
176	176	required under Section 61.09096, Education Code [that would improve
177	177	the state's labor market information].
178	178	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.