Bill Text: TX SB1576 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of the Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Grant Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-23 - Co-author authorized [SB1576 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SB1576-Introduced.html
86R13046 KSD-F | ||
By: Alvarado | S.B. No. 1576 |
|
||
|
||
relating to the creation of the Texas Industrial Workforce | ||
Apprenticeship Grant Program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 481, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subchapter EE to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER EE. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP GRANT | ||
PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 481.601. PURPOSE. The purpose of the Texas Industrial | ||
Workforce Apprenticeship Grant Program is to address the immediate | ||
industrial workforce needs of this state resulting from the impact | ||
of Hurricane Harvey and overall workforce shortages. | ||
Sec. 481.602. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Apprenticeship program" means a training program | ||
that provides on-the-job training, preparatory instruction, | ||
supplementary instruction, or related instruction in a trade that | ||
has been recognized as an apprenticeable occupation by the Office | ||
of Apprenticeship of the United States Department of Labor. | ||
(2) "Person" does not include a governmental entity. | ||
Sec. 481.603. PROGRAM. The office shall establish and | ||
administer the Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Grant | ||
Program to encourage the private sector to develop specialized | ||
industrial workforce apprenticeship programs in this state. Under | ||
the program, the office shall provide grants for persons who meet | ||
the requirements of Section 481.605. | ||
Sec. 481.604. TEXAS INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE APPRENTICESHIP | ||
FUND. (a) The Texas Industrial Workforce Apprenticeship Fund is a | ||
dedicated account in the general revenue fund. | ||
(b) The following amounts shall be deposited in the fund: | ||
(1) money appropriated by the legislature for the fund | ||
for purposes described by this subchapter; | ||
(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the | ||
fund; and | ||
(3) gifts, grants, and other donations received for | ||
the fund. | ||
(c) The fund may be used only for an apprenticeship program | ||
that meets the requirements of Section 481.605. | ||
Sec. 481.605. APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. To be | ||
eligible to receive a grant under this section, a person must: | ||
(1) if the person is an entity, be in good standing | ||
under the laws of the state in which the person was formed or | ||
organized, as evidenced by a certificate issued by the secretary of | ||
state or the state official of another state having custody of the | ||
records pertaining to a person formed or organized under the laws of | ||
that state; | ||
(2) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this | ||
state; and | ||
(3) have in place an apprenticeship program that: | ||
(A) provides on-the-job training under an | ||
industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum; | ||
(B) guarantees employment for participants | ||
during and on completion of the training period; | ||
(C) pays each participant at least $15 per hour | ||
during the training period and provides eligibility for | ||
participants to receive full-time employee benefits during and on | ||
completion of the training period; | ||
(D) requires participants to advance their | ||
skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed mid-level status in the | ||
field related to the apprenticeship program; | ||
(E) has a duration of not less than 16 weeks and | ||
not more than 26 weeks; and | ||
(F) gives preference to training and hiring: | ||
(i) unemployed Texans who have filed with | ||
the Texas Workforce Commission; | ||
(ii) veterans of the United States armed | ||
forces; | ||
(iii) formerly incarcerated individuals; | ||
and | ||
(iv) underemployed individuals who are | ||
working without industry-recognized certifications or other | ||
credentials. | ||
Sec. 481.606. LIMITATIONS ON GRANT AMOUNT AND USE. The | ||
amount of a grant awarded under this chapter may not exceed $10,000 | ||
per apprenticeship program participant and may be used only to | ||
reimburse the cost of training, not including wages and benefits. | ||
Sec. 481.607. REQUIREMENTS; GRANT AWARD. (a) The office | ||
shall distribute the grant funds as a reimbursement for training | ||
costs incurred by grant recipients in accordance with Section | ||
481.606. | ||
(b) Before awarding a grant to a person under this section, | ||
the office must determine that a sufficient number of | ||
apprenticeship program participants have: | ||
(1) completed the program and achieved the training | ||
requirements specified by Section 481.605(3)(D); and | ||
(2) maintained available and suitable employment for a | ||
period of not less than six months cumulatively after completion of | ||
the apprenticeship program. | ||
(c) The executive director by rule may develop the criteria | ||
for making the determinations required by Subsection (b). | ||
Sec. 481.608. PROGRAM RULES. (a) The executive director | ||
shall adopt rules to administer and enforce this chapter. | ||
(b) The office shall post the rules on its Internet website. | ||
Sec. 481.609. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) Not later than December | ||
1 of each year, the office shall submit to the lieutenant governor, | ||
the speaker of the house of representatives, and the members of the | ||
legislature a report on grants made under Section 481.607 that | ||
states: | ||
(1) the number of direct jobs each grant recipient | ||
created in this state in each job category of the federal Equal | ||
Employment Opportunity Commission's job classification guide; | ||
(2) the median wage of the jobs each grant recipient | ||
created in this state; | ||
(3) the total amount of each grant awarded to a grant | ||
recipient; and | ||
(4) the number and categorization of apprenticeship | ||
program participants trained and employed by each grant recipient | ||
under Section 481.605(3)(F). | ||
(b) The report may not include information that is made | ||
confidential by law. | ||
(c) The office may require a grant recipient under Section | ||
481.607 to submit, on a form provided by the office, information | ||
required to complete the report. | ||
(d) The office shall post the annual report on its Internet | ||
website. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |