Bill Text: TX SB1746 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to workforce continuing education offered by public junior colleges.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-04-26 - Left pending in committee [SB1746 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB1746-Introduced.html
2017S0441-1 03/09/17 | ||
By: Hinojosa | S.B. No. 1746 |
|
||
|
||
relating to workforce continuing education offered by public junior | ||
colleges. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subchapter L to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER L. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION | ||
Sec. 130.301. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Adult" means a person who: | ||
(A) has completed sophomore year of high school; | ||
(B) is 17 years of age and has been awarded a high | ||
school diploma or its equivalent; or | ||
(C) is 18 years of age or older, regardless of the | ||
person's previous educational experience. | ||
(2) "Avocational course" means a course of study in a | ||
subject or activity that is usually engaged in by a person in | ||
addition to the person's regular work or profession for recreation | ||
or in relation to a hobby. The term includes a community interest | ||
course. | ||
(3) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board. | ||
(4) "Workforce continuing education" means a program | ||
of instruction that: | ||
(A) is designed primarily for adults; and | ||
(B) is intended, on completion by a participant, | ||
to prepare the participant to qualify to apply for and accept an | ||
employment offer or a job upgrade within a specific occupational | ||
category or to bring the participant's knowledge or skills up to | ||
date on new developments in a particular occupation or profession. | ||
(5) "Workforce continuing education course" means a | ||
course of instruction in workforce continuing education that is | ||
approved by the coordinating board. The term does not include an | ||
avocational course. | ||
Sec. 130.302. FORMULA FUNDING FOR WORKFORCE CONTINUING | ||
EDUCATION COURSES. Notwithstanding Section 130.003 or any other | ||
law, contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a student in a | ||
workforce continuing education course offered by a public junior | ||
college shall be included in the contact hours used to determine the | ||
college's proportionate share of state money appropriated and | ||
distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 and | ||
130.0031, regardless of whether the college waives all or part of | ||
the tuition or fees for the course under Section 130.304. | ||
Sec. 130.303. WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR HIGH | ||
SCHOOL STUDENTS. (a) A public junior college may offer, or may | ||
enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or | ||
other person that operates a high school to offer, workforce | ||
continuing education courses to a person who: | ||
(1) is enrolled in high school on the completion of the | ||
person's sophomore year; | ||
(2) is enrolled in a school that is not formally | ||
organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of age; or | ||
(3) is attending high school while incarcerated, is at | ||
least 16 years of age, and is not eligible for release from | ||
incarceration before the person's 18th birthday. | ||
(b) Courses eligible under this section do not include | ||
learning frameworks courses, basic employability skills courses, | ||
or basic learning skills courses. | ||
(c) Community interest continuing education courses are not | ||
eligible for formula funding under Section 130.302, but public | ||
junior colleges may offer such courses using local funds. | ||
Sec. 130.304. WAIVER OF TUITION AND FEES FOR WORKFORCE | ||
CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES. A public junior college may waive | ||
all or part of the tuition or fees charged to a student for a | ||
workforce continuing education course. | ||
Sec. 130.305. RULES. The coordinating board shall adopt | ||
any rules the coordinating board considers necessary for the | ||
administration of this subchapter. In adopting those rules, the | ||
coordinating board shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures | ||
under Chapter 2008, Government Code. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |