Bill Text: TX HB1702 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to eligibility for the Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund grant program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-20 - Filed [HB1702 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB1702-Introduced.html
| 89R8152 RDR-D | ||
| By: Lozano | H.B. No. 1702 | |
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| relating to eligibility for the Lone Star Workforce of the Future | ||
| Fund grant program. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 134A.001, Education Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subdivision (3) to read as follows: | ||
| (3) "Qualifying general academic teaching | ||
| institution" means a general academic teaching institution as | ||
| defined by Section 61.003 that: | ||
| (A) has a student enrollment of less than 10,000; | ||
| (B) is located in a county with a population of | ||
| less than 35,000; and | ||
| (C) is designated by the United States Department | ||
| of Education as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI). | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 134A.006, Education Code, is amended to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 134A.006. LONE STAR WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE FUND GRANT | ||
| PROGRAM. The commission shall establish and administer the Lone | ||
| Star Workforce of the Future Fund grant program to provide grants to | ||
| public junior colleges, public technical institutes, qualifying | ||
| general academic teaching institutions, and nonprofit | ||
| organizations that apply to the commission in the manner prescribed | ||
| by the commission and satisfy the eligibility criteria prescribed | ||
| by Section 134A.007. The commission shall award the grants on the | ||
| advice and recommendations of the advisory board. | ||
| SECTION 3. Section 134A.007, Education Code, is amended to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 134A.007. GRANT ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to | ||
| receive a grant under this chapter, a public junior college, public | ||
| technical institute, qualifying general academic teaching | ||
| institution, or nonprofit organization must: | ||
| (1) administer one or more performance-based | ||
| workforce training programs that: | ||
| (A) lead to skill development and experiences | ||
| required for employment in high demand occupations in at least one | ||
| career field identified and listed as a high-growth career field | ||
| by: | ||
| (i) the commission; | ||
| (ii) the Texas Workforce Investment | ||
| Council; or | ||
| (iii) the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative | ||
| established under Chapter 2308A, Government Code; | ||
| (B) are developed and provided based on | ||
| consultation with and input from employers who are hiring in high | ||
| demand occupations; | ||
| (C) create pathways to employment for program | ||
| participants; and | ||
| (D) are delivered through classroom-based or | ||
| online instruction, work-based experiences internships, or | ||
| apprenticeships, or through a combination of those methods; | ||
| (2) demonstrate through third-party validated data | ||
| successful outcomes in: | ||
| (A) recruiting local unemployed and | ||
| underemployed individuals to participate in the training program or | ||
| programs; | ||
| (B) training individuals with the skills needed | ||
| to secure full-time employment paying at least a self-sufficient | ||
| wage as determined under Section 2308A.012, Government Code, in the | ||
| relevant job field; and | ||
| (C) placing individuals in employment in high | ||
| demand occupations; | ||
| (3) demonstrate the ability to attract at least 40 | ||
| percent of the necessary funding for training program operation | ||
| from revenue streams other than state government funding; and | ||
| (4) agree to: | ||
| (A) collaborate with the commission, corporate | ||
| partners, and nonprofit educational partners to determine the | ||
| training programs to be provided using grant money; | ||
| (B) secure support from local businesses to | ||
| ensure alignment between training program offerings and in-demand | ||
| skills; | ||
| (C) collaborate with regional employers, public | ||
| junior colleges, public technical institutes, qualifying general | ||
| academic teaching institutions, or nonprofit organizations to make | ||
| available developmental work-based experiences to further enhance | ||
| training program participants' career readiness; | ||
| (D) engage local entities and organizations, | ||
| including local workforce development boards and community-based | ||
| organizations, to assist with identifying and recruiting eligible | ||
| training program participants; | ||
| (E) provide documentation to the commission | ||
| describing training program offerings, including information | ||
| necessary to verify that the offerings will: | ||
| (i) provide training that is not exclusive | ||
| to a single corporate partner; and | ||
| (ii) lead to knowledge, skills, and | ||
| work-based experiences that are transferable to similar employment | ||
| opportunities in high demand occupations offered by other | ||
| employers; and | ||
| (F) comply with any additional grant conditions | ||
| prescribed by commission rule, including performance benchmarks | ||
| established under Section 134A.008 and reporting requirements | ||
| established under Section 134A.009. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
