| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
| |
|
|
relating to the establishment by the Texas Workforce Commission of |
|
|
a pilot program to provide grants for the construction of certain |
|
|
facilities for job training and employment services. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Labor Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 302.015 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 302.015. CONSTRUCTION OF JOB TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT |
|
|
SERVICES FACILITIES; PILOT GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In this section, |
|
|
"qualified workforce community training center" means an |
|
|
organization that: |
|
|
(1) specializes in the retail sale of donated items; |
|
|
(2) provides job training and employment services to |
|
|
individuals with disabilities or other barriers to employment; |
|
|
(3) uses a majority of its revenues for job training |
|
|
and employment programs that create and foster economic |
|
|
development; |
|
|
(4) maintains at least a 50 percent ratio of employees |
|
|
who have a disability or other barrier to employment; |
|
|
(5) operates in at least three counties, has multiple |
|
|
locations, and is affiliated with a statewide organization; and |
|
|
(6) is exempt from federal taxation under Section |
|
|
501(a), Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as an organization described |
|
|
by Section 501(c)(3) of that code. |
|
|
(b) The commission may establish a pilot program under which |
|
|
the commission contracts with the Texas Association of Goodwills |
|
|
for the commission to administer grants to reimburse qualified |
|
|
workforce training centers identified by the Texas Association of |
|
|
Goodwills for costs associated with the construction of new |
|
|
facilities that provide job training or employment services. The |
|
|
contract entered into under this subsection must provide that: |
|
|
(1) the commission receives an administrative |
|
|
overhead fee of one percent of the amount of each grant awarded |
|
|
under the program; and |
|
|
(2) each grant awarded under the program is funded |
|
|
only on: |
|
|
(A) the completion of the facility for which the |
|
|
grant is awarded; and |
|
|
(B) notification from the commission that the |
|
|
contract terms relating to the award of the grant have been |
|
|
satisfied. |
|
|
(c) The total amount of grants awarded under this section |
|
|
may not exceed $3 million. |
|
|
(d) The commission may adopt rules for the administration of |
|
|
this section. |
|
|
(e) Not later than January 1, 2009, the commission shall |
|
|
report to the legislature regarding the commission's: |
|
|
(1) assessment of the effectiveness of any pilot |
|
|
program in creating and fostering economic development; and |
|
|
(2) recommendation regarding the continuation of that |
|
|
program. |
|
|
(f) This section expires September 1, 2009. |
|
|
SECTION 2. 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, 2007. |
|
|
|
|
|
* * * * * |