HB+516+Texas+Legislature+81st+Session

** [|House Bill 516] ** Relating to the establishment and funding of a green job skills training program.

-** [|Strama]
 * Primary Author

**Joint Authors** - [|Anchia] - [|Lucio III] - [|Menendez] - [|Chavez]

Author: [|Ellis] Relating to the establishment and funding of a green job skills training program that includes training for certain youths and young veterans.
 * Companion: ** [|Senate Bill 108]

**Actions:** (descending date order)
 * **Description ** || **Comment ** || **Date ** || **Time ** || **Journal Page ** ||
 * H || Considered in Calendars || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">04/17/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Committee report sent to Calendars || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/20/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Committee report printed and distributed || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/19/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">11:15 PM || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/19/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">860 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Reported favorably as substituted || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/16/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Committee substitute considered in committee || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/16/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Considered in formal meeting || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/16/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Left pending in committee || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Committee substitute considered in committee || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Considered in public hearing || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Scheduled for public hearing on . . . || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">03/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Referred to Technology, Economic Development & Workforce || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">02/18/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">314 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Read first time || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">02/18/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">314 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">H || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Filed || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">01/09/2009 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> ||

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">**Text:** [|Bill Act] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">[|Fiscal Note] [|Bill Analysis]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">The biennial general session of the Texas Legislature has been occurring semester, and a great way to cover it would be to track a special piece of legislation as it winds its way through the bill making process in the Texas Legislature. Now choosing a bill was tough, for there are several interesting bills in the Texas Legislature, but I was able to manage and choose one bill. Listed as H.B. 516, this bill is ‘Relating to the establishment and funding of a green job skills training program. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Bill H.B. 516 was first filed by its Primary Author Honorable Mark Strama, Chair, House Committee on Technology, Economic Development & Workforce on the 9th of January in the concurring year of 2009. This bill was introduced with a short caption that read as follows: ‘Relating to the establishment and funding of a green job skills training program.’ What this means is that the bill authorizes the use of the Texas enterprise fund to make grants to the Texas Workforce Commission to implement training programs for the green job skills. See, ‘The Governor's Competitiveness Council has estimated that two-thirds of all new energy jobs created in Texas over the next 10 years will be in the renewable energy sector,’ and ‘the comptroller of public accounts has estimated that 111,000 jobs will be lost in Texas in 2009,’ therefore, ‘the ability of the state to devote resources to the retraining and redirection of the workforce will be an important aspect of Texas' future.’ That is where the bill, C.S.H.B. 516, comes in, ‘the green jobs development fund,’ available through this bill, ‘will act as a bridge Texas needs to put people to work in a growing and sustainable industry,’ such as the “green economy”. ‘The legislature must examine new and innovative ways to create jobs in a declining national economy. The green jobs development fund will allow Texas to maintain its economic competitiveness in an increasingly diverse energy market.’ In creating the ‘skills development fund, H.B. 516’ will ‘addresses nine different categories of jobs in the "green economy": energy efficient building, renewable energy, energy storage technologies, biofuels, waste recycling techniques, products recycling techniques, energy efficiency assessments, manufacturing of sustainable products, and water conservation and efficiency.’ ‘The training will enhance trade skills and expertise in everything from basic energy efficiency home improvements to complex manufacturing assembly.’ ‘The green jobs development fund is just the appropriate tool that the legislature can provide to our state’s workforce to’ help deal and cope with ‘the immediate need for new and prolonged job creation in a viable and growing industry.’ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">In order for a bill to become a law it must be analyzed carefully to identify all that the bill authorizes or requirements that the bill may claim. ‘C.S.H.B. 516 amends the Government Code to create the green job skills development fund and training program.’ ‘The bill establishes the purpose of the green job skills development fund and training program,’ and ‘that the green job skills development fund is an account in the general revenue fund that is composed of legislative appropriations, money received from the Texas enterprise fund, gifts, grants, donations, and matching funds, and other money required by law to be deposited in the account.’ H.B. 516 requires the Texas Workforce Commission to establish a green job skills grant program, funded by the development fund, through which the commission may award grants for the implementation, expansion, and operation of green job skills training programs hosted by a regional partnership that presents a plan to implement training programs that lead trainees to economic self-sufficiency and career pathways and includes at least one: university, college, or technical school, or other nonprofit workforce training provider; one chamber of commerce, local workforce agency, local employer, or other public or private participating entity; one economic development authority; and one community or faith-based nonprofit organization that works with one or more targeted populations. The training program must give help to an eligible individual in acquiring the appropriate education, skills training, and labor market information to enhance the individual's employability in green industries, and to support in the development of a highly skilled and productive workforce in green industries. The bill authorizes a training program to receive funding for a period not to exceed three years and to use grant funds for support services, administrative costs, costs related to hiring instructors and purchasing equipment, and tuition assistance. Plus on top of having to balance and stretch the funds, the applicant must provide to the commission its plan to continue to operate the training program even after the grant expires. Aside from the applicant applying for grants programs, the C.S.H.B 516 also requires that 20 percent of the funds available for grant programs to be reserved for job skills training programs that serve the unemployed and individuals whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill requires a grant recipient to submit a report to the commission that contains the following information: the number of participants who entered the program; the demographics of the participants; services received by participants; the amount of program spending per participant; program completion rates; factors determined to interfere significantly with program participation or completion; the average wage at placement; and any post-employment support services provided. And then the commission must submit a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House of Representatives that includes a summary of all information submitted to the commission by grant recipients. <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">With the economy declining<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> and the number of unemployment increasing this will be an interesting bill to get passed into a law. And although this bill has only gone through two stages out of the seven, it looks as if it might go through. The stages C.S.H.B. 516 has gone through have been Stage 1: Bill filed by Strama on 1/9/2009 and Stage 2; Bill reported out of House committee on <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Technology <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">, Economic  <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Development & Workforce with votes of 7 Ayes, 0 Nays, 0 Present Not Voting, 2 Absent on 3/16/2009. With hope and luck this bill will victoriously reach all seven stages of the bill making process and become a law that will be beneficial to the citizens of the state of Texas. <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Strama, "Bill Analysis." //Texas Legislature Online Text//. 17 April 2009. Texas Legislature Online. 1 May 2009 < []<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">>.
 * <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Description of Bill: **
 * <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Work Cited: **