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Bicameral bill would tackle long-term unemployment crisis in the United States with a long-term solution.

The fact sheet released by the White House includes some key planks that NSC and our networks called for in our Skills for Inclusive Economic Recovery Federal Policy Agenda in September and in follow-up advocacy with the Biden Administration and Congress

Parallel, one of the largest privately-held multi-state cannabis operators in the United States, selected San Marcos, Texas as the location to establish its new $25 million cannabis cultivation, processing, manufacturing, and flagship goodblend™ Texas (formerly Surterra Texas) retail facility to meet the growing demand for medical cannabis across Texas. The region’s workforce was cited as a primary reason for its selection of San Marcos.

The Texas Legislature is working on a budget that spends around $250 billion. But it doesn't include billions in federal COVID-19 relief money or account for big changes that could rock the state's Medicaid programs.

The Perryman Group projects that over the 2020 to 2025 period, real gross product will expand from the current level of an estimated $18.4 trillion to $22.9 trillion, a 4.41% annual rate of growth.

As Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders continue to delay the arrival of billions in education stimulus funding for Texas schools, Texas Democrats in Congress asked the Department of Education to pressure the state to send federal funds to schools as quickly as possible.

Kvaal, who previously served as deputy under secretary of education under the Obama Administration and more recently the president of the Institute for College Access and Success, seemed to satisfy questioning from Members of Congress in both parties and is likely to advance to the full Senate when the committee votes later this week.

Unemployment Rate unchanged at 6.9 percent.

These grants will benefit workers in the Workforce Solutions for South Texas, Workforce Solutions Lower Rio Grande Valley and Workforce Solutions Cameron areas.

In Jasper, a city-sponsored nonprofit formed a broadband committee, composed of business leaders, policy makers, and educators, to develop a county-specific broadband plan. At the state level, the Texas Senate passed a bill in late March that would require the formation of a statewide broadband development plan by the fall of 2022.

TTUHSC will expand its traditional BSN program to the area, providing a resource for new nurses critical to the operation of hospitals and clinics.

New program promotes disability inclusion and will present decal to employers with a workforce comprised of 10 percent persons with disabilities.

The following are excerpts from the TAWB April 26 State Legislation Update of some of the notable workforce-related bills that have recently passed one of the legislative chambers (House of Representatives or Senate) in the 87th Texas Legislature.

The TAWB Public Policy and External Relations committees are reviewing and commenting on filed bills and welcome comments from members on any of these issues. Links to House and Senate Committees (and the legislators who serve on them) are below:

HB 619 – Rep. Senfronia Thompson

Relating to developing a strategic plan to support the child-care workforce. Would require TWC to develop a strategic plan that would include recommendations for local workforce development boards to improve, sustain, and support the child-care workforce; and best practices from local workforce development boards in this state and other programs designed to support child-care workers. The strategic plan also is intended to support the childcare workforce that includes reporting and making recommendations to diminish gender and racial disparity, continue to educate current and future workers through a variety of different programs, to reduce turnover, and increase opportunities for development. It also adds requirement for convening a workgroup consisting of relevant stakeholders to assist TWC in developing the strategic plan.

Status: Referred to International Relations & Economic Development, Passed House

HB 2607 – Rep. Talarico

Relating to the powers and duties of the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards regarding the provision of child care and the subsidized child care program. Would add an entry level rating for child-care providers to participate in the Texas Rising Star program and require TWC to assess the number of 3-star and 4-star rated child-care providers participating in partnerships with public school districts and public charter schools. Would require each local workforce development board to inform the local school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the workforce development area regarding opportunities to partner with child-care providers in the board ’s area to expand access to and provide facilities for prekindergarten programs. Would also permit a local workforce development board to allow a child care provider with whom the board contracts to identify and refer to the board children who could be eligible for subsidized child care services.

Status: HB 2607 Referred to International Relations & Economic Development, Passed House

HB 3003 *– Rep.’s Parker | Murphy | Raney | Hunter (companion SB 1102, Sen. Creighton)

Relating to the establishment of the Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) Initiative to support workforce education at public junior colleges. Would establish program for Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to award grants to public junior colleges for creating, redesigning, or expanding workforce training programs that lead to postsecondary industry certifications or other workforce credentials required for high-demand occupations.

Status: HB 3003 Referred to Higher Education, Reported favorably as substituted*; SB 1102 Referred to Higher Education, Passed Senate, Referred to House Higher Education

SB 959 – Sen. Zaffirini

Relating to student success-based funding recommendations for certain continuing workforce education courses offered by public junior colleges. Would add language to add qualified continuing workforce education courses offered by colleges for which credit toward a certificate or associate ’s degree is not awarded in appropriations recommendations.

SB 5 – Sen.’s Nichols | Hancock | Perry | West

Relating to the expansion of broadband services to certain areas. Significantly enhances scope of duties and composition of Governor’s Broadband Development Council.

SB 788 – Sen.’s Creighton | Powell

Relating to the development of a model data-sharing agreement for sharing student information between public schools and public and private postsecondary educational institutions. The purpose of S.B. 788 is to direct the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Education Agency, and Texas Workforce Commission, to develop and make available model FERPA-compliant data-sharing agreements for voluntary use by school systems and postsecondary institutions. This will streamline the current administrative burden of having to negotiate varying legal definitions of FERPA. Guiding principles of data use and how FERPA should be interpreted would streamline inefficiencies and allow for stronger information sharing.

Status: SB 788 Passed Senate; Referred to House International Relations & Economic Development, Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) 

SB 346 -- Sen. Paxton

Relating to the participation of open-enrollment charter schools in the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program.

HB 1247 – Rep. Lozano

Relating to the development of and report on a tri-agency work-based learning strategic framework by the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The bill requires each agency to appoint an existing agency employee to lead the development of the framework. The bill requires the TWC, TEA, and the THECB jointly, not later than December 31, 2022, to prepare and submit to the legislature a report on the framework and sets out the required contents of the report.

HB 33 – Rep. Dominguez

Relating to measures to facilitate the award of postsecondary course credit leading to workforce credentialing based on military experience, education, and training. H.B. 33 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to evaluate programs of study or courses offered by career schools or colleges leading to industry-based certifications or other workforce credentials and identify the programs or courses for which skills obtained through military experience, education, and training frequently align.

SB 1094 – Sen. Creighton

Relating to the payment of apprenticeship education expenses using the state's programs for paying, prepaying, or saving toward the costs of attending an institution of higher education. Allows students to use their 529 accounts to pay for apprenticeship programs and qualified expenses.

SB 1095 – Sen. Creighton

Relating to notice regarding the availability to public school students of college credit and work-based education programs and subsidies for fees paid to take certain advanced placement tests. Would require school districts to notify the parent of each district student enrolled in grade nine or above of the availability of career and technology education programs or other work-based education programs, including any internship, externship, or apprenticeship programs or a P-TECH program.

SB 1524 – Sen. Hughes

Relating to a sales and use tax refund pilot program for certain persons who employ apprentices.

The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) is accepting nominations for its 2021 Workforce Excellence Award. Applications must be received by 5:00 PM CST on April 30th, 2021.

The Workforce Excellence Award program recognizes exceptional contributions by a Texas community or region that has implemented successful workforce initiatives. The award criteria is based on these five objectives:

Award applications must be submitted by TEDC members; local workforce boards are encouraged to reach out to their area Economic Development Corporations (EDC's) to collaborate on developing submissions related to the many successful collaborations between workforce boards and EDC's in your workforce area.

In 2021 the Texas Association of Workforce Boards (TAWB) will provide increased opportunities for companies and organizations with a stake in workforce development in Texas to support the state's 28 workforce development boards and to build awareness of their products and services. These include:

For more information, contact Greg Vaughn, (214) 620-9165; greg.vaughn@tawb.org

A few of the recent additions to the TAWB website include:

This website provided by ExcelinEd, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports state leaders in transforming education to unlock opportunity and lifelong success for each and every child, features valuable content on learner pathways, continuum policies and state studies.

This short video produced by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) is designed to educate members of the public about the integral role workforce development boards play in local communities, and how workforce development boards collaborate with local educational institutions, local businesses and government officials at the local, state and federal level.

This report from the Texas Workforce Investment Council is the fifth annual evaluation report for The Texas Workforce System Strategic Plan FY 2016–FY 2023. The focal point is a balanced scorecard that presents outcome and trend data for system performance. Through the delivery of multiple workforce education and training programs, state and local system partners served nearly 4.5 million individuals in the last reporting year. Of those participating in workforce system programs and services, more than 600,000 individuals completed a degree, certificate, or other measure of educational achievement. More than 1.2 million Texans who participated in a workforce program found a job, stayed in a job, and/or enrolled in further education or training. 

Summary of TWC and Texas Workforce Solutions achievements and financial status in the previous year.

Monthly newsletter produced by TWC Labor Market and Career Information Department covering issues relating to the Texas economy.

TAWB is always on the lookout for information about your innovative programs that can be shared and duplicated by other local workforce boards through the TAWB website. Descriptions may be submitted to TAWB Executive Director Greg Vaughn in narrative form, such as articles and news releases, or through the TAWB Best Practices Form that can be used to provide basic information about your program. Recent features include:

When pandemic unemployment peaked in April 2020, the Gulf Coast Workforce Board in Houston, Texas, turned negative media coverage into a positive partnership. To mark the one-year anniversary of weekly online job fairs co-hosted by Workforce Solutions and TV reporter Nick Natario, ABC 13 aired a story each day of the week to showcase our dedicated staff, an individual with intellectual disabilities at work, a local non-profit that needed extra staff, newly-hired apprentices. A great recognition of the power of Workforce Boards to elevate economic and human potential.

In a matter of days, a declining unemployment rate that had lasted for years spiked into the double digits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workforce Solutions quickly pivoted to a virtual space to assist all impacted members of our community—students, workers, parents, businesses and more—in a safe and effective way.

The Center for Work Ethic Development brings to you both, Bring Your 'A' Game and the brand-new, online Bring Your ‘A’ Game Anywhere. Both training programs build the seven foundational workplace skills of Work Ethic that employers demand. Developed with the unique needs and challenges of workforce development in mind, the two solutions give you the flexibility to deal with our new reality and prepare participants to earn their Certificate of Work Ethic Proficiency. Workplace skills will be even more important for job seekers in the days ahead and now you can develop them in person or online!

C2 Global Professional Services was founded to offer a viable, and now successfully proven, alternative to what is available in terms of service providers. We look for Workforce Investment Board partners to commit to working beyond workforce dogma to improve communities, invest in staff development to achieve exceptional customer service and invest in innovation and technology to improve the system.

CEV Multimedia has specialized in providing quality CTE curriculum and educational resources for over 35 years. In 2012, CEV introduced iCEV, an online platform revolutionizing the way CEV produces and delivers educational content. iCEV is the most comprehensive online resource for CTE educators and students offering learning-on-demand features, video clips streaming and testing and grading capabilities to any device with Internet capabilities. Additionally, iCEV acts as a certification testing platform for industry certifications. Recognized companies and trade associations such as Southwest Airlines, Express Employment Professionals, Elanco and BASF utilize iCEV as the testing platform for their certifications.

CompTIA offers training solutions to provide traditional accelerated courses and fully customized training to meet business needs. With job-focused training that mirrors the workplace, learners have greater employment and advancement opportunities. Our custom offerings include access to the entire CompTIA certification catalog with labs and hands-on training, as well as soft, employability skills training. CompTIA Custom Training brings best-in-class instructor-led training on-site or in a virtual environment to workforce development initiatives, corporations, academic institutions, government entities and nonprofit organizations.

Grant Associates is a national, award-winning workforce development company. Since opening our doors in 1997, we have collaborated with government agencies to develop workforce programs and solutions that create the opportunities that advance job seekers, businesses and local economies, all with exceptional results. At Grant Associates, we know every community's workforce needs are unique. With proven models and in active partnership with government, Grant Associates' mission is to tailor solutions that build workforce capacity, proving over the past two decades that our approach helps a community reach its true potential.