SAHCC values education and supports legislation which aids students and employees in achieving their academic and training goals. During this past legislative session, several bills passed with the help of SAHCC which strengthen public education and workforce development initiatives.

Public Education:

SB 2066

Senate Bill 2066 changes the language used when discussing bilingual students in state law governing Texas public schools. “Emergent bilingual student” will be used in place of “student of limited English proficiency” and “English learner.” SB 2066, authored by Senator Menéndez, was signed into law on June 18, 2021 and will become effective on September 1, 2021. SAHCC sent a letter and dropped a card in support of this bill.

HB 999

House Bill 999 allows high school seniors who failed up to five STAAR tests to still have the opportunity to graduate. The bill temporarily expands the criteria that individual graduation committees consider in recommending a student for graduation. This bill supports students who may have struggled in successfully studying for and taking their end-of-course exams due to the ongoing pandemic. HB 999, authored by Representatives Bernal, Patterson, Guillen, and Morales Shaw, was effective immediately as of May 31, 2021. SAHCC sent an email in support of this bill.

Workforce Development:

SB 1102

Senate Bill 1102 established the Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) Program. This program was created to put Texans back to work in high-demand occupations. In addition, the TRUE program helps to hasten the ability for collaboration between higher education and business partners. Such a program seeks to provide training and credentials for displaced and underemployed workers. The TRUE program helps to put Texans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic back to work while striving to improve workforce development and coordination between the state's employers, community, and technical colleges.

TRUE helps to promote higher education and business partners across the state to collaborate and provide customized, enhanced programs that teach high-demand skills that lead to significant industry certifications and credentials for underemployed workers. This program will help invest funds to help eligible higher education institutions grow their capacity by expanding, accelerating, and redesigning workforce programs, which are essential to attaining the state's higher education goals and the growth of the Texas economy. Senate Bill 1102 was authored by Senator Brandon Creighton, sponsored by Representative Tan Parker, and was signed into law by Governor Gregg Abbott on June 14, 2021.

HB 3767

The passage of House Bill 3767 helps to create the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative, which strengthens the current work of the Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas workforce has faced multiple prolonged impediments. State agencies who oversee workers' success must be working in partnership by delivering transparent data and enhancing workforce and education funding. HB 3767 supports workforce development in Texas by making the temporary collaborative work of the Tri-Agency permanent. The key provisions of this House Bill seek to strengthen and enhance the current work of the Tri-Agency.

The key provisions of House Bill 3767 consist of improving the Texas longitude data systems to help identify and analyze key trends in education and workforce; assist the state in managing and driving accountability by measuring the performance of all three agencies, and lastly, coordinating valuable careers and skills to help individuals as they navigate the changing workforce nature. House Bill 3767 was authored by Representative Jim Murphy, sponsored by Senator Paul Bettencourt, was signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 18, 2021, and will become effective on September 1, 2021.

SB 1524

Senate Bill 1524 creates a tax incentive pilot program for employers who hire apprentices. This program leads to the creation of more apprenticeship programs in evolving and diverse fields. The tax incentive would be applied to the registered apprenticeship program under the United States Department of Labor and industry-recognized apprenticeship programs.

This pilot program also establishes an employer tax incentive allotted in a program where 50 percent of the apprentice tax credit will be given to the following categories, aged-out foster youth, at-risk populations, veterans, women, and military spouses. A $2,500 sales tax refund will be given for each apprentice hired. Senate Bill 1524 was authored by Senator Hughes and was signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 7, 2021 and will become effective on January 1, 2022.