HBA-MPA H.B. 3200 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3200
By: Chavez
Economic Development
4/6/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Labor Code provides a mechanism for the allocation of
certain block grants used by local workforce development areas to provide
workforce training and services to the extent allowed by federal law.
There is presently no law relating to the allocation of local matching
funds requirements for the child care and development fund in certain
"economically disadvantaged" counties, and individuals within those
counties are unable to benefit from those grants to the same extent as
individuals within non-disadvantaged counties.  H.B. 3200 defines an
"economically disadvantaged county," and relieves those counties from the
local matching funds requirement, allowing them to compete for funding
through the child care and development fund with political subdivisions
that are not economically disadvantaged.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 302, Labor Code, by adding Section
302.064, as follows: 

Sec. 302.064.  RELIEF FROM LOCAL MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.  (a) Defines
"economically disadvantaged county." 

(b) Authorizes the Texas Workforce Commission (commission) to require,
request, or accept from a political subdivision matching or other local
funds or any other local incentives to make more efficient use of the child
care and development fund, except as provided in Subsection (c). 

(c) Provides that in evaluating a proposal for the use of funds from the
child care and development fund in a political subdivision consisting of
all or part of a disadvantaged county the commission is: 

(1) prohibited from considering the absence or value of local incentives
provided beyond the required local matching funds minimum; and 
(2) required to adjust the minimum local matching funds requirement after
evaluating the political subdivision's effort and ability to meet the
requirement. 

(d) Authorizes the commission to use any other available resources to help
satisfy a federal requirement in making the adjustment under Subsection
(c)(2). 

(e) Requires the commission to report annually to the governor, lieutenant
governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives on the use of
matching funds and local incentives and the ability of the commission to
ensure that political subdivisions located in economically disadvantaged
counties have equal ability to compete for funding through the child care
and development funds with political subdivisions in counties that are not
economically disadvantaged. 
 
SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.