| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Negative | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
Relating to measures to support the alignment of education and
workforce development in the state with state workforce needs,
including the establishment of the Tri-Agency Workforce
Initiative.
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB 1622, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($19,097,025) through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.
The bill
would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an
appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
SB 1622 would make provisions for the continuation of collaborative work between the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with regards to aligning education paths with workforce needs by creating the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative to coordinate and optimize information and other resources between these agencies.
Workforce goals would have to be updated every four years based on collaboration with employers and targeted occupations based on emerging industries of specialty occupations would be identified and these career paths would be highlighted.
The bill would also establish processes for the sharing of data between these agencies to support higher education and workforce application, entry, and success and would establish internet-based resources and a publicly accessible web-based library of available credentials in Texas.
Texas Action is opposed to SB 1622 on the principle of limited government and free markets. While we support efficient inter-agency communication, a new $19 million dollar government initiative is not the right answer. The free market is the best indicator of the needed workforce, not government collaboration and tinkering in the economy by planning education around projected workforce needs.