Sec. 2308.253. CREATION OF LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS. (a) The chief elected officials in a workforce development area may form, in accordance with rules established by the Texas Workforce Commission, a local workforce development board to:

(1) plan and oversee the delivery of workforce training and services; and

(2) evaluate workforce development in the workforce development area.

(b) The authority granted under Subsection (a) does not give a local workforce development board any direct authority or control over workforce funds and programs in its workforce development area, other than programs funded through that board.

(c) Before a local workforce development board may be created, at least three-fourths of the chief elected officials in the workforce development area who represent units of general local government must agree to the creation of the board, including all of the chief elected officials who represent units of general local government that have populations of at least 200,000. The elected officials who agree to the creation of the board must represent at least 75 percent of the population of the workforce development area.

(d) The chief elected officials shall consider the views of all affected local organizations, including private industry councils and quality workforce planning committees, before making a final decision on the formation of a board.

(e) An agreement on the formation of a board must be in writing and must include:

(1) the purpose for the agreement;

(2) the process to be used to select the chief elected official who will act on behalf of the other chief elected officials;

(3) the process to be used to keep the chief elected officials informed regarding local workforce development activities;

(4) the initial size of the board;

(5) how resources allocated to the local workforce development area are to be shared among the parties to the agreement;

(6) the process, consistent with applicable federal and state law, for the appointment of the board members; and

(7) the terms of office of the board members.

(f) In a state planning area in which there is more than one local workforce development area, the quality workforce planning committee of that state planning area shall continue in existence to provide labor market information for the entire state planning area until local workforce development boards are certified in each workforce development area in that state planning area.

(g) The chief elected officials designated under Subsection (c) shall enter into a partnership agreement with the board to:

(1) select the grant recipient and the administrative entity for the local workforce development area; and

(2) determine procedures for the development of the local workforce development plan.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.81(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 19.09(b), 19.12(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1997.