| (a) The agency may use state funds to provide education
and training for its employees in accordance with the State Employees
Training Act (Texas Government Code, §§656.041-656.104).
(b) The education or training shall be related to the
employee's current position or prospective job duties within the agency.
(c) When an employee seeks reimbursement for a training
or education program offered by an institution of higher education
or private or independent institution of higher education, the agency
shall only reimburse the tuition expenses for a program course successfully
completed by an employee at an accredited institution of higher education.
(d) The agency's education and training program benefits
both the agency and the employees participating by:
(1) preparing for technological and legal developments;
(2) increasing work capabilities;
(3) increasing the number of qualified employees in
areas for which the agency has difficulty in recruiting and retaining
employees; and (4) increasing the competence of agency employees.
(e) Agency employees may be required to complete an
education or training program related to the employee's duties or
prospective duties as a condition of employment.
(f) Participation in an education or training program
requires the appropriate level of approval prior to participation
and is subject to the availability of funds within the agency's budget.
(g) Reimbursement for completing program courses offered
by institutions of higher education, such as those credited towards
a degree, requires the approval of the First Assistant Attorney General.
(h) The employee education and training program for
the agency may include:
(1) mandatory agency-sponsored training required for
all employees;
(2) education relating to technical or professional
certifications and licenses;
(3) education and training relating to the promotion
of employee development;
(4) employee-funded external education;
(5) agency-funded external education, including continuing
legal education, online courses, and courses not credited towards
a degree; and
(6) other agency-sponsored education and training determined
by the agency to fulfill the purposes of the State Employees Training
Act.
(i) The Office of the Attorney General's Human Resources
Director is designated as the administrator of the agency's education
and training program.
(j) The administrator or administrator's designee shall
develop policies for administering each of the components of the employee
education and training program. These policies shall provide clear
and objective guidelines and shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) eligibility requirements for participation;
(2) approval procedures for participation; and
(3) obligations of program participants.
(k) Approval to participate in any portion of the agency's
education and training program shall not in any way affect an employee's
at-will status or constitute a guarantee or indication of continued
employment, nor shall it constitute a guarantee or indication of future
employment in a current or prospective position.
(l) Permission to participate in any education and
training program may be withdrawn if the agency determines, in its
sole discretion, that participation would negatively impact the employee's
job duties or performance.
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