| (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) 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 and professionalism of
agency employees.
(d) 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.
(e) Participation in an education or training program
requires the appropriate approval prior to participation and is subject
to the availability of funds within the agency's budget.
(f) As part of the agency's education and training
program, employees may be eligible for reimbursement for a training,
development, or education program offered by a state agency, an institution
of higher education, or a private entity.
(g) Reimbursement of costs to an employee for completing
a training, development, or education program offered by a state agency,
an institution of higher education, or a private entity, requires
the approval of the Chief Administrative Law Judge or the Chief Administrative
Law Judge's designee. The agency shall only reimburse the expenses
for a program course successfully completed by an employee.
(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 Human Resources Manager for the State Office
of Administrative Hearings is designated as the administrator of the
agency's education and training program.
(j) The administrator, in conjunction with the agency
executive management, 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 agency
or the employee's job duties or performance.
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