TX HB3605

Creates a $5,000 franchise tax credit per qualifying apprentice for businesses that employ apprentices in broadband utility engineering or construction jobs (NAICS category 237130) for at least three months

Qualifying apprentices must be enrolled in apprenticeship programs certified by the U.S. Department of Labor or registered and eligible for Texas Workforce Commission funding, receiving training in pole climbing, rigging, fiber/coax splicing, or other aerial lineman tasks

Caps total credits awarded statewide at $10 million per state fiscal biennium, with unused credits allowed to carry forward for up to five consecutive reporting periods

Allows tax credits to be sold or assigned to other taxable entities with no limit on the number of transfer transactions, requiring joint notification to the comptroller within 30 days of any sale

Requires the Texas Workforce Commission to submit a biennial report by November 1 of even-numbered years evaluating the program's effect on apprentice employment outcomes and recommending whether to expand or terminate the credit