ENROLLED
ACT No. 180
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 251
BY REPRESENTATIVES HILFERTY AND EDMONDS AND SENATOR MIZELL AND
REPRESENTATIVES ADAMS, BACALA, BAGLEY, BRASS, BROWN,
BRYANT, BUTLER, GARY CARTER, WILFORD CARTER, CORMIER, COX,
CREWS, DAVIS, DESHOTEL, DUPLESSIS, FARNUM, FREEMAN, FREIBERG,
GAINES, GAROFALO, GREEN, HORTON, HUGHES, ILLG, MIKE JOHNSON,
TRAVIS JOHNSON, JONES, JORDAN, KERNER, LACOMBE, LANDRY,
LARVADAIN, LYONS, MACK, MARCELLE, MARINO, MCKNIGHT,
MCMAHEN, MOORE, NEWELL, CHARLES OWEN, PIERRE, PRESSLY,
SCHEXNAYDER, SELDERS, ST. BLANC, STAGNI, THOMAS, WHITE,
WILLARD, AND WRIGHT
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:407.51(H)(2), to enact R.S. 17:407.23(D)(3), Part X-F of
3 Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of
4 R.S. 17:407.101, and R.S. 36:651(G)(8), and to repeal R.S. 17:407.23(D)(3), Part X-
5 F of Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, comprised of
6 R.S. 17:407.101, and R.S. 36:651(G)(8), relative to the development of early
7 childhood care and education; to establish the Early Childhood Care and Education
8 Commission; to provide relative to the purpose, membership, and meetings of the
9 commission; to require the commission to study and make recommendations relative
10 to specific matters; to require the commission to report to the legislature; to provide
11 for termination of the commission; to provide for the authority and responsibilities
12 of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; to provide for the
13 powers and duties of the Advisory Council on Early Childhood Care and Education;
14 and to provide for related matters.
15 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
16 Section 1. R.S. 17:407.51(H)(2) is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
17 17:407.23(D)(3) and Part X-F of Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of
18 1950, comprised of R.S. 17:407.101, are hereby enacted to read as follows:
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1 §407.23. Early Childhood Care and Education Network; creation; components;
2 duties and responsibilities; pilot programs
3 * * *
4 D.
5 * * *
6 (3) The state Department of Education shall provide updates on the pilot
7 programs to the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission.
8 * * *
9 §407.51. Advisory Council
10 * * *
11 H.
12 * * *
13 (2) Beginning April 1, 2020, July 2, 2022, the council shall regularly
14 evaluate the implementation of the plan for early childhood care and education
15 established by the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission and provide
16 recommendations to support its implementation.
17 * * *
18 PART X-F. EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATI ON COMMISSION
19 §407.101. Early Childhood Care and Education Commission
20 A. The legislature finds that the early childhood care and education network
21 established by Act No. 3 of the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature and
22 community networks created by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
23 Education have been instrumental in improving kindergarten readiness. Community
24 networks, especially those with the highest performance, are able to demonstrate that
25 affordable access can be achieved when provided with adequate resources. Providing
26 early childhood programming of high quality, rather than affordable access alone,
27 must remain a state priority. While quality can be measured on a statewide basis, it
28 is best assured through community-based plans and local early childhood program
29 collaboration.
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1 B. The Early Childhood Care and Education Commission is hereby
2 established for the purpose of building on the foundation established by Act No. 3
3 of the 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature to create a vision for the future of
4 early childhood care and education in Louisiana.
5 C.(1) The commission is composed of forty-one members as follows:
6 (a) One representative of a municipality that receives Head Start funding,
7 appointed by the governor.
8 (b) One representative of a Head Start program, appointed by the governor.
9 (c) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
10 appointed by the governor.
11 (d) One representative of a special-needs advocacy organization, appointed
12 by the governor.
13 (e) One representative of the governor's office, appointed by the governor.
14 (f) One business representative, appointed by the speaker of the House of
15 Representatives.
16 (g) One local school superintendent, appointed by the speaker of the House
17 of Representatives.
18 (h) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by the
19 speaker of the House of Representatives.
20 (i) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
21 appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
22 (j) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare center, Early
23 Head Start Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten program,
24 appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
25 (k) Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker
26 of the House of Representatives.
27 (l) One business representative, appointed by the president of the Senate.
28 (m) One local school superintendent, appointed by the president of the
29 Senate.
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1 (n) One representative of Type III early learning centers, appointed by the
2 president of the Senate.
3 (o) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization,
4 appointed by the president of the Senate.
5 (p) One parent of a child in a publicly funded child daycare center, Early
6 Head Start Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten program,
7 appointed by the president of the Senate.
8 (q) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the president of the Senate.
9 (r) Two representatives of high-performing community early childhood care
10 and education networks, appointed by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
11 Education upon recommendation of the state superintendent of education.
12 (s) One representative of a nonpublic school participating in a publicly
13 funded early childhood care and education program, appointed by the State Board
14 of Elementary and Secondary Education.
15 (t) A member appointed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Louisiana
16 Chapter.
17 (u) One person with professional expertise in the operations of a family care
18 center, appointed by the governor.
19 (v) One early care and education researcher from a public postsecondary
20 education institution, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
21 (w) One representative from either a Type I or Type II early learning center,
22 appointed by the president of the Senate.
23 (x) One representative of maternal, infant, and early childhood home
24 visitation programs within the Bureau of Family Health, appointed by the secretary
25 of the Louisiana Department of Health.
26 (y) One representative of the Early Steps program within the Bureau of
27 Family Health, appointed by the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
28 (z) One representative of early childhood programs within the state
29 Department of Education, appointed by the state superintendent of education.
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1 (aa) One representative of the Louisiana Head Start Collaboration Office,
2 appointed by the state superintendent of education.
3 (bb) One representative of the special education programs within the
4 Department of Education, appointed by the state superintendent of education.
5 (cc) A staff member of the Board of Regents, appointed by the Board of
6 Regents.
7 (dd) The secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or his designee.
8 (ee) The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, or his
9 designee.
10 (ff) The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, or his
11 designee.
12 (gg) One professional with expertise in the socioemotional development and
13 well-being of children from birth through age four, appointed by the governor.
14 (hh) One early intervention researcher from a Louisiana public
15 postsecondary education institution, appointed by the Board of Regents.
16 (ii) One early childhood education researcher from a Louisiana public
17 postsecondary education institution, appointed by the Board of Regents.
18 (jj) One member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,
19 appointed by the president of the board.
20 (kk) One early childhood development and education specialist, appointed
21 by the president of the Center for Development and Learning.
22 (ll) One member of the Louisiana Educational Television Authority,
23 appointed by the chairman of the authority.
24 (2) A vacancy in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the
25 same manner as the original appointment.
26 (3) The chairman of the House Committee on Education and chairman of the
27 Senate Committee on Education, acting jointly, shall select two members to serve
28 as co-chairmen of the commission.
29 (4) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation.
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1 D. The state Department of Education shall provide staff support for the
2 commission.
3 E. The commission shall study and make recommendations relative to
4 establishing a vision for the future of early childhood care and education in
5 Louisiana. When conducting analysis and making recommendations relative to a
6 vision and framework, the commission shall do all of the following:
7 (1) Gather and analyze data relative to the current availability, quality, and
8 cost of early childhood care and education throughout the state for children from
9 birth through age four, determine needs and priorities, and develop a plan focused
10 on family access, affordability, and quality.
11 (2) Consider research, local coordination currently established in Louisiana
12 including current high-performing community networks, and related work done in
13 other states to determine best practices for the purpose of informing and fostering the
14 continued development of local governing entities that coordinate across programs
15 and providers in order to meet family needs, drive quality improvement, maximize
16 financial resources, and support children from birth through age four and their
17 families.
18 (3) Determine a sustainable infrastructure to ensure quality programs across
19 providers. Such infrastructure shall include workforce and professional development,
20 monitoring and assessment, coordinated enrollment, and data-informed
21 decisionmaking.
22 (4) Identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination among
23 programs and agencies responsible for development of children from birth through
24 age four.
25 (5) Define a timeframe for achieving the vision and determine benchmarks
26 for the intervening years.
27 (6) Determine the amount of funding needed to achieve affordable access to
28 quality care and education for all children from birth through age four and
29 recommend policies that prioritize the allocation of future funding.
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1 (7) Gather and analyze data, laws, and policy in Louisiana and other states
2 where children are in the care of family child care providers and consider and make
3 recommendations relative to the incorporation of such providers into the early
4 childhood care and education network.
5 (8) Establish and appoint members to a task force to identify and recommend
6 alternative state and local funding strategies for quality early childhood care and
7 education. The commission shall incorporate the task force's findings and
8 recommendations into the report that the commission produces pursuant to
9 Subsection F of this Section.
10 (a) The state Department of Education shall provide staff support for the task
11 force.
12 (b) The task force shall have the following nine members:
13 (i) The two co-chairs of the commission, each of whom may designate
14 someone to serve in his place.
15 (ii) One representative of the business community.
16 (iii) One person with significant experience in the generation and
17 administration of local government revenue.
18 (iv) One representative of a statewide public policy organization involved
19 in early childhood issues.
20 (v) One representative of a statewide foundation or nonprofit organization
21 involved in early childhood issues.
22 (vi) One representative of a child advocacy or community organization.
23 (vii) One representative of a public postsecondary education institution in
24 Louisiana representing the discipline of economics with experience in the study of
25 local, state, and regional fiscal policy.
26 (viii) One parent of a child in a publicly funded childcare center, Early Head
27 Start Center, Head Start Center, or stand-alone prekindergarten program.
28 F. Not later than fourteen days prior to the beginning of the 2021 Regular
29 Session of the Legislature, the commission shall produce a report of its findings and
30 recommendations. Not later than fourteen days prior to the beginning of the 2022
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1 Regular Session of the Legislature, the commission shall produce a report on the
2 status of the implementation of its recommendations. The reports shall be provided
3 to the governor, members of the legislature, the state superintendent of education,
4 and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education no less than fourteen
5 days prior to the first day of the regular session.
6 G. The commission shall meet at least twice between the 2020 and 2021
7 Regular Sessions of the Legislature and shall meet at least twice between the 2021
8 and 2022 Regular Sessions of the Legislature during which meetings the state
9 Department of Education shall provide updates on how the commission's
10 recommendations are being implemented. The commission shall make any further
11 recommendations it deems necessary to advance the vision and goals established.
12 H. A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum
13 for the transaction of business. The commission shall be domiciled in Baton Rouge
14 but may hold public hearings elsewhere in the state.
15 Section 2. R.S. 36:651(G)(8) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
16 §651. Transfer of boards, commissions, departments, and agencies to Department
17 of Education; boards, commissions, and agencies within Department of
18 Education
19 * * *
20 G. The following agencies, as defined by R.S. 36:3, are transferred to and
21 hereafter shall be within the Department of Education as provided in Part III of
22 Chapter 22 of this Title:
23 * * *
24 (8) The Early Childhood Care and Education Commission (R.S. 17:407.101).
25 * * *
26 Section 3. R.S. 17:407.23(D)(3), Part X-F of Chapter 1 of Title 17 of the Louisiana
27 Revised Statutes of 1950, comprised of R.S. 17:407.101, and R.S. 36:651(G)(8) are hereby
28 repealed in their entirety.
29 Section 4.(A) Sections 1 and 2 and this Section of this Act shall become effective
30 upon signature of this Act by the governor or, if not signed by the governor, upon expiration
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1 of the time for bills to become law without signature by the governor, as provided by Article
2 III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If this Act is vetoed by the governor and
3 subsequently approved by the legislature, Sections 1 and 2 and this Section of this Act shall
4 become effective on the day following such approval.
5 (B) Section 3 of this Act shall become effective on July 1, 2022.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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