| 1 | 1 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 2022 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to creating an account to promote early child-care |
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| 7 | 7 | | development. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, |
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| 10 | 10 | | is amended by adding Section 40.0567 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 40.0567. EARLY CHILD-CARE DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT. |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The early child-care development account is an account in the |
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| 13 | 13 | | general revenue fund that may be appropriated only to the |
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| 14 | 14 | | department for the purposes and activities authorized by this |
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| 15 | 15 | | section and for reasonable administrative expenses under this |
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| 16 | 16 | | chapter. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The account consists of: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) money allocated under the American Recovery and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. No. 111-5) or any other similar |
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| 20 | 20 | | federal legislation that is enacted on or after January 1, 2009, for |
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| 21 | 21 | | improving the provision of and quality of infant and toddler care; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) all money appropriated for the purposes of this |
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| 23 | 23 | | section; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) any gifts, grants, or donations received for the |
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| 25 | 25 | | purposes of this section; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) interest earned on money in the account. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The account is exempt from the application of Section |
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| 28 | 28 | | 403.095, Government Code. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (d) The purpose of the account is to: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) carry out federal directives under the American |
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| 31 | 31 | | Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. No. 111-5) or any |
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| 32 | 32 | | other similar federal legislation that is enacted on or after |
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| 33 | 33 | | January 1, 2009; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) fund continuing education initiatives that |
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| 35 | 35 | | implement infant and toddler child-care best practices for |
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| 36 | 36 | | caregivers; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (3) provide financial support to: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (A) parent and consumer education initiatives; |
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| 39 | 39 | | and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (B) collaborations with the Early Head Start |
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| 41 | 41 | | program. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 43 | 43 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 44 | 44 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 46 | 46 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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