Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas House Bill HB660 Compare Versions

The same version is selected twice. Please select two different versions to compare.

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	83R20809 KSD-F
2	2	By: Strama, N. Gonzalez of El Paso H.B. No. 660
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 660:
4	4	By: Rodriguez of Travis C.S.H.B. No. 660
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the provision of scholarships, bonuses, and wage
10	10	supplementation to certain child-care workers.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 302.006, Labor Code, is amended to read
13	13	as follows:
14	14	Sec. 302.006. PROFESSIONAL CHILD-CARE TRAINING
15	15	SCHOLARSHIPS, BONUSES, AND WAGE SUPPLEMENTATION. (a) In this
16	16	section:
17	17	(1) "Child-care facility" has the meaning assigned by
18	18	Section 42.002, Human Resources Code.
19	19	(2) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning
20	20	assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.
21	21	(a-1) The commission shall [may] develop and administer a
22	22	program under which the commission awards scholarships to eligible
23	23	child-care workers [in the amount of $1,000 each for professional
24	24	child-care training to eligible recipients].
25	25	(b) A recipient may use [a] scholarship funds awarded under
26	26	this section only to pay expenses associated with obtaining:
27	27	(1) Child Development Associate (CDA) national
28	28	credentials administered by the Council for Professional
29	29	Recognition or a comparable nationally recognized entity that
30	30	credentials professionals in the early childhood education or child
31	31	development field;
32	32	(2) an [Certified Child-Care Professional (CCP)
33	33	credentials; or
34	34	[(3) a level one certificate or] associate's degree in
35	35	the field [area] of child development or early childhood education
36	36	awarded by an [from a public or private] institution of higher
37	37	education; or
38	38	(3) a bachelor's degree in the field of child
39	39	development, early childhood education, or family and child studies
40	40	awarded by an institution of higher education.
41	41	(c) To be eligible to receive a scholarship [awarded] under
42	42	this section, a child-care worker [person] must:
43	43	(1) be employed by [in] a child-care facility that has
44	44	agreed to sponsor the child-care worker in accordance with
45	45	Subsection (d):
46	46	(A) for at least 30 hours each week; and
47	47	(B) at a pay rate that is less than $15 per hour
48	48	[, as defined by Section 42.002, Human Resources Code];
49	49	(2) intend to obtain a credential[, certificate,] or
50	50	degree specified in Subsection (b);
51	51	(3) agree to work for the sponsoring [at least 18
52	52	additional months in a] child-care facility for at least the length
53	53	of time prescribed by commission rule for purposes of this
54	54	subdivision; [, as defined by Section 42.002, Human Resources Code,
55	55	that accepts federal Child Care Development Fund subsidies and
56	56	that, at the time the person begins to fulfill the work requirement
57	57	imposed by this subdivision, is located:
58	58	[(A) within the attendance zone of a public
59	59	school campus considered low-performing under Subchapter E,
60	60	Chapter 39, Education Code; or
61	61	[(B) in an economically disadvantaged community,
62	62	as determined by the commission; and]
63	63	(4) agree to pay the percentage of the applicable
64	64	costs of books, credentialing fees, or tuition and fees associated
65	65	with obtaining a credential or degree specified in Subsection (b)
66	66	prescribed by commission rule for purposes of this subdivision; and
67	67	(5) satisfy any other requirements adopted by the
68	68	commission.
69	69	(d) A child-care facility that agrees to sponsor a
70	70	child-care worker under this section must:
71	71	(1) provide the child-care worker with:
72	72	(A) paid time off as prescribed by commission
73	73	rule; and
74	74	(B) any bonus or wage supplementation to which
75	75	the child-care worker is entitled under Subsection (e); and
76	76	(2) pay the percentage of the applicable costs of
77	77	books, credentialing fees, or tuition and fees associated with
78	78	obtaining a credential or degree specified in Subsection (b)
79	79	prescribed by commission rule for purposes of this subdivision. [A
80	80	person may not receive more than one scholarship awarded under this
81	81	section.]
82	82	(e) A scholarship recipient who successfully obtains a
83	83	credential or degree specified in Subsection (b) and satisfies any
84	84	other program requirement prescribed by this section or a rule
85	85	adopted under this section is entitled to the [In addition, the
86	86	commission may provide for] payment of a bonus or wage
87	87	supplementation [to a scholarship recipient who for 18 months after
88	88	the date of receiving the scholarship provides care for children
89	89	younger than six years of age while remaining in the employment of
90	90	the child-care facility that employed the person when the
91	91	scholarship was awarded and that meets the requirements of
92	92	Subsection (c)(3)]. Any bonus or wage supplementation provided
93	93	under this subsection shall be paid by both the recipient's
94	94	sponsoring child-care facility [in equal shares by the scholarship
95	95	recipient's employer] and the commission in shares prescribed by
96	96	commission rule. The commission shall determine the amount of any
97	97	bonus and the amount and duration of any wage supplementation
98	98	provided under this subsection.
99	99	(f) The commission shall fund scholarships and any bonuses
100	100	or wage supplementation provided under this section through federal
101	101	Child Care Development funds or other funding sources available to
102	102	the commission. Total funding may not exceed $1 [$2] million per
103	103	state biennium.
104	104	(g) The commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement
105	105	this section. The rules must include provisions that:
106	106	(1) address the computation of the length-of-service
107	107	[18-month service] requirement prescribed under [by] Subsection
108	108	(c)(3) [(c)]; [and]
109	109	(2) establish criteria for the award of scholarships
110	110	under this section under which priority is given to child-care
111	111	workers employed:
112	112	(A) in child-care care programs serving children
113	113	whose care is subsidized through money received under the Child
114	114	Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 9858
115	115	et seq.); or
116	116	(B) by child-care facilities that:
117	117	(i) are working toward Texas Rising Star
118	118	certification; or
119	119	(ii) are Texas Rising Star certified
120	120	providers working toward a higher certification level; and
121	121	(3) ensure that the commission has procedures for
122	122	recovering [may recover] scholarship money from a recipient who
123	123	fails to comply with that length-of-service [service] requirement
124	124	or any other requirement imposed by the commission.
125	125	SECTION 2. The Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt rules
126	126	for the administration of Section 302.006, Labor Code, as amended
127	127	by this Act, as soon as practicable following the effective date of
128	128	this Act, but not later than January 1, 2014.
129	129	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.