85R6851 MK-F
By: Deshotel H.B. No. 3323
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the evaluation of and improvements to the quality of the
Texas Workforce Commission's subsidized child care program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 302.0042, Labor Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
follows:
(b) The commission's evaluation must assess:
(1) the use of current federal child care funds by each
local workforce development board;
(2) the ability of each local workforce development
board to meet child care performance measures;
(3) the average cost incurred by child care providers
in providing [of] child care in each local workforce development
area;
(4) the average price charged by child care providers
for child care in each local workforce development area;
(5) the poverty rate of each local workforce
development area compared to the state's poverty rate;
(6) [(5)] the number of children on waiting lists for
child care in each local workforce development area; [and]
(7) [(6)] the number of vacancies for full-time
program enrollment [vacant slots] available for child care
placement in each local workforce development area;
(8) the total number of child care providers
participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in each local
workforce development area and the number of 2-star, 3-star, and
4-star rated child care providers in the local workforce
development area;
(9) the number of child care providers participating
in the Texas Rising Star Program in each local workforce
development area as a percentage of the total number of child care
providers in the local workforce development area and the number of
2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers in the local
workforce development area as a percentage of the total number of
child care providers in the local workforce development area;
(10) the total number of children enrolled in child
care providers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in
each local workforce development area and the number of children
enrolled in 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers
in the local workforce development area; and
(11) the number of children enrolled in child care
providers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in each
local workforce development area as a percentage of the total
number of children enrolled in child care providers in the local
workforce development area and the number of children enrolled in
2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers in the local
workforce development area as a percentage of the total number of
children enrolled in child care providers in the local workforce
development area.
(c) For the purposes of evaluation under this section, the
commission shall annually conduct a survey in each local workforce
development area to determine:
(1) the average cost incurred by child care providers
in providing child care in the area; and
(2) the average price charged by child care providers
for child care in the area.
SECTION 2. Section 302.0043, Labor Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsections (e) and (f) to
read as follows:
(c-1) The commission shall measure and evaluate the
progress of the commission's child care program regarding:
(1) coordination with the Texas Education Agency to
enable the submission of relevant data related to children younger
than five years of age enrolled in the commission's child care
program through the Public Education Information Management System
(PEIMS);
(2) coordination with the Texas Education Agency,
school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools on any
prekindergarten quality improvement efforts;
(3) facilitation of child care provider enrollment in
the Texas Rising Star Program and progression of providers to the
highest rating level in the program; and
(4) development and implementation of rates and
payments, as determined by local workforce development boards, to
allow participating providers to provide high quality child care.
(e) The commission shall make the information collected by
the commission and the commission's findings available to local
workforce development boards, school districts, open-enrollment
charter schools, and the public.
(f) Not later than January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the
commission shall report to the legislature regarding the
commission's findings regarding the effectiveness of the
commission's child care program. The report must:
(1) include employment outcome information,
disaggregated by local workforce development area, regarding
parents receiving subsidized care under the program; [and]
(2) identify multiyear trends in the information
collected and analyzed by the commission under this section,
including trends in the information for at least the five state
fiscal years preceding the date of the report;
(3) include information described by Sections
302.0042(b)(8)-(11); and
(4) evaluate the findings of the survey conducted
under Section 302.0042(c).
SECTION 3. Section 302.00435, Labor Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 302.00435. SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE PROGRAM; INPUT
POLICY. (a) The commission shall develop a policy for obtaining,
through appropriate methods, input from interested parties
regarding its subsidized child care program and for using that
input in administering that program.
(b) The policy developed under Subsection (a) must include
methods for obtaining input from the Texas Education Agency, school
districts, open-enrollment charter schools, relevant businesses,
and the public, regarding:
(1) improving coordination between the subsidized
child care program and prekindergarten programs; and
(2) increasing the quality of and access to the
subsidized child care program.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.