Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1761 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R6673 MLH-D
2	2	By: Johnson of Dallas H.B. No. 1761
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of the child care accessibility and
8	8	affordability task force.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. (a) In this section, "task force" means the child
11	11	care accessibility and affordability task force established under
12	12	this section.
13	13	(b) The task force is established to study the accessibility
14	14	and affordability of child care in this state.
15	15	(c) The task force is composed of the following 11 members:
16	16	(1) the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
17	17	Services Commission, or the executive commissioner's designee
18	18	approved by the governor; and
19	19	(2) 10 members appointed by the executive commissioner
20	20	of the Health and Human Services Commission as follows:
21	21	(A) two child development professionals who are
22	22	licensed to practice in this state, one of whom must specialize in
23	23	early childhood education;
24	24	(B) one representative of a state employee
25	25	organization described by Section 403.0165, Government Code;
26	26	(C) one representative of an organization
27	27	representing the interests of licensed child-care facilities;
28	28	(D) one social worker licensed to practice in
29	29	this state;
30	30	(E) one community advocate for child care
31	31	workers;
32	32	(F) one representative of the business community
33	33	in this state;
34	34	(G) one representative of or director from a
35	35	private child care facility;
36	36	(H) one home-based child care provider; and
37	37	(I) one state employee who is a parent of not less
38	38	than one school-aged child.
39	39	(d) A task force member is not entitled to compensation for
40	40	service on the task force but is entitled to reimbursement for
41	41	actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing task force
42	42	duties. The task force may accept gifts, grants, and donations to
43	43	pay for those expenses.
44	44	(e) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human
45	45	Services Commission shall appoint a chair and vice chair of the task
46	46	force.
47	47	(f) The task force shall meet at least quarterly at the call
48	48	of the chair and may meet at other times at the call of the chair.
49	49	The chair shall set the agenda for each meeting.
50	50	(g) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, or any
51	51	other law, the task force may meet by telephone conference call,
52	52	videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method. A
53	53	meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or
54	54	other similar telecommunication method is subject to the
55	55	requirements of Sections 551.125(c), (d), (e), and (f), Government
56	56	Code.
57	57	(h) The task force shall:
58	58	(1) conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the
59	59	accessibility and affordability of child care in this state;
60	60	(2) develop recommendations to incentivize
61	61	employer-supported child care;
62	62	(3) create a cost-estimate model to project the cost
63	63	of providing safe, accessible, and affordable child care to anyone
64	64	in this state who needs to use child care;
65	65	(4) identify regions of the state in which child care
66	66	is less accessible than in the state at large, and shall develop
67	67	recommendations for improving the availability of child care in
68	68	those regions, including:
69	69	(A) proposing policies that will address racial,
70	70	ethnic, and any geographic disparity and proportionality in the
71	71	delivery of child care services; and
72	72	(B) identifying opportunities to streamline the
73	73	child care licensing requirements and to facilitate development and
74	74	construction of additional child care facilities; and
75	75	(5) conduct a survey of state employees to better
76	76	understand the barriers to accessing and affording child care.
77	77	(i) The task force shall submit a written report to the
78	78	governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
79	79	representatives, and each member of the legislature not later than
80	80	December 31, 2022, detailing the findings of the task force. The
81	81	report must include:
82	82	(1) a summary of the accessibility and affordability
83	83	of child care to state employees, as determined by the survey in
84	84	Subsection (h)(5) of this section; and
85	85	(2) a plan to provide accessible and affordable child
86	86	care to all families in this state by the year 2030.
87	87	(j) The task force is abolished and this Act expires June 1,
88	88	2023.
89	89	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
90	90	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
91	91	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
92	92	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
93	93	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.