| 1 | 1 | | 87R12092 MCK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: West S.B. No. 1800 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the provision of child care. |
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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. (a) The Health and Human Services Commission |
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| 10 | 10 | | shall work with the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce |
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| 11 | 11 | | development boards to increase the availability and accessibility |
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| 12 | 12 | | of quality child care in this state. The Health and Human Services |
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| 13 | 13 | | Commission shall focus on areas of the state where the number of |
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| 14 | 14 | | individuals needing child care exceeds the number of available |
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| 15 | 15 | | openings with child care providers in the area. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) The Health and Human Services Commission shall educate |
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| 17 | 17 | | families regarding: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) the full range of child care options available in |
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| 19 | 19 | | the state; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) child care subsidy programs and the eligibility |
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| 21 | 21 | | requirements for those programs; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) the application process and eligibility |
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| 23 | 23 | | requirements for child care providers, including waitlist |
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| 24 | 24 | | protocols, locations, schedules, costs, curricula, languages, |
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| 25 | 25 | | class sizes, safety guidelines, and supports to best meet their |
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| 26 | 26 | | needs. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) The Health and Human Services Commission shall study: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) the effects of the 2019 novel coronavirus |
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| 29 | 29 | | (COVID-19) on child-care facility operating costs; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) the impact of child-care facility closures, |
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| 31 | 31 | | reductions in days or hours of operation, reductions in number of |
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| 32 | 32 | | children provided care, and fears about safety on individuals who |
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| 33 | 33 | | rely on the child-care facilities to allow the individuals to work. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (d) The Health and Human Services Commission shall: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) review sustainable financing options available |
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| 36 | 36 | | for safe, quality child care, including community development block |
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| 37 | 37 | | grant disaster recovery money authorized by federal law and federal |
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| 38 | 38 | | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) develop ways to increase child care resources and |
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| 40 | 40 | | facilities, especially in marginalized and underserved |
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| 41 | 41 | | communities; |
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| 42 | 42 | | (3) address the unequal access to child care among |
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| 43 | 43 | | ethnic groups; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (4) develop incentives for child care providers who |
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| 45 | 45 | | serve families of color, non-English speakers, and regions with an |
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| 46 | 46 | | insufficient supply of child care options, including priority in |
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| 47 | 47 | | awarding federal or state stimulus grants or technical assistance; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (5) expand support for child care workers and early |
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| 49 | 49 | | childhood educators who serve marginalized and underserved |
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| 50 | 50 | | communities; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (6) consider child care options for parents working |
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| 52 | 52 | | nontraditional hours; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (7) create a directory of all licensed, registered, |
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| 54 | 54 | | and listed child care providers and make the directory available to |
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| 55 | 55 | | the public: |
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| 56 | 56 | | (A) on the commission's Internet website; and |
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| 57 | 57 | | (B) in a printed format; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (8) determine effective methods for disseminating |
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| 59 | 59 | | information about child care resources, including through |
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| 60 | 60 | | libraries, home visiting programs, health clinics, and |
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| 61 | 61 | | community-based organizations; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (9) collect data and conduct research on the barriers |
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| 63 | 63 | | to enrollment in child care programs and the impact the barriers |
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| 64 | 64 | | have on the ability of families to obtain child care; |
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| 65 | 65 | | (10) develop ways to ensure the child care workforce, |
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| 66 | 66 | | including child care providers and early childhood educators, |
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| 67 | 67 | | receive fair and competitive compensation and benefits including |
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| 68 | 68 | | health insurance; |
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| 69 | 69 | | (11) consider incentivizing ongoing quality |
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| 70 | 70 | | improvements and updated trainings for child care providers; |
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| 71 | 71 | | (12) expand child care subsidy programs, including |
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| 72 | 72 | | income eligibility for subsidies and tax credits; and |
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| 73 | 73 | | (13) improve the coordination between child care |
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| 74 | 74 | | resource and referral agencies and local child care providers. |
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| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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