87R12092 MCK-D
By: West S.B. No. 1800
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the provision of child care.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Health and Human Services Commission
shall work with the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce
development boards to increase the availability and accessibility
of quality child care in this state. The Health and Human Services
Commission shall focus on areas of the state where the number of
individuals needing child care exceeds the number of available
openings with child care providers in the area.
(b) The Health and Human Services Commission shall educate
families regarding:
(1) the full range of child care options available in
the state;
(2) child care subsidy programs and the eligibility
requirements for those programs; and
(3) the application process and eligibility
requirements for child care providers, including waitlist
protocols, locations, schedules, costs, curricula, languages,
class sizes, safety guidelines, and supports to best meet their
needs.
(c) The Health and Human Services Commission shall study:
(1) the effects of the 2019 novel coronavirus
(COVID-19) on child-care facility operating costs; and
(2) the impact of child-care facility closures,
reductions in days or hours of operation, reductions in number of
children provided care, and fears about safety on individuals who
rely on the child-care facilities to allow the individuals to work.
(d) The Health and Human Services Commission shall:
(1) review sustainable financing options available
for safe, quality child care, including community development block
grant disaster recovery money authorized by federal law and federal
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant funds;
(2) develop ways to increase child care resources and
facilities, especially in marginalized and underserved
communities;
(3) address the unequal access to child care among
ethnic groups;
(4) develop incentives for child care providers who
serve families of color, non-English speakers, and regions with an
insufficient supply of child care options, including priority in
awarding federal or state stimulus grants or technical assistance;
(5) expand support for child care workers and early
childhood educators who serve marginalized and underserved
communities;
(6) consider child care options for parents working
nontraditional hours;
(7) create a directory of all licensed, registered,
and listed child care providers and make the directory available to
the public:
(A) on the commission's Internet website; and
(B) in a printed format;
(8) determine effective methods for disseminating
information about child care resources, including through
libraries, home visiting programs, health clinics, and
community-based organizations;
(9) collect data and conduct research on the barriers
to enrollment in child care programs and the impact the barriers
have on the ability of families to obtain child care;
(10) develop ways to ensure the child care workforce,
including child care providers and early childhood educators,
receive fair and competitive compensation and benefits including
health insurance;
(11) consider incentivizing ongoing quality
improvements and updated trainings for child care providers;
(12) expand child care subsidy programs, including
income eligibility for subsidies and tax credits; and
(13) improve the coordination between child care
resource and referral agencies and local child care providers.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.