| 1 | 1 | | By: Walle H.B. No. 4024 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | relating to the establishment of the child care scholarship fund |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | adding Chapter 321 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | CHAPTER 321. CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIP FUND |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 321.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Advisory board" means the program fund advisory |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | board established under Section 321.006. |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Agency" means the Texas Workforce Commission. |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 321.002. ESTABLISHMENT. The agency shall establish |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | and administer the child care scholarship fund to expand |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | scholarship opportunities through the Child Care Services program |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | administered by the agency and help eligible families in the state |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | access high-quality child care. |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 321.003. FUND. (a) The fund is a special fund in the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | state treasury outside the general revenue fund. |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (b) The fund consists of: |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (1) money appropriated by the legislature for deposit |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | to the credit of the program fund for the purposes of this chapter; |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (2) interest earned on the investment of money in the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | fund; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (3) gifts, grants, and donations received by the |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | commission for the purposes of this chapter; and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (4) any other sources of revenue that the legislature |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | may dedicate for deposit to the program fund. |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (c) Money in the fund may be appropriated only to the |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | commission for purposes authorized by this chapter. |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | Sec. 321.004. USE OF FUND. (a) The Texas Workforce |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Commission must submit to the Texas Workforce Commissioners and the |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | Texas Comptrollers of Public Accounts a request for approval of a |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | proposed disbursement and how that disbursement will be used to |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | increase subsidized child care rates or the number of Child Care |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | Services scholarships provided to eligible families in this state. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | Sec. 321.005. ANNUAL REPORT. The commission shall publish |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | and submit to the legislature a report detailing the efficacy of the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | fund not later than December 15 of each even-numbered year. The |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | report must include: |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | (1) the amount appropriated to the Child Care Services |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | program during the preceding state fiscal year; |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | (2) the usage of the fund, including the total amount |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | of child care scholarship payments paid out of the program fund; |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | (3) legislative or other recommendations for |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | improving the impact of the fund; and |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | (4) any other information the commission considers |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | relevant. |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2026, the Texas |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | Workforce Commission shall adopt any rules necessary to administer |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | the child care scholarship fund established under Chapter 321, |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | Labor Code, as added by this Act. |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
|---|