| 1 | 1 | | 89R6286 DNC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Blanco S.B. No. 1249 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to establishing a certified caregiver pilot program in the |
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| 10 | 10 | | Borderplex workforce development area. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Chapter 321 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | CHAPTER 321. CERTIFIED CAREGIVER PILOT PROGRAM |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 321.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "program" means |
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| 16 | 16 | | the certified caregiver pilot program established under this |
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| 17 | 17 | | chapter. |
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| 18 | 18 | | Sec. 321.002. ESTABLISHMENT. (a) The commission shall |
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| 19 | 19 | | establish and administer the certified caregiver pilot program in |
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| 20 | 20 | | the Borderplex workforce development area to address the need for |
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| 21 | 21 | | after-hours child care for single-parent household working parents |
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| 22 | 22 | | who are pursuing a short-term workforce training program in the |
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| 23 | 23 | | area. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (b) The program shall: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) assist employees of child-care facilities |
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| 26 | 26 | | licensed under Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code, with |
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| 27 | 27 | | obtaining a license under Section 321.004 in order to provide child |
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| 28 | 28 | | care to the children of eligible parents outside of regular working |
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| 29 | 29 | | hours in the employee's home; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) provide supplemental subsidized child care for |
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| 31 | 31 | | single-parent households eligible under Section 321.005. |
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| 32 | 32 | | Sec. 321.003. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. (a) The local |
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| 33 | 33 | | workforce development board serving the Borderplex workforce |
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| 34 | 34 | | development area shall select a total of 30 single-parent families |
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| 35 | 35 | | eligible under Section 321.005 that will qualify for supplemental |
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| 36 | 36 | | subsidized child care for a period of not more than six months. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b) A certified caregiver licensed under Section 321.004 |
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| 38 | 38 | | shall be eligible to participate in the commission's subsidized |
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| 39 | 39 | | child-care program to provide child care outside regular working |
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| 40 | 40 | | hours to a child of a parent participating in the program. |
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| 41 | 41 | | Sec. 321.004. LICENSE FOR CERTIFIED CAREGIVER. (a) The |
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| 42 | 42 | | executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission |
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| 43 | 43 | | shall adopt a procedure to issue a license to a caregiver who meets |
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| 44 | 44 | | the requirements of this section that allows the caregiver to |
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| 45 | 45 | | operate as a listed family home for purposes of the pilot program. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b) The procedure must require a caregiver to: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) be a current employee of a child-care facility |
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| 48 | 48 | | licensed under Chapter 42, Human Resources Code, with not less than |
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| 49 | 49 | | two years of child-care experience; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) provide after-hours child care in the caregiver's |
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| 51 | 51 | | own home; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (3) list the caregiver's home with the Health and Human |
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| 53 | 53 | | Services Commission as a family home and comply with minimum |
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| 54 | 54 | | standards for a listed family home adopted by the executive |
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| 55 | 55 | | commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission under |
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| 56 | 56 | | Section 42.042, Human Resources Code. |
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| 57 | 57 | | Sec. 321.005. PARENT ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to |
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| 58 | 58 | | receive a child-care subsidy under the program, a parent must, at |
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| 59 | 59 | | the time of application: |
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| 60 | 60 | | (1) receive a subsidy under the commission's |
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| 61 | 61 | | child-care subsidy program; |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) reside in a single-parent household; |
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| 63 | 63 | | (3) have completed a sufficient number of |
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| 64 | 64 | | postsecondary education credit hours, as determined by the |
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| 65 | 65 | | commission; |
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| 66 | 66 | | (4) be enrolled in or agree to enroll in a short-term |
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| 67 | 67 | | workforce training program supported by the local workforce |
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| 68 | 68 | | development board serving the Borderplex workforce development |
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| 69 | 69 | | area; and |
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| 70 | 70 | | (5) demonstrate a need for child care outside of |
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| 71 | 71 | | regular working hours in order to complete the workforce training |
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| 72 | 72 | | program described under Subdivision (4). |
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| 73 | 73 | | Sec. 321.006. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2028, the |
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| 74 | 74 | | commission shall prepare and submit to the governor, lieutenant |
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| 75 | 75 | | governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and standing |
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| 76 | 76 | | committee of each house of the legislature with primary |
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| 77 | 77 | | jurisdiction over economic development a report on: |
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| 78 | 78 | | (1) the efficacy of the program; |
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| 79 | 79 | | (2) the completion rate of workforce training programs |
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| 80 | 80 | | by parents receiving child care under the program; |
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| 81 | 81 | | (3) the total cost of the program; and |
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| 82 | 82 | | (4) a recommendation on whether to continue, expand, |
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| 83 | 83 | | or terminate the program. |
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| 84 | 84 | | Sec. 321.007. RULES. The commission shall adopt rules |
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| 85 | 85 | | necessary to implement this chapter. |
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| 86 | 86 | | Sec. 321.008. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September |
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| 87 | 87 | | 1, 2029. |
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| 88 | 88 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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