| 1 | 1 | | By: West S.J.R. No. 56 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | the child care protection and enhancement fund. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Article III, Texas Constitution, is amended by |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 49-r to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 49-r. (a)The child care protection and enhancement |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | fund is established as a trust fund outside the treasury.In |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | accordance with general law, the fund may be used only the |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | expansion of capacity of childcare seats in Texas, or the |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | enhancement of state-subsidized care rates. |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (b) The child care protection and enhancement fund consists |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | of: |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (1) money appropriated, credited, or transferred to |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | the fund by the legislature; |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (2) gifts, grants, and donations received by the Texas |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | Comptroller of Public Accounts in function for a purpose for which |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | money in the fund may be used under this section; and |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (3) investment earnings and interest earned on amounts |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | credited to the fund. |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (c) The legislature may appropriate money from the child |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | care protection and enhancement fund to the Texas Workforce |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Commission or the department's successor in function for the |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | purposes prescribed for the fund by this section and general law. |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (d) For purposes of Section 22, Article VIII, of this |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | constitution: |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (1) money in the child care protection and enhancement |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | fund is dedicated by this constitution; and |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (2) an appropriation of state tax revenues for the |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | purpose of depositing money to the credit of the fund is treated as |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | if it were an appropriation of revenues dedicated by this |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | constitution. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (e) The reasonable expenses of managing the fund and its |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | assets shall be paid from the fund. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025. |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | proposition: "The constitutional amendment providing for the |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | creation of the childcare protection and enhancement fund to be |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | used for the enhancement of childcare in this state." |
|---|