BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1792

By: Button

International Relations & Economic Development

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A recent study commissioned by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) focused on improving the quality rating and improvement system for child-care providers known as the Texas Rising Star Program. This study, and the related Texas Rising Star workgroup, recommended the standardization of the Texas Rising Star assessors. The consolidation of assessors will help ensure assessment protocols are aligned across the state and that ratings remain fair and accurate representations of quality. C.S.H.B. 1792 seeks to address this issue by removing a requirement for local workforce development boards to provide a child development specialist to serve as an evaluator during the program certification process and instead requiring the TWC to competitively procure a single contracted entity to oversee a statewide roster of assessors.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1792 amends the Government Code to remove the requirement for each local workforce development board to provide a child development specialist to serve as an evaluator of a child‑care provider during the Texas Rising Star Program's certification process. The bill requires the Texas Workforce Commission instead, using a competitive procurement process that complies with all federal and state laws, to select a single entity to oversee a statewide roster of qualified assessors to evaluate providers participating in the program during the initial certification process and at any other time during the provider's participation in the program.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1792 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute changes the occasions after initial certification when the statewide roster of assessors is to evaluate a Texas Rising Star Program provider from when a provider applies for a higher level of certification to any other time during the provider's participation in the program.