BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1327

By: Blanco

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Texas lost 21 percent of child-care providers between March 2020 and September 2021, according to Children at Risk. Children at Risk publishes a map of communities across Texas considered "child-care deserts," meaning the number of children under age six with working parents is three times greater than the number of available providers, and in 2022 that map indicated there were 635 such communities in Texas. Although a recent update to the map indicates that the situation has improved, there are still over 350 child-care deserts in the state. One main challenge for child-care centers is recruiting and retaining qualified directors to lead a facility. S.B. 1327 seeks to ease the staffing burden on child-care centers by allowing new day-care center directors to begin serving while giving them a 12-month grace period to complete or obtain a waiver from the necessary education requirements.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1327 amends the Human Resources Code to authorize a candidate for the position of director of a day-care center operating under an initial license who meets all the qualifications for a director prescribed by Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) rules except for the education requirements to serve as the day-care center's interim director for not longer than 12 months while the candidate completes the requisite education or obtains a waiver to the education requirement authorized by HHSC rule. The interim director may become the director if the interim director completes the prescribed education requirements or obtains a waiver before the end of the 12th month after the date the person began serving as interim director. If the interim director fails to complete the prescribed education requirements or obtain a waiver before the end of that 12-month period, the day-care center must employ a new director. The bill revises the conduct that constitutes the Class B misdemeanor of operating a day-care center without a qualified director to account for the creation of the position of interim director.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.