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Senate Bill 568 |
Senate Author: Huffman |
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Effective: 9-1-19 |
House Sponsor: Bonnen, Greg et al. |
Senate Bill 568 amends the Human Resources Code to transfer certain regulatory authority over certain child‑care facilities from the Department of Family and Protective Services to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and to increase regulation and oversight of family homes. Among other provisions, the bill does the following with respect to the regulation of such facilities and family homes:
· provides for the development of safe sleeping standards;
· establishes the safety training account in the general revenue fund to be used to provide safety training materials;
· requires HHSC to provide certain facility and family home inspection data to enhance consumer choice;
· establishes certain additional regulations with respect to license, certification, or registration renewal, as applicable, based on violations of related requirements;
· prescribes a recommended penalty schedule for use by HHSC for certain violations, including a $1,000 penalty for each violation that constitutes abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child; and
· requires parental notification of each violation constituting abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Implementation of a provision of the bill by HHSC is mandatory only if a specific appropriation is made for that purpose.