By: Linebarger H.B. No. 872
73R4060 CAS-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to child care for public school students.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Sections 21.932(c) and (d), Education Code, are
1-5 amended to read as follows:
1-6 (c) The district shall effectively publicize the hearings
1-7 and hold all the hearings before the start of the school year. The
1-8 Work and Family Policies Clearinghouse in the Texas Employment
1-9 Commission <Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs>, not
1-10 later than May 1 of each year, shall distribute to each school
1-11 district described in Subsection (b) of this section information
1-12 that describes model school-age child care programs and explains
1-13 how a school district may obtain funds through the federal
1-14 Dependent Care Development Grant program or other grant programs
1-15 <that are administered by the department of housing and community
1-16 affairs>. A school district shall distribute the information
1-17 received from the clearinghouse <department of housing and
1-18 community affairs> to the public at a hearing.
1-19 (d) The school child care services fund is established in
1-20 the state treasury. The fund consists of money appropriated to the
1-21 fund, of transfers made under Subsection (e) of this section, and
1-22 of gifts, grants, or donations to the fund. The clearinghouse
1-23 <department of housing and community affairs> may apply for and
1-24 accept gifts, grants, and donations for that purpose. The fund
2-1 shall be used to pay the costs of implementing school-age child
2-2 care before and after the school day and during school holidays and
2-3 vacations for a school district's school-age students. Eligible
2-4 use of funds shall include paying reasonable costs of
2-5 administration and monitoring contractors, planning, development,
2-6 establishment, expansion, or improvement of child care services and
2-7 reasonable start-up costs. The percentage of any federal allotment
2-8 in the fund that may be used to pay administrative costs is
2-9 governed by federal law. The clearinghouse <department of housing
2-10 and community affairs> shall administer the fund with the advice of
2-11 the Central Education Agency. The clearinghouse <department of
2-12 housing and community affairs> by rule shall establish procedures
2-13 and eligibility requirements for distributing money from the fund.
2-14 Subject to the eligibility requirements established by rule, the
2-15 clearinghouse <department of housing and community affairs> may
2-16 distribute money from the fund to any school district. The
2-17 clearinghouse <department of housing and community affairs> may
2-18 distribute money appropriated from the fund to pay all or part of
2-19 the fees charged for providing services to students who have been
2-20 identified as potential dropouts. The clearinghouse <department of
2-21 housing and community affairs> shall assist school districts in the
2-22 development and evaluation of child care services.
2-23 SECTION 2. (a) Any records in the custody of the Texas
2-24 Department of Housing and Community Affairs on September 1, 1993,
2-25 for the purpose of administering duties under Section 21.932,
2-26 Education Code, and any personnel or property in the department's
2-27 custody on that date primarily for the purpose of administering
3-1 duties under that section are transferred to the Work and Family
3-2 Policies Clearinghouse.
3-3 (b) Any appropriations for the fiscal biennium ending August
3-4 31, 1995, made to the Texas Department of Housing and Community
3-5 Affairs for the purpose of administering duties under Section
3-6 21.932, Education Code, are transferred to the Work and Family
3-7 Policies Clearinghouse for the same purpose.
3-8 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
3-9 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.