1-1  By:  Raymond (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini)             H.B. No. 1649
    1-2        (In the Senate - Received from the House May 15, 1995;
    1-3  May 16, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
    1-4  and Human Services; May 19, 1995, reported favorably by the
    1-5  following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 19, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-7                                AN ACT
    1-8  relating to the development and implementation of an electronic
    1-9  data processing system to expedite payments to certain child-care
   1-10  providers.
   1-11        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-12        SECTION 1.  Chapter 22, Human Resources Code, is amended by
   1-13  adding Section 22.026 to read as follows:
   1-14        Sec. 22.026.  ELECTRONIC CHILD-CARE DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM.
   1-15  (a)  To expedite payments to child-care providers who participate
   1-16  in the child-care management system, the department shall develop
   1-17  and implement a system that uses an electronic scanner or another
   1-18  form of electronic technology to process data, including attendance
   1-19  data, that is necessary for the department to administer child-care
   1-20  programs provided by or on behalf of the department through the
   1-21  child-care management system.
   1-22        (b)  In developing and implementing a system under this
   1-23  section, the department shall:
   1-24              (1)  choose the most cost-effective method for
   1-25  processing the data; and
   1-26              (2)  monitor, in conjunction with regional child-care
   1-27  management system contractors, the accuracy of the data to be
   1-28  processed by the system using the method developed by the
   1-29  department with the assistance of any applicable work group.
   1-30        (c)  The department may contract with a state agency, a
   1-31  public entity, or a private person or entity to implement the
   1-32  system under this section.
   1-33        SECTION 2.  (a)  The Work Group on Child-Care Electronic Data
   1-34  Processing is created to advise and assist the Texas Department of
   1-35  Human Services in developing the system required by Section 22.026,
   1-36  Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
   1-37        (b)  The work group is composed of:
   1-38              (1)  a representative of the Health and Human Services
   1-39  Commission, appointed by the commissioner of health and human
   1-40  services;
   1-41              (2)  a representative of the Texas Department of Human
   1-42  Services, appointed by the commissioner of human services;
   1-43              (3)  a representative of the comptroller's office,
   1-44  appointed by the comptroller;
   1-45              (4)  a child-care management system contractor,
   1-46  appointed by the commissioner of health and human services; and
   1-47              (5)  technical experts with knowledge in electronic
   1-48  data processing, appointed by the commissioner of health and human
   1-49  services.
   1-50        (c)  The representative of the Health and Human Services
   1-51  Commission shall serve as the presiding officer.
   1-52        (d)  The work group shall meet at least once each month at
   1-53  the call of the presiding officer.
   1-54        (e)  The appointing agency or office is responsible for the
   1-55  expenses of a member's service on the work group.  Members of the
   1-56  work group receive no additional compensation for serving on the
   1-57  work group.
   1-58        (f)  The work group shall assist the Texas Department of
   1-59  Human Services in developing a method to monitor the accuracy of
   1-60  the data processed by the department through the system developed
   1-61  by the department under Section 22.026, Human Resources Code, as
   1-62  added by this Act.
   1-63        (g)  This section expires September 1, 1996.
   1-64        SECTION 3.  Not later than March 1, 1996, the Texas
   1-65  Department of Human Services shall develop the system required by
   1-66  Section 22.026, Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
   1-67        SECTION 4.  Not later than September 1, 1995, the
   1-68  commissioner of health and human services, the commissioner of
    2-1  human services, and the comptroller shall designate their
    2-2  representatives to the Work Group on Child-Care Electronic Data
    2-3  Processing.
    2-4        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-5  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-6  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-7  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-8  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-9  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   2-10  passage, and it is so enacted.
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