1-1           By:  Ellis, West, Lindsay, Zaffirini             S.B. No. 503

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 10, 1997; February 12, 1997,

 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;

 1-4     February 20, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas

 1-5     11, Nays 0; February 20, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the continuation of the school child care services

 1-9     program.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 33.902, Education Code, is amended by

1-12     amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (d) to read as

1-13     follows:

1-14           (c)  The district shall effectively publicize the hearings

1-15     and hold all the hearings before the start of the school year.  The

1-16     Work and Family Policies Clearinghouse in the Texas Workforce

1-17     [Employment] Commission, not later than May 1 of each year, shall

1-18     distribute to each school district described by Subsection (b)

1-19     information that describes model prekindergarten and school-age

1-20     child care programs and explains how a school district may obtain

1-21     funds through the federal Dependent Care Development Grant program

1-22     or other grant programs.  A school district shall distribute the

1-23     information received from the clearinghouse to the public at a

1-24     hearing.

1-25           (d)  The Work and Family Policies Clearinghouse may

1-26     distribute money appropriated by the legislature to any school

1-27     district for the purpose of implementing school-age child care

1-28     before and after the school day and during school holidays and

1-29     vacations for a school district's school-age students.  Eligible

1-30     use of funds shall include planning, development, establishment,

1-31     expansion, or improvement of child care services and reasonable

1-32     start-up costs.  The clearinghouse may distribute money to pay fees

1-33     charged for providing services to students who are considered to be

1-34     at risk of dropping out of school under Section 29.081.  The Texas

1-35     Workforce Commission shall by rule establish procedures and

1-36     eligibility requirements for distributing this money to school

1-37     districts.

1-38           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-39           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-40     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-41     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-42     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-43     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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