By:  Ellis, Zaffirini, West                           S.B. No. 1112

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to development of a statewide guide on child care.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is

 1-4     amended by adding Section 403.026 to read as follows:

 1-5           Sec. 403.026.  CHILD-CARE GUIDE; INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP.

 1-6     (a)  The comptroller shall develop and periodically update a

 1-7     statewide guide for child care designed to assist child-care

 1-8     consumers in making informed choices regarding available child-care

 1-9     services and to provide useful information regarding the child-care

1-10     industry to child-care service providers.  The guide must:

1-11                 (1)  contain a directory of accredited service

1-12     providers of child care;

1-13                 (2)  contain comprehensive and current information on:

1-14                       (A)  service providers, including staff-child

1-15     ratios, group sizes, level of training of staff and management,

1-16     hours of availability, price information, and other relevant

1-17     information;

1-18                       (B)  early childhood development and factors to

1-19     consider in making informed child-care choices;

1-20                       (C)  child care for children with disabilities;

1-21                       (D)  training opportunities in the child-care

1-22     profession;

1-23                       (E)  best practices in the child-care industry;

1-24                       (F)  child-care financing options;

 2-1                       (G)  technical assistance for child-care service

 2-2     providers; and

 2-3                       (H)  other relevant topics as determined by the

 2-4     comptroller and the interagency work group created under Subsection

 2-5     (b); and

 2-6                 (3)  enable a child-care consumer to identify and

 2-7     assess each option available for meeting a child-care consumer's

 2-8     individual needs.

 2-9           (b)  An interagency work group is created to assist the

2-10     comptroller in developing and updating the guide.  The work group

2-11     is composed of representatives of:

2-12                 (1)  the comptroller's office, appointed by the

2-13     comptroller;

2-14                 (2)  the Texas Workforce Commission, appointed by the

2-15     executive director of that agency;

2-16                 (3)  the Texas Department of Human Services, appointed

2-17     by the commissioner of human services;

2-18                 (4)  the Department of Protective and Regulatory

2-19     Services, appointed by the executive director of that agency;

2-20                 (5)  businesses and business organizations, appointed

2-21     by the comptroller;

2-22                 (6)  resource and referral agencies, appointed by the

2-23     comptroller;

2-24                 (7)  nonprofit organizations, appointed by the

2-25     comptroller; and

2-26                 (8)  child-care consumers, appointed by the

2-27     comptroller.

 3-1           (c)  A member of the work group serves at the will of the

 3-2     appointing agency.

 3-3           (d)  The comptroller shall appoint a member of the work group

 3-4     to serve as presiding officer, and members of the work group shall

 3-5     elect any other necessary officers.

 3-6           (e)  The work group shall meet at the call of the presiding

 3-7     officer.

 3-8           (f)  The appointing entity is responsible for the expenses of

 3-9     a member's service on the work group.  A member of the work group

3-10     receives no additional compensation for serving on the work group.

3-11           (g)  The work group is not subject to Article 6252-33,

3-12     Revised Statutes.

3-13           (h)  The entities listed in Subsection (b) shall take all

3-14     action necessary to assist the comptroller in developing and

3-15     updating the guide, including providing staff with expertise in

3-16     information and referral services and other necessary resources,

3-17     but may not diminish services required to be provided by other law.

3-18           (i)  The comptroller shall make the guide available to the

3-19     public in electronic format and through the Internet.

3-20           SECTION 2.  Not later than January 1, 1998, the comptroller

3-21     of public accounts shall complete development of the child-care

3-22     guide required by Section 403.026, Government Code, as added by

3-23     this Act, and make the guide available in the manner required by

3-24     that section.

3-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 4-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 4-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 4-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 4-4     passage, and it is so enacted.