1-1 By: Ellis, Zaffirini, West S.B. No. 1112 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 1997; March 13, 1997, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human Services; 1-4 April 1, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 1-5 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 0; April 1, 1997, 1-6 sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1112 By: Nelson 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to development of a statewide guide on child care. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Section 403.026 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 403.026. CHILD-CARE GUIDE; INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP. 1-15 (a) The comptroller shall develop and periodically update a 1-16 statewide guide for child care designed to assist child-care 1-17 consumers in making informed choices regarding available child-care 1-18 services and to provide useful information regarding the child-care 1-19 industry to child-care service providers. The guide must: 1-20 (1) contain a directory of accredited service 1-21 providers of child care; 1-22 (2) contain comprehensive and current information on: 1-23 (A) service providers, including staff-child 1-24 ratios, group sizes, level of training of staff and management, 1-25 hours of availability, price information, and other relevant 1-26 information; 1-27 (B) early childhood development and factors to 1-28 consider in making informed child-care choices; 1-29 (C) child care for children with disabilities; 1-30 (D) training opportunities in the child-care 1-31 profession; 1-32 (E) best practices in the child-care industry; 1-33 (F) child-care financing options; 1-34 (G) technical assistance for child-care service 1-35 providers; and 1-36 (H) other relevant topics as determined by the 1-37 comptroller and the interagency work group created under Subsection 1-38 (b); and 1-39 (3) enable a child-care consumer to identify and 1-40 assess each option available for meeting a child-care consumer's 1-41 individual needs. 1-42 (b) An interagency work group is created to assist the 1-43 comptroller in developing and updating the guide. The work group 1-44 is composed of representatives of: 1-45 (1) the comptroller's office, appointed by the 1-46 comptroller; 1-47 (2) the Texas Workforce Commission, appointed by the 1-48 executive director of that agency; 1-49 (3) the Texas Department of Human Services, appointed 1-50 by the commissioner of human services; 1-51 (4) the Department of Protective and Regulatory 1-52 Services, appointed by the executive director of that agency; 1-53 (5) businesses and business organizations, appointed 1-54 by the comptroller; 1-55 (6) resource and referral agencies, appointed by the 1-56 comptroller; 1-57 (7) nonprofit organizations, appointed by the 1-58 comptroller; and 1-59 (8) child-care consumers, appointed by the 1-60 comptroller. 1-61 (c) A member of the work group serves at the will of the 1-62 appointing agency. 1-63 (d) The comptroller shall appoint a member of the work group 1-64 to serve as presiding officer, and members of the work group shall 2-1 elect any other necessary officers. 2-2 (e) The work group shall meet at the call of the presiding 2-3 officer. 2-4 (f) The appointing entity is responsible for the expenses of 2-5 a member's service on the work group. A member of the work group 2-6 receives no additional compensation for serving on the work group. 2-7 (g) The work group is not subject to Article 6252-33, 2-8 Revised Statutes. 2-9 (h) The entities listed in Subsection (b) shall take all 2-10 action necessary to assist the comptroller in developing and 2-11 updating the guide, including providing staff with expertise in 2-12 information and referral services and other necessary resources, 2-13 but may not diminish services required to be provided by other law. 2-14 (i) The comptroller shall make the guide available to the 2-15 public in electronic format and through the Internet. 2-16 SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 1998, the comptroller 2-17 of public accounts shall complete development of the child-care 2-18 guide required by Section 403.026, Government Code, as added by 2-19 this Act, and make the guide available in the manner required by 2-20 that section. 2-21 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-26 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-27 passage, and it is so enacted. 2-28 * * * * *