SRC-DBM S.B. 1374 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1374
76R7470  KLA-DBy: Shapleigh
Human Services
4/11/1999
As Filed


DIGEST 

Currently, Texas requires local communities to raise a portion of the
federal Child Care and Development Fund for matching purposes, regardless
of a community's economic status.  Although some communities are able to
raise the child care matching funds, this policy penalizes poor communities
which have difficulty raising the amount of matching funds required by the
state.  S.B. 1374 would authorize the Texas Workforce Commission to
require, request, or accept from a political subdivision matching or other
local funds or any other local incentives to make the most efficient use of
the child care and development fund administered by the commission in
making adjustments for satisfying federal requirements. 


PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 1374 regulates the local matching fund requirement in
terms of the use of the child care and development fund in a political
subdivision that consists of all or a portion of  an economically
disadvantaged county. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 302D, Labor Code, by adding Section 302.064, as
follows: 

Sec. 302.064.  RELIEF FROM LOCAL MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.  (a)  Defines
"economically disadvantaged county." 

(b)  Authorizes the Texas Workforce Commission (commission), except as
provided by Subsection(c), to require, request, or accept from a political
subdivision matching or other local funds or any other local incentives to
make the most efficient use of the child care and development fund
administered by the commission. 

(c)  Prohibits the commission from considering the absence or value of
local incentives provided under Subsection (b) beyond the minimum local
matching funds when evaluating a proposal for the use of childcare and
development funds in a political subdivision that consists of all or a
portion of an economically disadvantaged county.  Requires the commission
to adjust the minimum local matching funds requirement after evaluating the
political subdivision's effort and ability to meet the requirement. 

(d)  Authorizes the commission when making an adjustment under Subsection
(c)(2), to use any other available resources to help satisfy a federal
requirement. 

(e)  Requires the commission to report annually to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives
regarding the use of matching funds, local incentives, and the commission's
ability to ensure that political subdivisions located in economically
disadvantaged counties have an equal ability to compete for funding through
the child care and development fund with political subdivisions in counties
that are not economically disadvantaged. 

 SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.