By Wise                                               H.B. No. 2744
         76R8016 CBH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to certain standards relating to employees of a child-care
 1-3     facility.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 42.042, Human Resources Code, is amended
 1-6     by amending Subsection (p) and adding Subsection (q) to read as
 1-7     follows:
 1-8           (p)  The department by rule shall prescribe minimum initial
 1-9     and annual training standards for an employee of a regulated
1-10     child-care facility, including the time required for completing the
1-11     training.  The department shall ensure that the initial and annual
1-12     training standards for each type of facility are at least as
1-13     comprehensive as the average national standards for that type of
1-14     facility. The department may not require an employee to repeat
1-15     required training if the employee has completed the training within
1-16     the time prescribed by department rule.  The department's local
1-17     offices shall make available at the local office locations a copy
1-18     of the rules regarding minimum training standards, information
1-19     enabling the owner or operator of a regulated facility to apply for
1-20     training funds from other agencies to lower facility costs, and any
1-21     other materials the department may develop to assist the owner or
1-22     operator or other entity in providing the training.
1-23           (q)  In adopting standards for minimum staff ratios, the
1-24     department shall require that each day-care center maintain a
 2-1     staff-to-child ratio of at least 1:12 for children who are four
 2-2     years of age.
 2-3           SECTION 2.  The Department of Protective and Regulatory
 2-4     Services shall adopt the standards required by Section 42.042,
 2-5     Human Resources Code, as amended by this Act, not later than
 2-6     January 1, 2000.
 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.