By:  Lucio                                             S.B. No. 558
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to training requirements for certain child-care providers.
 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
 1-4     is amended by adding Section 42.0421 to read as follows:
 1-5           Sec. 42.0421.  MINIMUM TRAINING STANDARDS.  (a)  The minimum
 1-6     training standards prescribed by the department under Section
 1-7     42.042(p) for an employee of a day-care center or group day-care
 1-8     home must include:
 1-9                 (1)  eight hours of initial training for an employee of
1-10     a day-care center who has no previous training or employment
1-11     experience in a regulated child-care facility, to be completed
1-12     before the employee is given responsibility for a group of
1-13     children;
1-14                 (2)  15 hours of annual training for each employee of a
1-15     day-care center or group day-care home, excluding the director; and
1-16                 (3)  20 hours of annual training for each director of a
1-17     day-care center or group day-care home.
1-18           (b)  The minimum training standards prescribed by the
1-19     department under Section 42.042(p) must require an employee of a
1-20     licensed day-care center or group day-care home who provides care
1-21     for children younger than 24 months of age to receive special
1-22     training regarding the care of those children.  The special
1-23     training must include one hour of initial training in addition to
1-24     the training required by Subsection (a)(1) and one hour of annual
 2-1     training as a component of the training required by Subsections
 2-2     (a)(2) and (a)(3) on:
 2-3                 (1)  recognizing and preventing shaken baby syndrome;
 2-4                 (2)  preventing sudden infant death syndrome; and
 2-5                 (3)  understanding early childhood brain development.
 2-6           (c)  The department by rule shall require an operator of a
 2-7     registered family home who provides care for a child younger than
 2-8     24 months of age to complete one hour of annual training on:
 2-9                 (1)  recognizing and preventing shaken baby syndrome;
2-10                 (2)  preventing sudden infant death syndrome; and
2-11                 (3)  understanding early childhood brain development.
2-12           (d)  Section 42.042(m) does not apply to the minimum training
2-13     standards required by this section.
2-14           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.