SRC-MWN H.B. 3164 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 3164 By: Chavez (Truan) Education 5/11/2001 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Under current law, school district prekindergarten programs are not required to comply with child-care licensing standards adopted by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (DPRS). This means that some programs might be short staffed or not comply with health and safety standards. Such noncompliance may threaten the safety and health of children. H. B. 3164 requires a school district kindergarten program to comply with child-care licensing standards adopted by DPRS. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the State Board of Education in SECTION 1 (Section 29.153, Education Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 29.153, Education Code, as follows: Provides that at a minimum a school district (district) prekindergarten program must comply with the applicable child-care licensing standards adopted by the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (PRS). The bill requires the State Board of Education by rule to ensure the district's compliance with the standards. Before a district is authorized to initiate a new prekindergarten program, the district is required to investigate the possibility of sharing program sites with existing child-care programs licensed by PRS and existing federal Head Start programs and to coordinate the use of those sites to the greatest extent possible. The bill requires the district to also investigate and implement to the greatest extent possible coordinated use of licensed child-care and Head Start sites with existing prekindergarten programs. A prekindergarten program established before the effective date of this Act is not required to comply with the applicable child-care standards adopted by PRS until September 1, 2004. SECTION 2. (a) Effective date: September 1, 2001. (b) Provides that a prekindergarten program established before the effective date of this Act is not required to comply with the applicable child-care standards adopted by the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, as required by Subsection (h), Section 29.153, Education Code, as added by this Act, until September 1, 2004.