SRC-JEC S.B. 168 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 168
77R2843 KKA-DBy: Zaffirini
Health & Human Services
2/12/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
(department) is required to inspect all licensed or certified facilities at
least once a year and is authorized to inspect other facilities or
registered family homes as necessary.  As proposed, S.B. 168 requires the
department's child care licensing division to increase unannounced
inspections of child-care facilities designated as high-risk.  It does not
increase the total  number of required inspections. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 42.044, Human Resources Code, as follows:

Sec. 42.044. INSPECTIONS. (b) Requires the Texas Department of Protective
and Regulatory Services (department) to inspect all licensed or certified
facilities, other than childplacing agencies, at least once a year and
certain other facilities as necessary.  Requires at least one of the annual
inspections, rather than visits, to be unannounced. 

(c) Requires the department to inspect all licensed child-placing agencies
at least once a year. 

(d) Requires the department, if it determines that a licensed child-care
facility or registered family home presents an increased risk to children
because of noncompliance with department standards, to conduct an
unannounced inspection of the licensed childcare facility at least every
seven months until the facility is no longer considered by the department
to present an increased risk to children, and the registered family home at
least every 18 months until the home is no longer considered by the
department to present an increased risk to children. 

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001.