By Villarreal H.B. No. 1307
77R5840 KLA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to child-care resource and referral networks.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by
1-5 adding Chapter 310 to read as follows:
1-6 CHAPTER 310. CHILD-CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL NETWORK
1-7 Sec. 310.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-8 (1) "Member" means a nonprofit public or private
1-9 organization that contracts with the commission to provide
1-10 child-care resource and referral services.
1-11 (2) "Network" means the child-care resource and
1-12 referral network administered by the commission.
1-13 (3) "Service area" means the geographic area for which
1-14 a member has contracted to provide child-care resource and referral
1-15 services.
1-16 Sec. 310.002. CHILD-CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL NETWORK. (a)
1-17 The commission, through funds allocated to the commission as the
1-18 agency designated to administer the grant under the Child Care and
1-19 Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 9858 et
1-20 seq.), as amended, and specifically appropriated to the commission
1-21 for that purpose, shall:
1-22 (1) develop a child-care resource and referral
1-23 network; and
1-24 (2) administer the network in compliance with the
2-1 requirements of the block grant program.
2-2 (b) To develop the network required by this section, the
2-3 commission shall use a system of competitive procurement to award
2-4 contracts to nonprofit public and private organizations that have
2-5 proven experience in child care.
2-6 (c) A contract awarded under this section must specify the
2-7 service area for which a member shall provide resource and referral
2-8 services.
2-9 (d) To the extent funds from the block grant program are
2-10 available for that purpose, the commission shall award contracts
2-11 under this section in a manner that will allow for the provision of
2-12 child-care resource and referral services in each region of this
2-13 state that demonstrates a need for the services.
2-14 Sec. 310.003. RESOURCE SERVICES. (a) A member of the
2-15 network shall provide and continually update resource information
2-16 regarding child-care services in each county of this state that is
2-17 included in the member's service area, including:
2-18 (1) the name, address, and telephone number of each
2-19 day-care center, group day-care home, and family home located in
2-20 the county;
2-21 (2) information relating to the services provided by
2-22 the day-care center, group day-care home, or family home,
2-23 including:
2-24 (A) the designation of the facility as a
2-25 day-care center, group day-care home, or family home under Chapter
2-26 42, Human Resources Code;
2-27 (B) the group size for each age group receiving
3-1 care;
3-2 (C) the ages of children accepted for child
3-3 care;
3-4 (D) the ability of the facility to accept
3-5 additional children for child care;
3-6 (E) the level of training of staff and
3-7 management of the facility;
3-8 (F) the hours during which services are
3-9 available at the facility;
3-10 (G) the cost of child care at the facility; and
3-11 (H) the types of public subsidies accepted at
3-12 the facility or the types of scholarships or other financial
3-13 assistance offered by the facility; and
3-14 (3) information to educate consumers regarding general
3-15 child-care issues.
3-16 (b) The commission and the Department of Protective and
3-17 Regulatory Services shall provide assistance to the member in
3-18 collecting, aggregating, and updating the information required by
3-19 Subsection (a).
3-20 Sec. 310.004. REFERRAL SERVICES. (a) A member of the
3-21 network shall provide referral services to:
3-22 (1) a person who is seeking child care, including a
3-23 person who is referred by a local workforce development board; and
3-24 (2) an employer in the service area seeking child-care
3-25 assistance for an employee through:
3-26 (A) a consultation regarding the availability of
3-27 child care; or
4-1 (B) a contract to provide specialized services
4-2 to the employer or its employees.
4-3 (b) Child-care referrals must be:
4-4 (1) available by telephone;
4-5 (2) accessible through all career development centers
4-6 located in a local workforce development area in which a local
4-7 workforce development board has been certified and a local plan has
4-8 been approved by the governor; and
4-9 (3) provided only for child-care facilities that are
4-10 licensed, listed, or registered under Chapter 42, Human Resources
4-11 Code, or programs or other types of child care that are exempt from
4-12 state regulation.
4-13 (c) A member of the network shall, in addition to providing
4-14 referrals to child care, provide referrals to support services
4-15 available in the service area, including:
4-16 (1) parenting education classes; and
4-17 (2) services for parents or children offered by health
4-18 and human services agencies, as defined by Section 531.001,
4-19 Government Code.
4-20 Sec. 310.005. COLLECTION OF CHILD-CARE DATA. (a) A member
4-21 of the network shall maintain records of requests made to the
4-22 member for resources and referrals and shall make the records
4-23 available in an aggregate format to state and local agencies and
4-24 private organizations.
4-25 (b) The records required by Subsection (a) must include:
4-26 (1) the number of requests made for resources and
4-27 referrals during a specified period;
5-1 (2) the age of each child for whom a request for
5-2 resources and referrals is made;
5-3 (3) for each person requesting resources and
5-4 referrals:
5-5 (A) the hours during which the person is seeking
5-6 child care; and
5-7 (B) the reason the person is seeking child care;
5-8 and
5-9 (4) any other information as determined by the
5-10 commission to be useful in assessing the supply and demand for
5-11 child-care information and services in the service area.
5-12 (c) The commission shall provide assistance to the member in
5-13 collecting, aggregating, and updating the records required by this
5-14 section.
5-15 Sec. 310.006. ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD-CARE PROVIDERS. (a) A
5-16 member of the network shall provide to a child-care provider or a
5-17 person interested in becoming a child-care provider information
5-18 about:
5-19 (1) the general requirements for applying for and
5-20 maintaining a license, listing, or registration under Chapter 42,
5-21 Human Resources Code;
5-22 (2) the availability of:
5-23 (A) financial resources, including loans
5-24 available under the linked deposit program established under
5-25 Section 481.193, Government Code;
5-26 (B) educational, technical, and other training
5-27 opportunities, including management skills training and continuing
6-1 education programs for operators and employees of those child-care
6-2 facilities; and
6-3 (C) services provided by and a toll-free
6-4 telephone number of the Texas Business and Community Economic
6-5 Development Clearinghouse established under Section 481.167,
6-6 Government Code; and
6-7 (3) current issues affecting the delivery of
6-8 child-care services.
6-9 (b) The commission and the Department of Protective and
6-10 Regulatory Services shall provide assistance to the member in
6-11 collecting, aggregating, and updating the information required by
6-12 Subsection (a).
6-13 Sec. 310.007. ADVERTISEMENT OF SERVICES. (a) A member of
6-14 the network shall inform parents, child-care consumers, child-care
6-15 providers, and employers located in the member's service area of:
6-16 (1) the resource and referral services available from
6-17 the network; and
6-18 (2) the methods by which a person may contact the
6-19 member to access resource and referral services.
6-20 (b) The member may provide the information under Subsection
6-21 (a) through the media and alternative means, including:
6-22 (1) local community, job, and health fairs;
6-23 (2) public service announcements and advertisements;
6-24 (3) career development centers;
6-25 (4) offices of health and human services agencies
6-26 located in the service area; and
6-27 (5) direct contacts with employers and child-care
7-1 providers located in the service area.
7-2 (c) In addition to the means described by Subsection (b),
7-3 the member may provide the information under Subsection (a) to
7-4 child-care providers located in the member's service area through:
7-5 (1) solicitation of child-care providers;
7-6 (2) information provided to child-care providers by
7-7 the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services; and
7-8 (3) orientations and referrals for child-care
7-9 providers provided by the Department of Protective and Regulatory
7-10 Services.
7-11 Sec. 310.008. STATEWIDE DATA COLLECTION. (a) The
7-12 commission shall collect from each member of the network data
7-13 maintained by the member in an aggregate format under Section
7-14 310.005. Based on the data, the commission shall compile
7-15 statistics for each region of this state regarding the supply and
7-16 demand for child-care information and services and shall update the
7-17 statistics each fiscal quarter.
7-18 (b) The commission shall make the data and statistics
7-19 required by Subsection (a) available to state and local agencies
7-20 and private organizations.
7-21 Sec. 310.009. RULES. The commission may adopt rules
7-22 necessary to implement this chapter, including rules regarding the
7-23 minimum qualifications required for an organization to be awarded a
7-24 contract under this chapter.
7-25 SECTION 2. The Texas Workforce Commission shall award
7-26 contracts to establish the child-care resource and referral network
7-27 required by Chapter 310, Labor Code, as added by this Act, not
8-1 later than January 1, 2002.
8-2 SECTION 3. Not later than July 1, 2002, the Texas Workforce
8-3 Commission shall compile the first set of statistics required under
8-4 Section 310.008, Labor Code, as added by this Act.
8-5 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.