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.