1-1     By:  Villarreal (Senate Sponsor - Moncrief)           H.B. No. 1307
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 2001;
 1-3     April 24, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Health
 1-4     and Human Services; May 8, 2001, reported favorably by the
 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 8, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the establishment of a child-care resource and referral
 1-9     network.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by
1-12     adding Chapter 310 to read as follows:
1-13           CHAPTER 310.  CHILD-CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL NETWORK
1-14           Sec. 310.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:
1-15                 (1)  "Member" means a member of the child-care resource
1-16     and referral network that provides child-care resource and referral
1-17     services in this state.
1-18                 (2)  "Network" means the child-care resource and
1-19     referral network administered by a nonprofit public or private
1-20     organization that contracts with the commission to provide
1-21     child-care resource and referral services in this state.
1-22           Sec. 310.002.  CHILD-CARE RESOURCE AND REFERRAL NETWORK.  (a)
1-23     The commission, through funds allocated to the commission as the
1-24     agency designated to administer the grant under the Child Care and
1-25     Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 9858 et
1-26     seq.), as amended, and specifically appropriated to the commission
1-27     for that purpose, shall:
1-28                 (1)  contract with a child-care resource and referral
1-29     network to provide child-care resource and referral services in
1-30     this state; and
1-31                 (2)  require the network to be administered in
1-32     compliance with the requirements of the block grant program.
1-33           (b)  The commission shall use a system of competitive
1-34     procurement to award a contract to a child-care resource and
1-35     referral network that has proven experience in providing child-care
1-36     resource and referral services.
1-37           (c)  To the extent funds from the block grant program are
1-38     available for that purpose, the commission shall award the contract
1-39     under this section in a manner that will allow for the provision of
1-40     child-care resource and referral services throughout this state.
1-41           Sec. 310.003.  STATEWIDE CHILD-CARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT. (a)
1-42     The network shall conduct a needs assessment to determine the
1-43     supply of and demand for child-care services in this state and to
1-44     identify discrepancies between that supply and demand.
1-45           (b)  Based on the needs assessment, the network shall make
1-46     recommendations to the commission regarding collaborative solutions
1-47     to address the identified child-care supply and demand
1-48     discrepancies.  The recommended solutions must involve
1-49     collaboration between:
1-50                 (1)  local workforce development boards;
1-51                 (2)  community-based social services agencies;
1-52                 (3)  employers;
1-53                 (4)  child-care providers; and
1-54                 (5)  parents who are consumers of child-care services.
1-55           Sec. 310.004.  RESOURCE SERVICES.  The network, through its
1-56     members, shall provide and continually update resource information
1-57     regarding:
1-58                 (1)  child-care and early childhood education services
1-59     in this state; and
1-60                 (2)  assistance in becoming a child-care provider,
1-61     including information about:
1-62                       (A)  the general requirements for applying for
1-63     and maintaining a license, listing, or registration under Chapter
1-64     42, Human Resources Code; and
 2-1                       (B)  the availability of financial resources and
 2-2     educational, technical, and other training opportunities, including
 2-3     management skills training and continuing education programs for
 2-4     operators and employees of child-care facilities, regardless of
 2-5     whether the network or another person provides those opportunities.
 2-6           Sec. 310.005.  REFERRAL SERVICES.  (a)  The network, through
 2-7     its members, shall provide referral services to:
 2-8                 (1)  a person who is seeking child-care and early
 2-9     childhood education services; and
2-10                 (2)  an employer seeking child-care assistance for the
2-11     employer or an employee through:
2-12                       (A)  a consultation regarding the availability of
2-13     child-care and early childhood education services; or
2-14                       (B)  specialized services for the employer or its
2-15     employees.
2-16           (b)  In addition to providing referrals to child-care and
2-17     early childhood education services, the network, through its
2-18     members, shall provide:
2-19                 (1)  referrals to available support services,
2-20     including:
2-21                       (A)  parenting education classes; and
2-22                       (B)  services for parents or children offered by
2-23     health and human services agencies, as defined by Section 531.001,
2-24     Government Code, or otherwise available in the community; and
2-25                 (2)  information for consumers of child-care and early
2-26     childhood education services, including:
2-27                       (A)  information regarding early childhood
2-28     development;
2-29                       (B)  criteria for identifying quality child-care
2-30     and early childhood education services that support the healthy
2-31     development of children; and
2-32                       (C)  other information that will assist consumers
2-33     in making informed and effective choices regarding child-care and
2-34     early childhood education services.
2-35           Sec. 310.006.  ADVERTISEMENT OF SERVICES.  (a)  The network,
2-36     through its members, shall inform parents, child-care consumers,
2-37     child-care providers, and employers located in the member's service
2-38     area of:
2-39                 (1)  the resource and referral services available from
2-40     the network; and
2-41                 (2)  the methods by which a person may contact the
2-42     member to access resource and referral services.
2-43           (b)  A member may provide the information under Subsection
2-44     (a) through the media and alternative means, including:
2-45                 (1)  state and local community, job, and health fairs;
2-46                 (2)  public service announcements and advertisements;
2-47                 (3)  career development centers;
2-48                 (4)  offices of health and human services agencies;
2-49                 (5)  Texas workforce centers that comprise the Texas
2-50     Workforce Network; and
2-51                 (6)  direct contacts with employers and child-care
2-52     providers.
2-53           Sec. 310.007.  COLLECTION OF CHILD-CARE DATA. (a)  The
2-54     network, through its members, shall:
2-55                 (1)  collect and continuously update statewide data
2-56     regarding the supply of and demand for child-care and early
2-57     childhood education services in this state;
2-58                 (2)  report the data to the commission each calendar
2-59     quarter; and
2-60                 (3)  make the information available statewide.
2-61           (b)  The data required by this section must include a
2-62     comprehensive compilation of all available child-care and early
2-63     childhood education services in this state and information
2-64     concerning unmet needs of consumers with respect to those services.
2-65           (c)  The commission and the Department of Protective and
2-66     Regulatory Services shall provide assistance to the network and
2-67     members of the network in collecting, aggregating, and updating the
2-68     data required by this section.
2-69           Sec. 310.008.  RULES.  The commission may adopt rules
 3-1     necessary to implement this chapter.
 3-2           SECTION 2.  The Texas Workforce Commission shall award a
 3-3     contract to establish the child-care resource and referral network
 3-4     required by Chapter 310, Labor Code, as added by this Act, not
 3-5     later than January 1, 2002.
 3-6           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
 3-7                                  * * * * *