By: Moncrief S.B. No. 665
2001S0088/2
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the creation of an office within the Health and Human
1-3 Services Commission for coordinating the delivery of early
1-4 childhood services.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by
1-7 adding Subchapter H to read as follows:
1-8 SUBCHAPTER H. OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD COORDINATION
1-9 Sec. 531.281. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-10 (1) "Office" means the Office of Early Childhood
1-11 Coordination.
1-12 (2) "Advisory committee" means the Office of Early
1-13 Childhood Coordination Advisory Committee.
1-14 Sec. 531.282. OFFICE; STAFF. (a) The Office of Early
1-15 Childhood Coordination is an office within the commission.
1-16 (b) The commissioner shall employ staff as needed to carry
1-17 out the duties of the office.
1-18 Sec. 531.283. GOALS. The goals of the office are to:
1-19 (1) promote community support for parents of all
1-20 children younger than six years of age through an integrated state
1-21 and local-level decision-making process; and
1-22 (2) provide for the seamless delivery of health and
1-23 human services to all children younger than six years of age to
1-24 ensure that all children are prepared to succeed in school.
1-25 Sec. 531.284. STRATEGIC PLAN. (a) The office shall create
2-1 and implement a statewide strategic plan for the delivery of health
2-2 and human services to children younger than six years of age.
2-3 (b) In developing the statewide strategic plan, the office
2-4 shall:
2-5 (1) consider existing programs and models to serve
2-6 children younger than six years of age, including:
2-7 (A) community resource coordination groups;
2-8 (B) the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative;
2-9 (C) the Texas Information and Referral Network;
2-10 and
2-11 (D) efforts to create a 2-1-1 telephone number
2-12 for access to human services;
2-13 (2) attempt to maximize federal funds and local
2-14 existing infrastructure and funds; and
2-15 (3) provide for local participation to the greatest
2-16 extent possible.
2-17 (c) The statewide strategic plan must address the needs of
2-18 children younger than six years of age with disabilities.
2-19 Sec. 531.285. POWERS AND DUTIES. (a) The office shall
2-20 identify:
2-21 (1) gaps in early childhood services by functional
2-22 area and geographical area;
2-23 (2) state policies, rules, and service procedures that
2-24 prevent or inhibit children younger than six years of age from
2-25 accessing available services;
2-26 (3) sources of funds for early childhood services,
3-1 including federal, state, and private-public ventures;
3-2 (4) opportunities for collaboration between the Texas
3-3 Education Agency and health and human services agencies to better
3-4 serve the needs of children younger than six years of age;
3-5 (5) methods for coordinating the provision of early
3-6 childhood services provided by the Texas Head Start-State
3-7 Collaboration Project, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas
3-8 Workforce Commission;
3-9 (6) quantifiable benchmarks for success within early
3-10 childhood service delivery; and
3-11 (7) national best practices in early care and
3-12 educational delivery models.
3-13 (b) The office shall establish outreach efforts to
3-14 communities and ensure adequate communication lines that provide
3-15 the office with information about community-level efforts and
3-16 communities with information about funds and programs available to
3-17 communities.
3-18 (c) The office shall make recommendations to the commission
3-19 on strategies to:
3-20 (1) ensure optimum collaboration and coordination
3-21 between state agencies serving the needs of children younger than
3-22 six years of age and other community stakeholders;
3-23 (2) fill geographical and functional gaps in early
3-24 childhood services; and
3-25 (3) amend state policies, rules, and service
3-26 procedures that prevent or inhibit children younger than six years
4-1 of age from accessing services.
4-2 Sec. 531.286. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The commissioner
4-3 shall appoint an advisory committee to assist the office in the
4-4 performance of its duties. The commissioner shall appoint to the
4-5 advisory committee persons with a demonstrated interest in early
4-6 childhood development, including parents and representatives of
4-7 business, religious organizations, law enforcement, social
4-8 services, and state agencies that have programs affecting or
4-9 serving children younger than six years of age.
4-10 (b) The advisory committee shall meet and serve under rules
4-11 established by the commissioner, but the advisory committee shall
4-12 elect its own presiding officer.
4-13 (c) The advisory committee is subject to Chapter 2110.
4-14 SECTION 2. As soon as practicable on or after the effective
4-15 date of this Act, the commissioner of health and human services
4-16 shall appoint members to the Office of Early Childhood Coordination
4-17 Advisory Committee as required by Section 531.286, Government Code,
4-18 as added by this Act.
4-19 SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2003, the Office of
4-20 Early Childhood Coordination shall create the statewide strategic
4-21 plan required by Section 531.284, Government Code, as added by this
4-22 Act.
4-23 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.