SRC-MSY, TJG S.B. 76 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 76 78R542 CLG-DBy: Zaffirini Education 3/27/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Current Texas law may make it difficult for some parents to determine whether their children are eligible for certain subsidized child care and early childhood development programs due to the structure of such programs. As proposed, S.B. 76 requires certain state agencies to coordinate with early childhood development program providers regarding prekindergarten, Head Start, and after school child care programs, and to streamline eligibility and registration procedures for such programs. In addition, this bill requires the Texas Education Agency to develop a plan to establish prekindergarten programs within the child care industry. 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 Chapter 72, Human Resources Code, as follows: CHAPTER 72. New heading: HEAD START, PREKINDERGARTEN, AND OTHER SIMILAR PROGRAMS SECTION 2. Amends Section 72.003, Human Resources Code, as follows: Sec. 72.003. COORDINATION OF SERVICES. (a) Requires each Head Start and Early Head Start program provider, prekindergarten program provider, and provider of an afterschool child-care program provided at a school to coordinate with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Texas Educational Agency (TEA), and local workforce development boards regarding subsidized child-care services. (b) Includes streamlining the eligibility determination or registration process for subsidized child-care services and a Head Start or Early Head Start, prekindergarten, or after-school child-care program in the list of coordinated activities required by this section. Makes nonsubstantive changes. (c) Includes prekindergarten and after-school child-care programs among permissible child-care services. Makes nonsubstantive changes. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 3. (a) Requires TEA, not later than January 1, 2004, to develop a plan to establish prekindergarten programs within the subsidized child-care service industry. Requires TEA to seek input from certain people and entities. (b) Requires the plan to provide programs to be established under this plan be funded using money used for prekindergarten programs under Chapter 29E, Education Code, and federal child-care development funds to the extent permitted by federal law. (c) Requires the TEA, not later than January 1, 2005, to prepare and deliver the plan to certain individuals. SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2003.