BILL ANALYSIS
By: Paxton
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Texas Legislature established the Work and Family Clearinghouse in the late 1980’s to provide technical assistance and information and to conduct research on child care, dependent care and other employment-related family initiatives. Activities were planned by an advisory committee, currently under the jurisdiction of the Texas Workforce Commission (Commission), and funded through one-half of the cost of copies of birth certificates. In 1995, the Legislature stopped appropriating these dedicated funds and substituted General Revenue.
With tight budget situations facing the Texas Legislature in recent years, no appropriations have been made to fund the activities of the Work and Family Clearinghouse. The Commission has conducted as much of the Clearinghouse’s business as possible through an online library with a variety of research publications. Many more work and family efforts are occurring now at the local level than when the organization was established in the late 1980s. Moreover, child care and elder care service providers and employers in the community are addressing dependent care issues locally through numerous child care resource and referral agencies and other local efforts.
The purpose of HB 2962 is to repeal the statutes requiring the statewide advisory committee for the Work and Family Clearinghouse, its dedicated fund, staff and required research functions, as these activities are being accomplished in other ways and costs being paid through another source of funds.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 2. Amends Section 81.001, Labor Code, to read as follows:
Section 81.001 DEFINITIONS. Defines "Commission" to mean the Texas Workforce
Commission and strikes the definition of "Committee."
SECTION 3. Amends Section 81.007, Labor Code, to read as follows:
Section 81.007. RULES. Eliminates the rulemaking authority under 81.006(b), Labor Code,
relating to administering the Work and Family Policies Fund
SECTION 4. Amends Section 118.015(b), Local Government Code, to strike language requiring
county clerks to deposit funds into the Work and Family Policies Fund.
SECTION 5. (1) Repeals Section 191.0045(f), Health and Safety Code, to strike the language
directing fees to be deposited into the Work and Family Policies Fund. (2) Repeals Section
81.002 of the Labor Code to strike Work and Family Policies Advisory Committee. Repeals
Section 81.004(b), Labor Code, to strike the required research functions of the Clearinghouse.
Repeals Section 81.006, Labor Code, to strike the reference to the Work and Family Policies
Fund. Repeals Section 81.009, Labor Code, to strike the reference to the Work-Family
Facilitator.
SECTION 6. Provides the effective date of this Act.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2005.