79R7551 CLG-D

By:  Villarreal                                                   H.B. No. 2324



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to quality improvement activities for certain subsidized 
child-care services.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter G, Chapter 2308, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 2308.3175 to read as follows:
	Sec. 2308.3175.  QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR 
SUBSIDIZED CHILD-CARE SERVICES.  (a)  In this section, "subsidized 
child-care services" means subsidized child-care services 
administered by the commission and a board and funded wholly or 
partly by federal child-care development funds.
	(b)  The commission by rule shall establish a program under 
which a board awards grants to child-care providers and 
community-based organizations for use in providing quality 
improvement activities to improve the quality and availability of 
subsidized child-care services in the workforce development area.
	(c)  The commission by rule shall prescribe eligibility 
criteria for receipt of a grant under the program.
	(d)  In developing the program under this section, the 
commission shall adopt a list of quality improvement activities for 
which a provider or organization is eligible to receive funding 
through the program.  The list of activities must include:
		(1)  comprehensive consumer education encompassing:                    
			(A)  parent education programs;                                       
			(B)  publication of quality indicators to 
evaluate child-care services;
			(C)  data collection regarding child-care and 
early childhood education programs; and
			(D)  parent referral services;                                        
		(2)  professional development activities for 
providers, including:   
			(A)  training, educational materials, or 
technical assistance;      
			(B)  scholarship information and assistance; and                      
			(C)  strategies to increase salaries or other 
forms of compensation;
		(3)  teacher training programs, mentoring programs, or 
other programs or activities that promote early development of 
language, literacy, and mathematical skills in young children;
		(4)  programs or activities that promote inclusive 
child care;       
		(5)  activities promoted by the Healthy Child Care 
America program and other activities designed to promote the social 
and emotional development of young children;
		(6)  child-care resource and referral services for 
parents;          
		(7)  use of infant and toddler specialists to educate 
parents and provide training and technical assistance to child–care 
providers; and
		(8)  other activities the commission determines will 
increase parental choice and improve the quality and availability 
of subsidized child-care services.
	(e)  The commission shall allocate funds to the boards for 
use in administering the program, subject to guidelines established 
by the commission.  To the extent allowed by federal law, the 
commission may allocate federal child-care development funds for 
the purposes of the program.
	(f)  In developing and administering the program, the 
commission and each board shall ensure that local providers and 
organizations have the option to choose which of the quality 
improvement activities described by Subsection (d) the provider or 
organization wants to provide under the program.
	(g)  The commission shall submit to the legislature an annual 
report regarding the operation of the program during the preceding 
year.  At a minimum, the report must include the number and total 
amount of grants awarded by each board during the period covered by 
the report.  A board must provide information to the commission as 
necessary to enable the commission to prepare the report required 
by this subsection.
	SECTION 2.  As soon as practicable after the effective date 
of this Act, the Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt rules 
necessary for the implementation of Section 2308.3175, Government 
Code, as added by this Act.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.