80R8917 UM-F

By: Homer H.B. No. 2332

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to an exemption for certain programs from the child-care licensing requirements.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 42.041(b), Human Resources Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) This section does not apply to:

(1) a state-operated facility;

(2) an agency foster home or agency foster group home;

(3) a facility that is operated in connection with a shopping center, business, religious organization, or establishment where children are cared for during short periods while parents or persons responsible for the children are attending religious services, shopping, or engaging in other activities on or near the premises, including but not limited to retreats or classes for religious instruction;

(4) a school or class for religious instruction that does not last longer than two weeks and is conducted by a religious organization during the summer months;

(5) a youth camp licensed by the [Texas] Department of State Health Services;

(6) a facility licensed, operated, certified, or registered by another state agency;

(7) an educational facility accredited by the Texas Education Agency or the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that operates primarily for educational purposes in grades kindergarten and above, an after-school program operated directly by an accredited educational facility, or an after-school program operated by another entity under contract with the educational facility, if the Texas Education Agency or Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has approved the curriculum content of the after-school program operated under the contract;

(8) an educational facility that operates solely for educational purposes in grades kindergarten through at least grade two, that does not provide custodial care for more than one hour during the hours before or after the customary school day, and that is a member of an organization that promulgates, publishes, and requires compliance with health, safety, fire, and sanitation standards equal to standards required by state, municipal, and county codes;

(9) a kindergarten or preschool educational program that is operated as part of a public school or a private school accredited by the Texas Education Agency, that offers educational programs through grade six, and that does not provide custodial care during the hours before or after the customary school day;

(10) a family home, whether registered or listed;

(11) an educational facility that is integral to and inseparable from its sponsoring religious organization or an educational facility both of which do not provide custodial care for more than two hours maximum per day, and that offers educational programs for children age five and above in one or more of the following: kindergarten through at least grade three, elementary, or secondary grades;

(12) an emergency shelter facility providing shelter to minor mothers who are the sole support of their natural children under Section 32.201, Family Code, unless the facility would otherwise require a license as a child-care facility under this section;

(13) a juvenile detention facility certified under Section 51.12, Family Code, or Section 141.042(d), a juvenile facility providing services solely for the Texas Youth Commission, or any other correctional facility for children operated or regulated by another state agency or by a political subdivision of the state;

(14) an elementary-age (ages 5-13) recreation program operated by a municipality provided the governing body of the municipality annually adopts standards of care by ordinance after a public hearing for such programs, that such standards are provided to the parents of each program participant, and that the ordinances shall include, at a minimum, staffing ratios, minimum staff qualifications, minimum facility, health, and safety standards, and mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing the adopted local standards; and further provided that parents be informed that the program is not licensed by the state and the program may not be advertised as a child-care facility; [or]

(15) an annual youth camp held in a municipality with a population of more than 1.5 million that operates for not more than three months and that has been operated for at least 10 years by a nonprofit organization that provides care for the homeless; or

(16) an elementary-age (ages 5-13) recreational program operated by a nonprofit corporation that:

(A) adopts standards of care, including standards relating to staff ratios, staff training, health, and safety;

(B) provides a mechanism for monitoring and enforcing the standards and receiving complaints from parents of enrolled children;

(C) does not advertise as a child-care facility or day-care center and informs parents that it is not licensed by the state;

(D) does not collect compensation for its services;

(E) allows parents to enroll children in and remove children from the program at will; and

(F) conducts background checks using information from the Department of Public Safety for all program employees and volunteers who work with children.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.