By: Nelson, West, Nichols S.B. No. 21
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the imposition of additional inspection and background
and criminal history check requirements for day-care centers.
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
       SECTION 1.  Section 42.044, Human Resources Code, is amended
by adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
       (b-1)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection,
during an unannounced annual inspection of a day-care center, the
department shall meet with the director designated by the day-care
center as having daily, on-site responsibility for the operation of
the day-care center to assess whether the director meets the
qualifications of a director specified by this chapter and
department rules. If the director is not present during the
unannounced annual inspection, the department shall schedule a
subsequent meeting with the director for that purpose and shall
conduct that meeting at the day-care center.
       SECTION 2.  Section 42.056, Human Resources Code, is amended
by adding Subsections (a-2), (b-1), and (g) to read as follows:
       (a-2)  In accordance with rules adopted by the executive
commissioner, the director, owner, or operator of a day-care center
shall submit a complete set of fingerprints of each person whose
name is submitted by the director, owner, or operator under
Subsection (a). The rules adopted by the executive commissioner:
             (1)  must require that the fingerprints be submitted in
a form and of a quality acceptable to the Department of Public
Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for conducting a
criminal history check; and
             (2)  may require that the fingerprints be submitted
electronically through an applicant fingerprinting service center.
       (b-1)  In addition to any other background or criminal
history check conducted under Subsection (b), for each person whose
name is submitted by the director, owner, or operator of a day-care
center under Subsection (a), the department shall conduct a state
and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history check by:
             (1)  submitting the person's fingerprints provided
under Subsection (a-2), or causing the fingerprints to be submitted
electronically as authorized by that subsection, to the Department
of Public Safety for the purpose of conducting a state and federal
criminal history check; and
             (2)  using the resulting information made available by
that department under Section 411.114, Government Code, and by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and any other criminal justice
agency under Section 411.087, Government Code.
       (g)  A person whose name is submitted by the director, owner,
or operator of a day-care center under Subsection (a) may not
provide direct care or have direct access to a child in a day-care
center before the person's background and criminal history checks
under Subsections (b) and (b-1) are completed.
       SECTION 3.  Section 42.056, Human Resources Code, as amended
by this Act, applies to the conduct of background and criminal
history checks of a person whose name is submitted to the Department
of Family and Protective Services under Subsection (a), Section
42.056, Human Resources Code, on or after the effective date of this
Act.
       SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.