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BILL ANALYSIS |
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By: Villarreal |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
In these times of economic hardship, many families across the nation, and particularly across Texas, are finding it increasingly necessary to have two incomes in order to provide the necessities for their family. Along with these two income households comes an increased need for high quality child care.
It is due to this overwhelming need that in 2007, CSHB 1385 went through the legislative process and became law. It streamlined the process for small business employers to have an on-site child care for their employees. This bill established that the child to caregiver ratio must be 4:1 or less, that there could be no more than 12 children enrolled in that child care, and that the small business itself could have no more than fifty employees. It also established various other precautionary and safety regulations with oversight from the Department of Family and Protective Services, in particular background checks processed for the caregivers.
In the Texas Government Code, Section 2006.001, a "small business" is defined as one that has fewer than 100 employees. H.B. 415 seeks to bring small businesses with on-site day cares in line with that previously established definition for small businesses.
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
H.B. 415 amends the Human Resources Code to increase from fewer than 50 to fewer than 100
the number of full-time employees a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other legal
entity can employ in order for suc h an entity to be considered a small employer.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2009.