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BILL ANALYSIS |
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By: Shapiro |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Despite the fact that thousands of children are transported daily by care providers, there are no transportation safety training requirements in the State of Texas. As a result, tragically, every year, children are injured and die because of unsafe transportation procedures. Minimum standards could include the proper use of safety restraints, vehicle maintenance, proper behavior during transport, loading and unloading procedures, and safe accounting for each child and their well-being.
As proposed, S.B. 572 mandates training to providers who transport children whose chronological or developmental age is nine-years-old or younger. The bill requires minimum standards for this training to be set by the Department of Family Protective Services.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 42.0421, Human Resources Code) of this bill.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 42.0421, Human Resources Code, by adding Subsection (e), to require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) by rule to require an owner, operator, or employee of a day-care center, group day-care home, family home, child-care institution, foster group home, or agency foster group home who transports a child under the care of the facility whose chronological or developmental age is younger than nine years of age to complete at least two hours of annual training on transportation safety.
SECTION 2. Requires the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission to adopt the rules required by Section 42.021(e), Human Resources Code, as added by this Act, not later than March 1, 2010.
SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2009.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2009.