By: West S.B. No. 1269
 
 
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the regulation of and federal funding for certain
  child-care providers.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 42.0221, Human Resources Code, is
  amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections
  (e-1), (e-2), and (e-3) to read as follows:
         (a)  The committee on licensing standards is composed of nine
  [seven] members appointed by the governor as follows:
               (1)  one member who operates a residential child-care
  facility licensed by the department;
               (2)  one member who operates a child-placing agency
  licensed by the department;
               (3)  one member who operates a licensed child-care
  facility that provides care for children for less than 24 hours a
  day;
               (4)  one member who is a parent, guardian, or custodian
  of a child who uses a facility licensed by the department;
               (5)  one member who is an expert in the field of child
  care and child development; [and]
               (6)  two members employed by the department who work
  with facilities licensed by the department; and
               (7)  two members who represent child advocacy
  organizations.
         (b)  Members of the committee serve two-year terms, with the
  terms of [three or] four or five members, as appropriate, expiring
  February 1 of each year.
         (e-1)  The committee shall review and analyze nationwide
  best practices of child-care providers and other state standards
  related to staff-to-child ratios and group sizes applicable to
  nonresidential child-care facilities that provide care for less
  than 24 hours a day and make recommendations to the department for
  policy and statutory changes related to the ratios and group sizes.
         (e-2)  From the recommendations provided under Subsection
  (e-1), the department shall annually reduce the staff-to-child
  ratios and group sizes applicable to nonresidential child-care
  facilities that provide care for less than 24 hours a day subject to
  the following limitations:
               (1)  the reduced ratios and group sizes may not be
  higher than the ratios and group sizes in the department's proposed
  rules published in the Texas Register on June 11, 2010;
               (2)  ratios may not be reduced by more than three
  children per each age group; and
               (3)  the staff-to-child ratios for children ages 17
  months of age and younger may not be reduced.
         (e-3)  Subsection (e-2) and this subsection expire September
  1, 2020.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 302, Labor Code, is
  amended by adding Section 302.0048 to read as follows:
         Sec. 302.0048.  FEDERAL MONEY FOR CHILD CARE. (a) In
  allocating federal grant money to local workforce development
  boards to purchase nonresidential child-care services from
  facilities that provide care for less than 24 hours a day, the
  commission shall authorize each board to increase the reimbursement
  rates for the child-care services to amounts the board determines
  affordable based on the total amount allocated to the board by the
  commission.
         (b)  From the money allocated to a local workforce
  development board under Subsection (a), the board must reimburse
  the providers of nonresidential child-care services described by
  Subsection (a) at a rate equal to at least 85 percent of the average
  rate charged by the local providers of those services.
         (c)  The commission may not establish a maximum rate of
  reimbursement by local workforce development boards for
  nonresidential child-care services described in this section.
         SECTION 3.  Not later than October 1, 2015, the governor
  shall appoint the nine members to the committee on licensing
  standards as provided by Section 42.0221, Human Resources Code, as
  amended by this Act. The initial members of the committee on
  licensing standards appointed under this section shall draw lots to
  determine which members will serve terms expiring February 1, 2016,
  and which members will serve terms expiring February 1, 2017.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.