BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 706

By: Watson

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding the operation of illegal child-care facilities in Texas, which do not receive state inspections and are less likely to have operators that have received a background check. There have been calls for more efforts to crack down on these illegal operations and to ensure that children in Texas receive safe and regulated supervision. S.B. 706 seeks to address this issue by creating an investigation unit within the Health and Human Services Commission for certain illegally operating child-care facilities.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

S.B. 706 amends the Government Code to require the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to maintain a unit within the child-care licensing division of HHSC consisting of investigators whose primary responsibility is to identify child-care facilities that are operating without a license, certification, registration, or listing required by law and to initiate appropriate enforcement actions against those facilities.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.