85R6851 MK-F
 
  By: Campbell S.B. No. 940
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the evaluation of and improvements to the quality of the
  Texas Workforce Commission's subsidized child care program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 302.0042, Labor Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  The commission's evaluation must assess:
               (1)  the use of current federal child care funds by each
  local workforce development board;
               (2)  the ability of each local workforce development
  board to meet child care performance measures;
               (3)  the average cost incurred by child care providers
  in providing [of] child care in each local workforce development
  area;
               (4)  the average price charged by child care providers
  for child care in each local workforce development area;
               (5)  the poverty rate of each local workforce
  development area compared to the state's poverty rate;
               (6) [(5)]  the number of children on waiting lists for
  child care in each local workforce development area; [and]
               (7) [(6)]  the number of vacancies for full-time
  program enrollment [vacant slots] available for child care
  placement in each local workforce development area;
               (8)  the total number of child care providers
  participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in each local
  workforce development area and the number of 2-star, 3-star, and
  4-star rated child care providers in the local workforce
  development area;
               (9)  the number of child care providers participating
  in the Texas Rising Star Program in each local workforce
  development area as a percentage of the total number of child care
  providers in the local workforce development area and the number of
  2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers in the local
  workforce development area as a percentage of the total number of
  child care providers in the local workforce development area;
               (10)  the total number of children enrolled in child
  care providers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in
  each local workforce development area and the number of children
  enrolled in 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers
  in the local workforce development area; and
               (11)  the number of children enrolled in child care
  providers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program in each
  local workforce development area as a percentage of the total
  number of children enrolled in child care providers in the local
  workforce development area and the number of children enrolled in
  2-star, 3-star, and 4-star rated child care providers in the local
  workforce development area as a percentage of the total number of
  children enrolled in child care providers in the local workforce
  development area.
         (c)  For the purposes of evaluation under this section, the
  commission shall annually conduct a survey in each local workforce
  development area to determine:
               (1)  the average cost incurred by child care providers
  in providing child care in the area; and
               (2)  the average price charged by child care providers
  for child care in the area.
         SECTION 2.  Section 302.0043, Labor Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (c-1) and amending Subsections (e) and (f) to
  read as follows:
         (c-1)  The commission shall measure and evaluate the
  progress of the commission's child care program regarding:
               (1)  coordination with the Texas Education Agency to
  enable the submission of relevant data related to children younger
  than five years of age enrolled in the commission's child care
  program through the Public Education Information Management System
  (PEIMS);
               (2)  coordination with the Texas Education Agency,
  school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools on any
  prekindergarten quality improvement efforts;
               (3)  facilitation of child care provider enrollment in
  the Texas Rising Star Program and progression of providers to the
  highest rating level in the program; and
               (4)  development and implementation of rates and
  payments, as determined by local workforce development boards, to
  allow participating providers to provide high quality child care.
         (e)  The commission shall make the information collected by
  the commission and the commission's findings available to local
  workforce development boards, school districts, open-enrollment
  charter schools, and the public.
         (f)  Not later than January 15 of each odd-numbered year, the
  commission shall report to the legislature regarding the
  commission's findings regarding the effectiveness of the
  commission's child care program.  The report must:
               (1)  include employment outcome information,
  disaggregated by local workforce development area, regarding
  parents receiving subsidized care under the program; [and]
               (2)  identify multiyear trends in the information
  collected and analyzed by the commission under this section,
  including trends in the information for at least the five state
  fiscal years preceding the date of the report;
               (3)  include information described by Sections
  302.0042(b)(8)-(11); and
               (4)  evaluate the findings of the survey conducted
  under Section 302.0042(c).
         SECTION 3.  Section 302.00435, Labor Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 302.00435.  SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE PROGRAM; INPUT
  POLICY.  (a)  The commission shall develop a policy for obtaining,
  through appropriate methods, input from interested parties
  regarding its subsidized child care program and for using that
  input in administering that program.
         (b)  The policy developed under Subsection (a) must include
  methods for obtaining input from the Texas Education Agency, school
  districts, open-enrollment charter schools, relevant businesses,
  and the public, regarding:
               (1)  improving coordination between the subsidized
  child care program and prekindergarten programs; and
               (2)  increasing the quality of and access to the
  subsidized child care program.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.