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.