Walle Bill Creates Child Care Fund Outside General Revenue

The text as introduced · 425 words

By: Walle
H.B. No. 4024

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the establishment of the child care scholarship fund

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Labor Code, is amended by

adding Chapter 321 to read as follows:

CHAPTER 321. CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Sec. 321.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(1) "Advisory board" means the program fund advisory

board established under Section 321.006.

(2) "Agency" means the Texas Workforce Commission.

Sec. 321.002. ESTABLISHMENT. The agency shall establish

and administer the child care scholarship fund to expand

scholarship opportunities through the Child Care Services program

administered by the agency and help eligible families in the state

access high-quality child care.

Sec. 321.003. FUND. (a) The fund is a special fund in the

state treasury outside the general revenue fund.

(b) The fund consists of:

(1) money appropriated by the legislature for deposit

to the credit of the program fund for the purposes of this chapter;

(2) interest earned on the investment of money in the

fund;

(3) gifts, grants, and donations received by the

commission for the purposes of this chapter; and

(4) any other sources of revenue that the legislature

may dedicate for deposit to the program fund.

(c) Money in the fund may be appropriated only to the

commission for purposes authorized by this chapter.

Sec. 321.004. USE OF FUND. (a) The Texas Workforce

Commission must submit to the Texas Workforce Commissioners and the

Texas Comptrollers of Public Accounts a request for approval of a

proposed disbursement and how that disbursement will be used to

increase subsidized child care rates or the number of Child Care

Services scholarships provided to eligible families in this state.

Sec. 321.005. ANNUAL REPORT. The commission shall publish

and submit to the legislature a report detailing the efficacy of the

fund not later than December 15 of each even-numbered year. The

report must include:

(1) the amount appropriated to the Child Care Services

program during the preceding state fiscal year;

(2) the usage of the fund, including the total amount

of child care scholarship payments paid out of the program fund;

(3) legislative or other recommendations for

improving the impact of the fund; and

(4) any other information the commission considers

relevant.

SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2026, the Texas

Workforce Commission shall adopt any rules necessary to administer

the child care scholarship fund established under Chapter 321,

Labor Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.