UPDATED APRIL 20, 2021 TO REFLECT THE CURRENT STATUS OF THESE BILLS.

After several key votes, and with hopefully more coming soon, the Texas Legislature may be on track this session to support kids, parents, and employers by taking big steps to improve access to high-quality child care.

The Texas House passed HB 1792, a very good child care bill by Rep. Angie Chen Button, the Chair of the House Committee on International Relations and Economic Development (IRED). The bill would standardize child care assessments conducted through Texas Rising Star (TRS), the state’s program for measuring, improving, and assessing the quality of child care programs that accept families who receive child care subsidies from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

The House also passed on HB 2607, an excellent bill by Rep. James Talarico and Chair Button. This legislation requires child care providers that participate in the TWC subsidy program to also take part in TRS through a phased approach. That will be a huge step forward to improve the quality of child care that kids experience — which means kids will be more prepared for school a few years later. By ensuring subsidies only go to programs that demonstrate a commitment to providing safe and quality child care, the bill will also improve oversight of public funds and ensure Texas gets the most out of the TWC subsidies. Visit Children at Risk’s Action Center to contact your legislators about supporting HB 2607!

And this week, the House passed HB 619, an important bill by Rep. Senfronia Thompson. This legislation directs state officials to develop a strategic plan to support the child care workforce.

The three bills are part of a fantastic bipartisan package of child care bills that Chair Button considered in her IRED Committee a couple weeks ago. The package would ensure that more working parents can find affordable, high-quality child care that gives infants, toddlers, and other little kids the support they need during this critical period of brain development. After the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the child care industry, knocked Texans out of their jobs, and disrupted the stability and early learning that helps little kids grow up to be ready for school, this package would help get kids, parents, and our economy back on track. Our recent testimony to Chair Button’s Committee includes additional background information and short summaries of each bill in the child care package.

Texas will also have an opportunity to complement these bills by using new federal child care dollars available through the stimulus bill. These funds, including an additional $4 billion recently allocated to Texas, can be used to provide child care assistance to families, funding for child care providers struggling to keep their doors open, and support to essential workers, including the child care workforce itself. These funds provide an opportunity for Texas to rebuild our state’s child care sector and build a stronger future, but it is imperative that this session the Legislature bolsters its response to COVID-19 and boost quality child care for families with low incomes.

The child care package at the Legislature is part of a growing bipartisan interest in state policies that support kids and parents during early childhood, giving kids a strong foundation for the rest of their lives. During the last legislative session, of course, state leaders provided funding to help school districts implement full-day pre-k for all eligible kids. More recently, Texas House members announced a new bipartisan Early Childhood Caucus, with Rep. Diego Bernal as Chair and Rep. Button as Vice Chair. And just last week, the Speaker of the Texas House announced a package of priority health care bills for this session, including legislation the House is voting on this week to ensure moms have health care during the critical year before their baby’s first birthday.

The current status of each bill in the package — and good child care bill in another committee — is outlined below:

Passed the House, waiting for a Senate hearing:

HB 1792 by Rep. Angie Chen Button/Rep. James Talarico, standardizing Texas Rising Star assessments.

HB 2607 by Rep. James Talarico/Rep. Angie Chen Button, improving the accountability and quality of subsidized child care.
HB 619 by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, developing a strategic plan to support the child care workforce.

Approved unanimously by the House IRED Committee, now waiting to be scheduled for a House vote:

HB 1364 by Rep. Ramon Romero/Rep. Ina Minjarez, increasing the supply of child care through contracts.

HB 1695 by Rep. John Raney, setting equitable reimbursement rates for child-care providers serving infants and toddlers.

The IRED Committee held a hearing but has not approved the bill yet:

HB 1964 by Rep. Ray Lopez, studying the cost of providing quality child care in comparison to family income.

The House Human Services Committee held a hearing but has not approved the bill yet:

HB 168 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez prevents discrimination in child care based on disability and ensures that more children in child care with disabilities receive Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services.