Bill > SB2049

This bill establishes the Quad-Agency Child Care Initiative (QACCI) and the Quad-Agency Child Care Initiative Commission, which will include leaders from four state agencies: the Texas Workforce Commission, Health and Human Services Commission, Department of Family and Protective Services, and Texas Education Agency. The commission's primary purpose is to improve child care in Texas by fostering collaboration, coordinating policies, and streamlining regulations across these agencies. The commission will meet at least three times per year and can conduct public reviews of existing or proposed regulations that impact child care cost, quality, or accessibility. Members of the public, elected officials, or agency leaders can request reviews of child care-related policies, and the commission will have the power to suggest changes or recommend that an agency withdraw a regulation if it is deemed inconsistent with the initiative's objectives. The commission must provide transparency by publishing review details, public comments, and determinations on the Texas Workforce Commission's website. The first commission meeting is mandated to occur by March 31, 2026, and the act will take effect either immediately with a two-thirds legislative vote or on September 1, 2025, if that threshold is not met.