HBA-CCH C.S.H.B. 2543 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2543
By: Naishtat
Human Services
3/29/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Severe antisocial behavior in children such as frequent fighting, stealing,
and vandalism are the strongest predictors of chronic delinquency.  It has
been proposed that early childhood interventions may help prevent chronic
delinquency.  Good parenting and nurturing families are essential to
effective interventions in the lives of children with severe behavioral
problems.  Today, however, families may face difficult challenges such as
both parents working, the loss of extended family support, marital discord,
and divorce. C.S.H.B. 2543 establishes a pilot program to provide
integrated family services for families with young children who exhibit
severe behavioral problems in a child-care environment.      

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2543 amends the Human Resources Code to require the Department of
Protective and Regulatory Services (PRS), subject to the availability of
funds, to develop and implement a pilot program under which PRS awards
grants to or contracts with community-based organizations (organizations)
experienced in parenting skills to provide child-care intervention services
to: 

 _parents of children who are at least 18 months of age but not more than
five years of age who exhibit severe behavior problems in a child-care
environment; and 

 _child-care facilities providing services for these children.

The bill requires an organization under the pilot program to contract with
child-care facilities that provide care for children with severe behavioral
problems and to ensure that the organization has procedures to refer each
child suspected of having a disability to an appropriate early childhood
intervention or special education program. The bill provides that the
child-care intervention services provided by an organization must include: 

 _integrated family services for parents requiring parental participation
and parenting skills training, including training in positive parenting and
behavioral intervention techniques that are designed  to minimize
child-care disruptions and the loss of child-care options; and 

 _specialized training in behavioral intervention techniques for child-care
facilities with which the organization contracts. 

The bill requires PRS to submit a report to the legislature concerning the
effectiveness of the pilot program no later than December 1, 2002.  The
pilot program expires September 1, 2003. 

EFFECTIVE DATE
 September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2543 modifies the original to require an organization under the
pilot program to ensure that the organization has procedures to refer each
child suspected of having a disability to an appropriate early childhood
intervention or special education program.