HBA-MPM H.B. 2654 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2654 By: King, Phil Human Services 3/30/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a person who applies to work at a licensed child-care facility is only required to complete an affidavit concerning the person's criminal history and background prior to employment. Although this affidavit contains an extensive list of criminal background questions, there is no required subsequent verification of an applicant's responses prior to the applicant being hired. A person could submit false information and still have direct contact with children through employment at a facility or a registered family home. The employee's criminal history might then not be discovered until the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services conducts its yearly background checks. House Bill 2654 requires a director, owner, or operator of a child-care facility or registered family home to receive background and criminal history record information on a person prior to employment. 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 House Bill 2654 amends the Human Resources Code to prohibit the director, owner, or operator of a child-care facility or family home from hiring a person as an employee until background and criminal history information relating to the person is received by the facility or home. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.