SB 1617 establishes the Child Care Protection and Enhancement Fund, a trust fund held outside the state treasury and administered by the Texas Workforce Commission. The fund's purpose is to increase the capacity and subsidized childcare rates in Texas. The Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company will manage and invest the fund, with distributions based on interest earnings. The bill prohibits the use of the fund for administrative or operational costs of state agencies. Expenditures are subject to state audits, and a strategic plan detailing fund usage must be submitted biennially. The bill takes effect only if a constitutional amendment establishing the fund is approved by voters​.