Bill Text: TX HB304 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to employee caseload standards for child and adult protective services and child-care licensing services and call processing standards for certain of those services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-02-19 - Left pending in committee [HB304 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB304-Introduced.html
83R1882 EES-F | ||
By: Walle | H.B. No. 304 |
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relating to employee caseload standards for child and adult | ||
protective services and child-care licensing services and call | ||
processing standards for certain of those services. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 531.048, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows: | ||
(d-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (d) and to the extent | ||
appropriated money is available for the purpose, the Department of | ||
Family and Protective Services shall work toward ensuring that the | ||
average caseload for the following categories of department | ||
caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by this | ||
subsection: | ||
(1) for investigative caseworkers, an average of 15 | ||
cases at any time; | ||
(2) for caseworkers in the child protective services | ||
division providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 | ||
cases at any time; | ||
(3) for caseworkers in the child protective services | ||
division providing services through conservatorship programs, an | ||
average of 20 cases at any time; | ||
(4) for caseworkers in the child protective services | ||
division providing services through foster and adoption programs, | ||
an average of 20 cases at any time; | ||
(5) for child-care licensing specialists, including | ||
inspectors, in the child-care licensing division, an average | ||
caseload of 64 child-care facilities or registered family homes at | ||
any time; and | ||
(6) for adult protective services specialists in the | ||
adult protective services division providing services through | ||
in-home programs, an average of 22 cases at any time, | ||
notwithstanding Subsection (g). | ||
SECTION 2. Section 40.0528(a), Human Resources Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) Subject to Section 531.048, Government Code, the [ |
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department shall develop and implement a staffing and workload | ||
distribution plan for the child protective services program to: | ||
(1) reduce caseloads; | ||
(2) enhance accountability; | ||
(3) improve the quality of investigations; | ||
(4) eliminate delays; and | ||
(5) ensure the most efficient and effective use of | ||
child protective services staff and resources. | ||
SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 40.0529 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 40.0529. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE: | ||
CALL PROCESSING STANDARDS. (a) With respect to the hotline | ||
maintained by the department for purposes of receiving reports | ||
under Section 261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the | ||
extent appropriated money is available for the purpose, the | ||
department shall work toward ensuring that: | ||
(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does | ||
not exceed five minutes; and | ||
(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal | ||
year does not exceed 25 percent. | ||
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the | ||
methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate | ||
referred to in Subsection (a)(2). | ||
SECTION 4. Not later than December 1, 2014, the Department | ||
of Family and Protective Services shall submit a report to the | ||
standing committees of the senate and house of representatives | ||
having primary jurisdiction over the Department of Family and | ||
Protective Services regarding the department's progress in | ||
achieving the caseload standards described in Section | ||
531.048(d-1), Government Code, as added by this Act, and the call | ||
processing standards described in Section 40.0529, Human Resources | ||
Code, as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |