Bill Text: TX HB3950 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Engrossed
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of the Joint Committee on Child Welfare.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-05-23 - Senate Amendments Analysis distributed [HB3950 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB3950-Engrossed.html
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of the Joint Committee on Child Welfare.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 4-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-05-23 - Senate Amendments Analysis distributed [HB3950 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB3950-Engrossed.html
86R25538 SCL-F | ||
By: Frank, Minjarez, Klick | H.B. No. 3950 |
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relating to the establishment of the child welfare task force and | ||
provision of services in the child welfare system. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services | ||
Commission. | ||
(2) "Community-based care" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 264.152, Family Code. | ||
(3) "Department" means the Department of Family and | ||
Protective Services. | ||
(4) "Task force" means the child welfare task force. | ||
(b) The child welfare task force is established to develop a | ||
statewide plan for the continued implementation of community-based | ||
care and the implementation of family preservation and other | ||
related prevention services for the state's child welfare system. | ||
(c) The task force is composed of nine voting members as | ||
follows: | ||
(1) three members appointed by the governor; | ||
(2) three members of the senate, appointed by the | ||
lieutenant governor; and | ||
(3) three members of the house of representatives, | ||
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. | ||
(d) The chair and the vice chair of the task force shall be | ||
elected by members of the task force. | ||
(e) A task force member is not entitled to compensation for | ||
service on the task force but is entitled to reimbursement for | ||
actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing task force | ||
duties. The task force may accept gifts, grants, and donations to | ||
pay for those expenses. | ||
(f) The task force shall meet at least quarterly at the call | ||
of the chair and may consider public testimony. | ||
(g) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, or any | ||
other law, the task force may meet by telephone conference call, | ||
videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method. A | ||
meeting held by telephone conference call, videoconference, or | ||
other similar telecommunication method is subject to the | ||
requirements of Sections 551.125(c), (d), (e), and (f), Government | ||
Code. | ||
(h) The task force shall develop a statewide plan for the | ||
continued implementation of community-based care and the | ||
implementation of family preservation and other related prevention | ||
services for the state's child welfare system. | ||
(i) The statewide plan must: | ||
(1) identify sources of funding, including the | ||
development of a robust financial methodology, for the continued | ||
implementation of community-based care and family preservation and | ||
other related prevention services; | ||
(2) include a timeline for the complete implementation | ||
of the statewide plan developed by the task force and identify | ||
additional resources the department will require to meet that | ||
timeline, including enhanced training related to procurement, | ||
contract monitoring and enforcement services, information | ||
technology services, and financial and legal services; | ||
(3) identify barriers to using federal and state money | ||
and necessary purchased services to achieve greater numbers of | ||
children and youth who remain safely with their families by | ||
reviewing and effectively maximizing: | ||
(A) the prevention and early intervention | ||
services currently available in this state; and | ||
(B) any services relating to families entering | ||
the child protective services system; | ||
(4) identify all sources of flexible funding under | ||
federal and state law that may be used to support the continued | ||
implementation of community-based care and family preservation and | ||
other related prevention services, including the following | ||
implementation issues: | ||
(A) the placement of children in settings | ||
eligible for federal financial participation under the | ||
requirements of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act | ||
(Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L. No. 115-123); | ||
(B) any costs related to the use of federal money | ||
transferred under the federal Family First Prevention Services Act; | ||
and | ||
(C) any other beneficial programs or services | ||
available under the federal Family First Prevention Services Act; | ||
and | ||
(5) identify legislative or regulatory barriers to | ||
full implementation of community-based care. | ||
(j) The task force may request relevant information from the | ||
commission, the department, or other relevant state agencies, and | ||
the commission, the department, or other agencies shall comply with | ||
the request, unless the provision of the information is prohibited | ||
by state or federal law. | ||
(k) The task force, using available resources, may: | ||
(1) contract with a third-party consultant using the | ||
procedures under Subchapter B, Chapter 2254, Government Code, to | ||
assist the task force in carrying out its duties; and | ||
(2) employ a full-time staff. | ||
(l) The task force is administratively attached to the | ||
commission for the purpose of contracting under Subsection (k)(1) | ||
of this section. | ||
(m) Task force members and personnel may be appointed or | ||
employed from different catchment areas, as defined by Section | ||
264.152, Family Code, in this state. | ||
(n) The task force shall submit a written report on the | ||
statewide plan developed by the task force to the governor, the | ||
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, | ||
and each member of the standing committees of the senate and house | ||
of representatives having primary jurisdiction over child welfare | ||
issues not later than September 1, 2020. | ||
(o) The task force shall monitor the continued | ||
implementation of community-based care and family preservation and | ||
other related prevention services, and the implementation plan | ||
developed by the department under Section 264.153, Family Code. | ||
(p) The task force shall submit a final evaluation of the | ||
implementation of community-based care to the governor, the | ||
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, | ||
and each member of the standing committees of the senate and house | ||
of representatives having primary jurisdiction over child welfare | ||
issues not later than December 30, 2024. | ||
(q) Nothing in this section shall be construed to supersede | ||
or limit the department's duty to develop and maintain the plan | ||
under Section 264.153, Family Code. | ||
(r) The task force is abolished and this Act expires | ||
December 31, 2024. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |