HLS 16RS-846 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 475
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOFFMANN
CHILDREN/DCFS: Provides for the organization of the Department of Children and
Family Services
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 36:3(4), 9(C)(2)(introductory paragraph), 472(A), and 475 and
3 to enact R.S. 36:476, relative to the organization of the Department of Children and
4 Family Services; to rename the divisions of the department; to authorize a deputy
5 secretary and assistant secretaries; to provide for an effect date; and to provide for
6 related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 36:3(4), 9(C)(2)(introductory paragraph), 472(A), and 475 are hereby
9amended and reenacted and R.S. 36:476 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §3. Definitions
11 For the purposes of this Title the following terms shall have the following
12 meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 * * *
14 (4) "Deputy secretary" means the officer authorized to be appointed by the
15 secretary to serve as his principal administrative assistant. For the Department of
16 Public Safety and Corrections, the "deputy secretary for public safety services" and
17 the "deputy secretary for corrections services" shall be the officers of the department
18 appointed by the secretary to serve as the principal administrative assistants of the
19 secretary and references in any provision of law to the deputy secretary, where
20 reference is to a deputy secretary of the Department of Public Safety and
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1 Corrections, shall include these two officers. For the Louisiana Workforce
2 Commission, the "deputy executive director" shall mean the officer authorized by the
3 executive director to serve as his principal administrative assistant. For the
4 Department of Children and Family Services, "deputy secretary" means the officers
5 appointed by the secretary to direct and be responsible for the functions of the
6 division of programs and the division of operations within the office of children and
7 family services.
8 * * *
9 §9. Designation of certain organizational units; uniform terminology
10 * * *
11 C.
12 * * *
13 (2) For the Department of Children and Family Services, each organizational
14 unit which reports to the secretary, which is not an agency and is not within the
15 division of management and finance, the division of programs, child welfare, or the
16 division of operations, family support, shall be in the executive division, and shall
17 be designated as follows:
18 * * *
19 §472. Officers of the department; compensation for one office only
20 A. The officers of the department shall be the secretary, the deputy secretary,
21 the undersecretary, the deputy secretary of programs assistant secretary of child
22 welfare, and the deputy secretary of operations, assistant secretary of family support,
23 each of whom shall be selected and shall perform functions as provided in this Title.
24 * * *
25 §475. Deputy secretaries
26 A. There shall be a deputy secretary of programs and a deputy secretary of
27 operations, each of whom shall be appointed by the secretary with consent of the
28 Senate and shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary at a salary fixed by the
29 secretary, which salary shall not exceed the amount approved for the respective
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HB NO. 475
1 position by the legislature while in session. The deputy secretary of programs shall
2 serve as acting secretary in the absence of the secretary.
3 B. The deputy secretary of programs shall manage the division of programs
4 and perform the duties and functions of the department related to program
5 development and administration and development of rules and policies to govern the
6 various programs of the office of children and family services.
7 C. The deputy secretary of operations shall manage the division of
8 operations and perform the duties and functions of the department related to the
9 program service delivery for the various programs of the office of children and
10 family services.
11 The secretary may appoint, with consent of the Senate, a deputy secretary of
12 the department who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary at a salary fixed by
13 the secretary, which salary shall not exceed the amount approved for such position
14 by the legislature while in session. The duties and functions of the deputy secretary
15 shall be determined and assigned by the secretary. If appointed, the deputy secretary
16 shall serve as acting secretary in the absence of the secretary.
17 §476. Assistant secretaries
18 A. There shall be an assistant secretary of child welfare and an assistant
19 secretary of family support, who shall be appointed by the secretary with consent of
20 the Senate and who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary at a salary fixed by the
21 secretary, which salary shall not exceed the amount approved for such position by
22 the legislature while in session.
23 B. The assistant secretary of child welfare shall manage the division of child
24 welfare and perform the duties and functions of the division related to program
25 development and administration, program service delivery, and development of rules
26 and policy to govern the various programs of the division.
27 C. The assistant secretary of family support shall manage the division of
28 family support and perform the duties and functions of the division related to
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HB NO. 475
1 program development and administration, program service delivery, and
2 development of rules and policy to govern the various programs of the division.
3 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2016.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 475 Original 2016 Regular Session Hoffmann
Abstract: Provides for the divisions and officers of the Dept. of Children and Family
Services (DCFS).
Present law divides DCFS into the division of programs and the division of operations and
provides for a deputy secretary for each division.
Proposed law renames the division of programs to the division of child welfare and renames
the division of operations to the division of family support. Proposed law further provides
for an assistant secretary for each division.
Proposed law authorizes the secretary of DCFS to appoint a single deputy secretary to
perform duties and functions determined and assigned by the secretary. Proposed law
requires the deputy secretary to serve as acting secretary in the absence of the secretary.
Effective July 1, 2016.
(Amends R.S. 36:3(4), 9(C)(2)(intro. para.), 472(A), and 475; Adds R.S. 36:476)
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