| 1 | 1 | | 81R28003 JMM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Martinez H.B. No. 1170 |
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| 3 | 3 | | Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1170: |
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| 4 | 4 | | By: Rose C.S.H.B. No. 1170 |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the qualifications to conduct a social study in certain |
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| 10 | 10 | | suits affecting the parent-child relationship. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Section 107.0511, Family Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Subsections (g), (h), and (i) to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (g) The minimum qualifications prescribed by this section |
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| 15 | 15 | | do not apply to an individual who, before September 1, 2007: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) lived in a county that has a population of 500,000 |
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| 17 | 17 | | or more and is adjacent to two or more counties each of which has a |
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| 18 | 18 | | population of 50,000 or more; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) received a four-year degree from an accredited |
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| 20 | 20 | | institution of higher education; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) worked as a child protective services investigator |
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| 22 | 22 | | for the Department of Family and Protective Services for at least |
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| 23 | 23 | | four years; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) worked as a community supervision and corrections |
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| 25 | 25 | | department officer; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (5) conducted at least 100 social studies in the |
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| 27 | 27 | | previous five years. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (h) A person described by Subsection (g) who performs a |
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| 29 | 29 | | social study must: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) complete at least eight hours of family violence |
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| 31 | 31 | | dynamics training provided by a family violence service provider; |
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| 32 | 32 | | and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) participate annually in at least 15 hours of |
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| 34 | 34 | | continuing education for child custody evaluators that meets the |
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| 35 | 35 | | Model Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluation adopted |
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| 36 | 36 | | by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts as those |
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| 37 | 37 | | standards existed May 1, 2009, or a later version of those standards |
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| 38 | 38 | | if adopted by rule of the executive commissioner of the Health and |
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| 39 | 39 | | Human Services Commission. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (i) Subsections (g) and (h) and this subsection expire |
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| 41 | 41 | | September 1, 2017. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 43 | 43 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 44 | 44 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 46 | 46 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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