Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4806 Compare Versions

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1	1	81R26408 MCK-D
2	2	By: Rose H.B. No. 4806
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to court-appointed volunteer advocates in certain suits
8	8	affecting the parent-child relationship.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 264.601(2), Family Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(2) "Volunteer advocate program" means a
13	13	volunteer-based, nonprofit program that:
14	14	(A) provides advocacy services to abused or
15	15	neglected children with the goal of obtaining a permanent placement
16	16	for a child that is in the child's best interest; and
17	17	(B) complies with recognized standards for
18	18	volunteer advocate programs.
19	19	SECTION 2. Section 264.602, Family Code, is amended by
20	20	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
21	21	follows:
22	22	(a) The statewide organization with which the attorney
23	23	general contracts under Section 264.603 shall contract for services
24	24	with eligible volunteer advocate programs to provide advocacy
25	25	services to abused or neglected children [expand the existing
26	26	services of the programs].
27	27	(f) Expenses incurred by a volunteer advocate program to
28	28	promote public awareness of the need for volunteer advocates or to
29	29	explain the work performed by volunteer advocates are not
30	30	considered administrative expenses for the purpose of Section
31	31	264.603(b).
32	32	SECTION 3. Section 264.603(a), Family Code, is amended to
33	33	read as follows:
34	34	(a) The attorney general shall contract with one statewide
35	35	organization of individuals or groups of individuals who have
36	36	expertise in the dynamics of child abuse and neglect and experience
37	37	in operating volunteer advocate programs to provide training,
38	38	technical assistance, and evaluation services for the benefit of
39	39	local volunteer advocate programs. The contract shall:
40	40	(1) include [require] measurable goals and objectives
41	41	relating to the number of:
42	42	(A) volunteer advocates in the program; and
43	43	(B) children receiving services from the
44	44	program; and
45	45	(2) follow practices designed to ensure compliance
46	46	with standards referenced in the contract [for expanding local
47	47	volunteer child advocate programs to areas of the state in which
48	48	those programs do not exist].
49	49	SECTION 4. Section 264.604(a), Family Code, is amended to
50	50	read as follows:
51	51	(a) A person is eligible for a contract under Section
52	52	264.602 only if the person is a public or private nonprofit entity
53	53	that operates a volunteer advocate program that:
54	54	(1) uses individuals appointed as volunteer advocates
55	55	or guardians ad litem by the court to provide for the needs of
56	56	abused or neglected children;
57	57	(2) has provided court-appointed advocacy services
58	58	for at least six months [two years];
59	59	(3) provides court-appointed advocacy services for at
60	60	least 10 children each month; and
61	61	(4) has demonstrated that the program has local
62	62	judicial support.
63	63	SECTION 5. The following provisions of the Family Code are
64	64	repealed:
65	65	(1) Section 264.602(c); and
66	66	(2) Sections 264.607(b) and (c).
67	67	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
68	68	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
69	69	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
70	70	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
71	71	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.