| 1 | 1 | | 81R4875 MCK-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Nichols S.B. No. 1129 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to membership on and reporting requirements of the child |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | fatality review team committee. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Sections 264.502(b) and (c), Family Code, are |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | (b) The members of the committee who serve under Subsections |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | (a)(1) through (3) shall select the following additional committee |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | members: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | (1) a criminal prosecutor involved in prosecuting |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | crimes against children; |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | (2) a sheriff; |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | (3) a justice of the peace; |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (4) a medical examiner; |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | (5) a police chief; |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (6) a pediatrician experienced in diagnosing and |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | treating child abuse and neglect; |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | (7) a child educator; |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (8) a child mental health provider; |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (9) a public health professional; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (10) a child protective services specialist; |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (11) a sudden infant death syndrome family service |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | provider; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (12) a neonatologist; |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (13) a child advocate; |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (14) a chief juvenile probation officer; |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | (15) a child abuse prevention specialist; |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (16) a representative of the Department of Public |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | Safety; [and] |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | (17) a representative of the Texas Department of |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Transportation; |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (18) a representative of emergency medical service |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | providers; and |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | (19) a provider of services to victims of family |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | violence. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (c) Members of the committee selected under Subsection (b) |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | serve three-year terms with the terms of [five or] six or seven |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. Section 264.503(f), Family Code, is amended to |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | read as follows: |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | (f) Not later than April 1 of each year, the [The] |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | committee shall issue a report containing aggregate data collected |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | by review teams regarding [for] each preventable child death[. The |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | report must include findings related to the child's death], |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths, and details |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | surrounding the department's involvement with the child prior to |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | the child's death. The [Not later than April 1 of each year, the] |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | committee shall [publish a compilation of the reports published |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | under this subsection during the year,] submit a copy of the report |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | [compilation] to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | house of representatives, and department, and make the report |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | [compilation] available to the public. Not later than October 1 of |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | each year, the department shall submit a written response on the |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | report [compilation] from the previous year to the committee, |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | representatives describing which of the committee's |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | recommendations regarding the operation of the child protective |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | services system the department will implement and the methods of |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | implementation. |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 3. The members of the child fatality review team |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | committee under Section 264.502(a), Family Code, responsible for |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | selecting the additional members of the committee required by |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | Section 264.502(b), Family Code, as amended by this Act, shall make |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | those appointments not later than November 1, 2009. |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
|---|