| 1 | 1 | | By: Harris, Van de Putte S.B. No. 717 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (Truitt) |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the purpose and duties of the Council on Children and |
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| 8 | 8 | | Families. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Section 531.802, Government |
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| 11 | 11 | | Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The Council on Children and Families is established to: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) coordinate the state's health, education, and |
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| 14 | 14 | | human services systems to ensure that children and families have |
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| 15 | 15 | | access to needed services; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) improve coordination and efficiency in state |
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| 17 | 17 | | agencies, advisory councils on issues affecting children, and local |
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| 18 | 18 | | levels of service; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) prioritize and mobilize resources for children; |
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| 20 | 20 | | [and] |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) facilitate an integrated approach to providing |
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| 22 | 22 | | services for children and youth; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (5) promote the sharing of information regarding |
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| 24 | 24 | | children and their families among state agencies. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 531.803, Government |
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| 26 | 26 | | Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (a) The council shall: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) analyze the biennial legislative appropriations |
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| 29 | 29 | | requests of members of the council for services provided to |
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| 30 | 30 | | children and their families and identify appropriations that, |
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| 31 | 31 | | through the coordination of members of the council, could be |
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| 32 | 32 | | modified in the next legislative appropriation request to eliminate |
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| 33 | 33 | | waste or increase available services and, not later than May 1 of |
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| 34 | 34 | | each even-numbered year, prepare a report recommending those |
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| 35 | 35 | | modifications for consideration during the development of the next |
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| 36 | 36 | | biennial legislative appropriations request; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) investigate opportunities to increase flexible |
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| 38 | 38 | | funding for health, education, and human services provided to |
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| 39 | 39 | | children and their families; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) identify methods to remove barriers to local |
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| 41 | 41 | | coordination of health, education, and human services provided to |
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| 42 | 42 | | children and their families; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (4) identify methods to ensure that children and youth |
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| 44 | 44 | | receive appropriate assessment, diagnoses, and intervention |
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| 45 | 45 | | services; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (5) develop methods to prevent unnecessary parental |
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| 47 | 47 | | relinquishment of custody of children; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (6) prioritize assisting children in family settings |
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| 49 | 49 | | rather than institutional settings; [and] |
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| 50 | 50 | | (7) make recommendations about family involvement in |
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| 51 | 51 | | the provision and planning of health, education, and human services |
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| 52 | 52 | | for a child, including family partner and liaison models; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (8) identify technological methods to ensure the |
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| 54 | 54 | | efficient and timely transfer of information among state agencies |
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| 55 | 55 | | providing health, education, and human services to children and |
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| 56 | 56 | | their families. |
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| 57 | 57 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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