| 1 | 1 | | By: Strama (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) H.B. No. 2111 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2013; |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | May 7, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Health |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | and Human Services; May 13, 2013, reported favorably by the |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 13, 2013, sent to printer.) |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | relating to the transitional living services program for certain |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | youth in foster care. |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Section 264.121, Family Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | amending Subsections (a-1) and (f) and adding Subsection (g) to |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | read as follows: |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (a-1) The department shall require a foster care provider to |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | provide or assist youth who are age 14 or older in obtaining |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | experiential life-skills training to improve their transition to |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | independent living. Experiential life-skills training must be |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | tailored to a youth's skills and abilities and must [may] include |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | training in practical activities that include grocery shopping, |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | meal preparation and cooking, [using public transportation,] |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | performing basic household tasks, [and] balancing a checkbook, and, |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | when appropriate, using public transportation. |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (f) The department shall require a person with whom the |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | department contracts for transitional living services for foster |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | youth to provide or assist youth in obtaining: |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (1) housing services; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (2) job training and employment services; |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (3) college preparation services; |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (4) services that will assist youth in obtaining a |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | general education development certificate; [and] |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | (5) services that will assist youth in developing |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | skills in food preparation; |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | (6) nutrition education that promotes healthy food |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | choices; and |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | (7) [(5)] any other appropriate transitional living |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | service identified by the department. |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | (g) An entity with which the department contracts for |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | transitional living services for foster youth shall, when |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | appropriate, partner with a community-based organization to assist |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | the entity in providing the transitional living services. |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | a person who enters into a contract with the Department of Family |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | and Protective Services to provide transitional living services for |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | foster youth on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | * * * * * |
|---|