83R11257 KKR-F
By: Naishtat H.B. No. 3686
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the duties of the Council on Children and Families.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 531.803(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The council shall:
(1) analyze the biennial legislative appropriations
requests of members of the council for services provided to
children and their families and identify appropriations that,
through the coordination of members of the council, could be
modified in the next legislative appropriation request to eliminate
waste or increase available services and, not later than May 1 of
each even-numbered year, prepare a report recommending those
modifications for consideration during the development of the next
biennial legislative appropriations request;
(2) investigate opportunities to increase flexible
funding for health, education, and human services provided to
children and their families;
(3) identify methods to remove barriers to local
coordination of health, education, and human services provided to
children and their families;
(4) identify methods to ensure that children and youth
receive appropriate assessment, diagnoses, and intervention
services;
(5) develop methods to prevent unnecessary parental
relinquishment of custody of children;
(6) prioritize assisting children in family settings
rather than institutional settings;
(7) make recommendations about family involvement in
the provision and planning of health, education, and human services
for a child, including family partner and liaison models; [and]
(8) identify technological methods to ensure the
efficient and timely transfer of information among state agencies
providing health, education, and human services to children and
their families; and
(9) coordinate interagency grant or resource
development efforts to improve efficiencies and outcomes for
children and families, including possible dedication of staff to:
(A) assist individual health, education, human
services, juvenile justice, and workforce agencies to write or
develop interagency grants and coordinate resources;
(B) coordinate or lead interagency grant or
resource development efforts; and
(C) assist the council to facilitate interagency
resource and policy coordination.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.