| 1 | 1 | | By: Raymond (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) H.B. No. 748 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 15, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | April 17, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Health |
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| 4 | 4 | | and Human Services; May 9, 2013, reported favorably by the |
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| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 9, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to a waiver allowing the Department of Family and |
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| 11 | 11 | | Protective Services to use certain federal funds to test innovation |
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| 12 | 12 | | strategies in child welfare programs. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, |
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| 15 | 15 | | is amended by adding Section 40.074 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 40.074. WAIVER TO USE FUNDS TO TEST INNOVATIONS TO |
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| 17 | 17 | | CHILD WELFARE PROGRAMS. (a) The department shall apply for and |
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| 18 | 18 | | actively pursue a waiver, as authorized by the Child and Family |
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| 19 | 19 | | Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Pub. L. No. 112-34), to |
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| 20 | 20 | | allow the department to use federal funds available under Title |
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| 21 | 21 | | IV-E, Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 670 et seq.), to |
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| 22 | 22 | | conduct demonstration projects to accomplish one or more of the |
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| 23 | 23 | | following goals: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) providing more permanency for children by reducing |
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| 25 | 25 | | time in foster care and promoting successful transitions to |
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| 26 | 26 | | adulthood for former foster youth; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) increasing positive outcomes for infants, |
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| 28 | 28 | | children, and families in their homes and communities and |
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| 29 | 29 | | increasing the safety and well-being of infants, children, and |
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| 30 | 30 | | youth; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) preventing child abuse and neglect and the reentry |
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| 32 | 32 | | of children into foster care. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (b) This section expires December 31, 2015. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 35 | 35 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 36 | 36 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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| 39 | 39 | | * * * * * |
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