Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB426 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Nelson, et al. S.B. No. 426
2	2	(Zerwas)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a home visiting program for at-risk families.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by
10	10	adding Subchapter X to read as follows:
11	11	SUBCHAPTER X. TEXAS HOME VISITING PROGRAM
12	12	Sec. 531.981. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
13	13	(1) "Home visiting program" means a
14	14	voluntary-enrollment program in which early childhood and health
15	15	professionals such as nurses, social workers, or trained and
16	16	supervised paraprofessionals repeatedly visit over a period of at
17	17	least six months the homes of pregnant women or families with
18	18	children under the age of six who are born with or exposed to one or
19	19	more risk factors.
20	20	(2) "Risk factors" means factors that make a child
21	21	more likely to experience adverse experiences leading to negative
22	22	consequences, including preterm birth, poverty, low parental
23	23	education, having a teenaged mother or father, poor maternal
24	24	health, and parental underemployment or unemployment.
25	25	Sec. 531.982. ESTABLISHMENT OF TEXAS HOME VISITING PROGRAM.
26	26	(a) The commission shall create a strategic plan to serve at-risk
27	27	pregnant women and families with children under the age of six
28	28	through home visiting programs that improve outcomes for parents
29	29	and families.
30	30	(b) A pregnant woman or family is considered at-risk for
31	31	purposes of this section and may be eligible for voluntary
32	32	enrollment in a home visiting program if the woman or family is
33	33	exposed to one or more risk factors.
34	34	(c) The commission may determine if a risk factor or
35	35	combination of risk factors experienced by an at-risk pregnant
36	36	woman or family qualifies the woman or family for enrollment in a
37	37	home visiting program.
38	38	Sec. 531.983. TYPES OF HOME VISITING PROGRAMS. (a) A home
39	39	visiting program is classified as either an evidence-based program
40	40	or a promising practice program.
41	41	(b) An evidence-based program is a home visiting program
42	42	that:
43	43	(1) is research-based and grounded in relevant,
44	44	empirically based knowledge and program-determined outcomes;
45	45	(2) is associated with a national organization,
46	46	institution of higher education, or national or state public health
47	47	institute;
48	48	(3) has comprehensive standards that ensure
49	49	high-quality service delivery and continuously improving quality;
50	50	(4) has demonstrated significant positive short-term
51	51	and long-term outcomes;
52	52	(5) has been evaluated by at least one rigorous
53	53	randomized controlled research trial across heterogeneous
54	54	populations or communities, the results of at least one of which has
55	55	been published in a peer-reviewed journal;
56	56	(6) follows with fidelity a program manual or design
57	57	that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and frequency of
58	58	the services that constitute the program;
59	59	(7) employs well-trained and competent staff and
60	60	provides continual relevant professional development
61	61	opportunities;
62	62	(8) demonstrates strong links to other
63	63	community-based services; and
64	64	(9) ensures compliance with home visiting standards.
65	65	(c) A promising practice program is a home visiting program
66	66	that:
67	67	(1) has an active impact evaluation program or can
68	68	demonstrate a timeline for implementing an active impact evaluation
69	69	program;
70	70	(2) has been evaluated by at least one outcome-based
71	71	study demonstrating effectiveness or a randomized controlled trial
72	72	in a homogeneous sample;
73	73	(3) follows with fidelity a program manual or design
74	74	that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and frequency of
75	75	the services that constitute the program;
76	76	(4) employs well-trained and competent staff and
77	77	provides continual relevant professional development
78	78	opportunities;
79	79	(5) demonstrates strong links to other
80	80	community-based services; and
81	81	(6) ensures compliance with home visiting standards.
82	82	Sec. 531.984. FUNDING. (a) The commission shall ensure
83	83	that at least 75 percent of funds appropriated for home visiting
84	84	programs are used in evidence-based programs, with any remaining
85	85	funds dedicated to promising practice programs.
86	86	(b) The commission shall actively seek and apply for any
87	87	available federal funds to support home visiting programs,
88	88	including federal funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy
89	89	Families program.
90	90	(c) The commission may accept gifts, donations, and grants
91	91	to support home visiting programs.
92	92	Sec. 531.985. OUTCOMES. The commission shall ensure that a
93	93	home visiting program achieves favorable outcomes in at least two
94	94	of the following areas:
95	95	(1) improved maternal or child health outcomes;
96	96	(2) improved cognitive development of children;
97	97	(3) increased school readiness of children;
98	98	(4) reduced child abuse, neglect, and injury;
99	99	(5) improved child safety;
100	100	(6) improved social-emotional development of
101	101	children;
102	102	(7) improved parenting skills, including nurturing
103	103	and bonding;
104	104	(8) improved family economic self-sufficiency;
105	105	(9) reduced parental involvement with the criminal
106	106	justice system; and
107	107	(10) increased father involvement and support.
108	108	Sec. 531.986. EVALUATION OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM.
109	109	(a) The commission shall adopt outcome indicators to measure the
110	110	effectiveness of a home visiting program in achieving desired
111	111	outcomes.
112	112	(b) The commission may work directly with the model
113	113	developer of a home visiting program to identify appropriate
114	114	outcome indicators for the program and to ensure that the program
115	115	demonstrates fidelity to its research model.
116	116	(c) The commission shall develop internal processes to work
117	117	with home visiting programs to share data and information to aid in
118	118	making relevant analysis of the performance of a home visiting
119	119	program.
120	120	(d) The commission shall use data gathered under this
121	121	section to monitor, conduct ongoing quality improvement on, and
122	122	evaluate the effectiveness of home visiting programs.
123	123	Sec. 531.987. INITIAL REPORT. (a) Not later than December
124	124	1, 2014, the commission shall prepare and submit a report on
125	125	state-funded home visiting programs to the Senate Committee on
126	126	Health and Human Services and the House Human Services Committee or
127	127	their successors.
128	128	(b) The report submitted under this section must include:
129	129	(1) the status of the implementation process,
130	130	including a description of home visiting programs being implemented
131	131	and the associated models; and
132	132	(2) data on the number of families being served and
133	133	their demographic information.
134	134	(c) This section expires January 1, 2015.
135	135	Sec. 531.9871. REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than
136	136	December 1 of each even-numbered year, the commission shall prepare
137	137	and submit a report on state-funded home visiting programs to the
138	138	Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and the House Human
139	139	Services Committee or their successors.
140	140	(b) A report submitted under this section must include:
141	141	(1) a description of home visiting programs being
142	142	implemented and the associated models;
143	143	(2) data on the number of families being served and
144	144	their demographic information;
145	145	(3) the goals and achieved outcomes of home visiting
146	146	programs;
147	147	(4) data on cost per family served, including
148	148	third-party return-on-investment analysis, if available; and
149	149	(5) data explaining what percentage of funding has
150	150	been used on evidence-based programs and what percentage of funding
151	151	has been used on promising practice programs.
152	152	Sec. 531.988. RULES. The commission may adopt rules as
153	153	necessary to implement this subchapter.
154	154	SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
155	155	this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
156	156	(b) Section 531.9871, Government Code, as added by this Act,
157	157	takes effect January 15, 2015.