| 1 | 1 | | 85R4594 MM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: White, et al. H.B. No. 1522 |
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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 a task force to coordinate and make recommendations on |
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| 8 | 8 | | parent engagement and education programs provided by state |
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| 9 | 9 | | agencies. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 12 | | adding Subchapter L-1 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBCHAPTER L-1. TASK FORCE ON PARENT ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION |
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| 14 | 14 | | PROGRAMS |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 531.431. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "task force" |
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| 16 | 16 | | means the task force on parent engagement and education programs |
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| 17 | 17 | | established under Section 531.432. |
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| 18 | 18 | | Sec. 531.432. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE. The task force |
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| 19 | 19 | | on parent engagement and education programs is established to: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) enhance coordination of parent engagement and |
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| 21 | 21 | | evidence-based parent education programs across state agencies; |
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| 22 | 22 | | and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) develop comprehensive, statewide best practices |
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| 24 | 24 | | for engaging parents as their children's first and best teachers. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 531.433. COMPOSITION OF TASK FORCE. The task force is |
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| 26 | 26 | | composed of nine members as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) the executive commissioner; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) the commissioner of the Department of Family and |
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| 29 | 29 | | Protective Services; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (3) the executive director of the Texas Workforce |
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| 31 | 31 | | Commission; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (4) the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) the executive director of the Texas Department of |
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| 34 | 34 | | Criminal Justice; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (6) the executive director of the Texas Juvenile |
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| 36 | 36 | | Justice Department; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (7) one representative of a county juvenile board or |
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| 38 | 38 | | juvenile probation department appointed by the presiding officer of |
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| 39 | 39 | | the task force; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (8) one representative of a faith-based organization |
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| 41 | 41 | | appointed by the presiding officer of the task force; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (9) one person appointed by the presiding officer of |
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| 43 | 43 | | the task force who has experienced challenges meant to be addressed |
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| 44 | 44 | | by a parent engagement or education program. |
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| 45 | 45 | | Sec. 531.434. PRESIDING OFFICER. The executive |
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| 46 | 46 | | commissioner shall serve as presiding officer. |
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| 47 | 47 | | Sec. 531.435. VACANCY. A vacancy for an appointed member of |
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| 48 | 48 | | the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original |
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| 49 | 49 | | appointment. |
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| 50 | 50 | | Sec. 531.436. MEETINGS. The task force shall meet at least |
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| 51 | 51 | | quarterly at the call of the presiding officer. The task force |
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| 52 | 52 | | shall meet at other times as determined by the presiding officer. |
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| 53 | 53 | | Sec. 531.437. DUTIES. The task force shall: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) receive reports and testimony from individuals, |
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| 55 | 55 | | state and local governmental agencies, community-based |
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| 56 | 56 | | organizations, and other public and private organizations |
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| 57 | 57 | | regarding parent engagement and evidence-based parent education |
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| 58 | 58 | | programs; |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) identify parent engagement and evidence-based |
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| 60 | 60 | | parent education programs that are being implemented in this state |
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| 61 | 61 | | and describe opportunities for improved coordination among those |
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| 62 | 62 | | programs to: |
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| 63 | 63 | | (A) maximize the programs' effectiveness and |
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| 64 | 64 | | funding; and |
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| 65 | 65 | | (B) align program outcomes; and |
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| 66 | 66 | | (3) develop policy and other recommendations for: |
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| 67 | 67 | | (A) expanding access to parent engagement and |
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| 68 | 68 | | evidence-based parent education programs; |
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| 69 | 69 | | (B) establishing comprehensive statewide best |
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| 70 | 70 | | practice guidelines for those programs; and |
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| 71 | 71 | | (C) establishing methods for using existing |
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| 72 | 72 | | administrative and program data to identify and target program |
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| 73 | 73 | | services to: |
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| 74 | 74 | | (i) appropriate parents in this state; |
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| 75 | 75 | | (ii) communities with the greatest need for |
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| 76 | 76 | | the program services; and |
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| 77 | 77 | | (iii) families exhibiting high levels of |
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| 78 | 78 | | risk factors, which include a preterm birth, poverty, having low |
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| 79 | 79 | | parent educational attainment, having one or more teenage parents, |
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| 80 | 80 | | having poor maternal health, and having parent unemployment or |
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| 81 | 81 | | underemployment. |
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| 82 | 82 | | Sec. 531.438. REPORT. (a) The task force shall prepare a |
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| 83 | 83 | | report that includes: |
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| 84 | 84 | | (1) a description of the activities of the task force; |
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| 85 | 85 | | (2) the findings and recommendations of the task |
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| 86 | 86 | | force, including recommendations described by Section 531.437(3); |
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| 87 | 87 | | and |
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| 88 | 88 | | (3) proposed legislation or recommendations or |
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| 89 | 89 | | information on any other relevant matter that the task force |
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| 90 | 90 | | considers appropriate. |
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| 91 | 91 | | (b) Not later than December 1, 2018, the task force shall |
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| 92 | 92 | | submit the report prepared under this section to the governor, the |
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| 93 | 93 | | lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, |
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| 94 | 94 | | and the presiding officers of the standing committees of the senate |
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| 95 | 95 | | and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over |
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| 96 | 96 | | issues relating to parent engagement and education. |
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| 97 | 97 | | Sec. 531.439. RESPONSIBILITY OF COMMISSION. The commission |
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| 98 | 98 | | shall provide reasonably necessary administrative and technical |
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| 99 | 99 | | support to the task force. |
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| 100 | 100 | | Sec. 531.440. COMPENSATION; REIMBURSEMENT. Appointed |
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| 101 | 101 | | members of the task force serve without compensation and may not be |
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| 102 | 102 | | reimbursed for travel or other expenses incurred while conducting |
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| 103 | 103 | | the business of the task force. |
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| 104 | 104 | | Sec. 531.441. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW. Chapter 2110 |
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| 105 | 105 | | does not apply to the task force. |
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| 106 | 106 | | Sec. 531.442. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The commission |
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| 107 | 107 | | may accept on behalf of the task force a gift, grant, or donation |
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| 108 | 108 | | from any source to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. |
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| 109 | 109 | | Sec. 531.443. EXPIRATION. The task force is abolished and |
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| 110 | 110 | | this subchapter expires September 1, 2019. |
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| 111 | 111 | | SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 112 | 112 | | of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
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| 113 | 113 | | Services Commission shall appoint the members of the task force on |
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| 114 | 114 | | parent engagement and education programs as required by Sections |
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| 115 | 115 | | 531.433(7), (8), and (9), Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 116 | 116 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 117 | 117 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 118 | 118 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 119 | 119 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 120 | 120 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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