85R8111 MM-D
By: Uresti S.B. No. 687
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the collection and use of certain information relating
to child abuse and neglect and the provision of prevention and early
intervention services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 265, Family Code, is
amended by adding Sections 265.0041, 265.0043, and 265.0044 to read
as follows:
Sec. 265.0041. GEOGRAPHIC RISK MAPPING FOR PREVENTION AND
EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES. (a) The department shall use
existing risk terrain modeling systems, predictive analytic
systems, or geographic risk assessments or shall develop a system
or assessment under Subsection (c) to:
(1) identify geographic areas that have high risk
indicators of child maltreatment and child fatalities resulting
from abuse or neglect; and
(2) target the implementation and use of prevention
and early intervention services to those geographic areas.
(b) The department may not use data gathered under this
section to identify a specific family or individual.
(c) The Health and Human Services Commission, on behalf of
the department, may enter into agreements with institutions of
higher education to develop or adapt, in coordination with the
department, a risk terrain modeling system, a predictive analytic
system, or a geographic risk assessment to be used for purposes of
this section.
Sec. 265.0043. INTERAGENCY SHARING OF DATA FOR RISK TERRAIN
MODELING. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, state
agencies, including the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Juvenile
Justice Department, and the Department of Public Safety, shall
disclose information related to child abuse or neglect to the
department for the purpose of developing a risk terrain modeling
system under Section 265.0041.
Sec. 265.0044. ETHICAL GUIDELINES. (a) The executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission, in
consultation with the prevention advisory committee, shall develop
guidelines regarding:
(1) the type of risk terrain modeling data to be
collected by the department and the acceptable uses of the data;
(2) the types of data that may be shared; and
(3) the methods for sharing the data and final
geographic risk maps.
(b) In developing the guidelines required under Subsection
(a), the executive commissioner shall consider whether the
department plans to make any data the department collects
available:
(1) for use in research that has been approved by an
institutional review board; or
(2) to researchers who are working in collaboration
with an institution of higher education.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.