| 1 | 1 | | 85R7594 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 698 |
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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 certain duties of the Department of Family and |
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| 8 | 8 | | Protective Services regarding parental child safety placements. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 264.904(d), Family Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (d) Before the department may close a case with a child |
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| 13 | 13 | | still living in a parental child safety placement, the department |
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| 14 | 14 | | must: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) determine and document in the case file that the |
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| 16 | 16 | | child can safely remain in the placement without the department's |
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| 17 | 17 | | supervision; |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) obtain the written agreement of the parent or |
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| 19 | 19 | | person who made the parental child safety placement, if possible; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) obtain the caregiver's agreement in writing that |
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| 21 | 21 | | the child can continue living in the placement after the department |
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| 22 | 22 | | closes the case; [and] |
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| 23 | 23 | | (4) develop a written plan for the child's care after |
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| 24 | 24 | | the department closes the case; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (5) ensure that the parent or person who made the |
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| 26 | 26 | | parental child safety placement, if appropriate, and the caregiver |
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| 27 | 27 | | have: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) obtained any public benefits for which the |
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| 29 | 29 | | child qualifies; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (B) enrolled the child in school or made other |
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| 31 | 31 | | arrangements relating to the child's education; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (C) obtained health insurance for the child or |
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| 33 | 33 | | made other arrangements relating to the child's medical care; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (D) filed for or transferred to the caregiver any |
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| 35 | 35 | | child support, social security income, or public benefits being |
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| 36 | 36 | | paid on behalf of the child to the parent or other person who made |
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| 37 | 37 | | the parental child safety placement; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (E) obtained the following documents for the |
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| 39 | 39 | | child: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (i) the child's birth certificate; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (ii) a social security card or a |
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| 42 | 42 | | replacement social security card; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (iii) a driver's license or personal |
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| 44 | 44 | | identification card; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (iv) any other personal document the |
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| 46 | 46 | | department determines appropriate; and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (F) obtained any other resources necessary to |
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| 48 | 48 | | care for the child; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (6) assist the parent or person who made the parental |
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| 50 | 50 | | child safety placement, if appropriate, and the caregiver in |
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| 51 | 51 | | complying with requirements described by Subdivision (5). |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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