| 1 | 1 | | 85R4110 MK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: West S.B. No. 796 |
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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 the collection of information concerning the number of |
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| 8 | 8 | | juvenile offenders committed to the Texas Juvenile Justice |
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| 9 | 9 | | Department who have been in foster care. |
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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. Subchapter A, Chapter 243, Human Resources Code, |
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| 12 | 12 | | is amended by adding Section 243.008 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 243.008. INFORMATION CONCERNING FOSTER CARE HISTORY. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (a) In this section, "foster care" means the placement of a child |
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| 15 | 15 | | in the conservatorship of a state agency responsible for providing |
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| 16 | 16 | | child protective services. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) The department, during the admission process, shall |
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| 18 | 18 | | determine whether a child committed to the department has at any |
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| 19 | 19 | | time been in foster care. The department shall record the following |
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| 20 | 20 | | on the child's intake form: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) whether the child is currently in foster care; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) if applicable, the number of times the child has |
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| 23 | 23 | | previously been placed in foster care. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) Not later than January 31 of each even-numbered year, |
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| 25 | 25 | | the department shall submit a report to the governor, the |
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| 26 | 26 | | lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and each standing committee having primary jurisdiction over the |
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| 28 | 28 | | department. The report must summarize statistical information |
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| 29 | 29 | | concerning the total number and percentage of children in the |
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| 30 | 30 | | custody of the department during the preceding two years who have at |
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| 31 | 31 | | any time been in foster care. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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