By: Frank, Minjarez, Klick H.B. No. 3950
(Senate Sponsor - Kolkhorst)
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2019;
May 15, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on Health &
Human Services; May 20, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0;
May 20, 2019, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 3950 By: Campbell
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the Joint Committee on Child
Welfare.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. (a) In this section:
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
Commission.
(2) "Committee" means the Joint Committee on Child
Welfare.
(3) "Community-based care" has the meaning assigned by
Section 264.152, Family Code.
(4) "Department" means the Department of Family and
Protective Services.
(b) The Joint Committee on Child Welfare is composed of nine
voting members as follows:
(1) three members appointed by the governor;
(2) three members of the senate, appointed by the
lieutenant governor; and
(3) three members of the house of representatives,
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
(c) The lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
representatives shall each appoint a member described by Subsection
(b)(2) or (3) of this section, respectively, to serve as joint
chairs of the committee.
(d) The committee shall meet at least quarterly at the call
of the joint chairs and may consider public testimony.
(e) The committee may employ persons necessary to carry out
this section through funds made available by the legislature.
(f) The committee shall monitor and report to the
legislature on the following related to the implementation of
community-based care and the federal Family First Prevention
Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L. No. 115-123):
(1) all sources of funding for the continued
implementation of community-based care and family preservation and
other related prevention services;
(2) a timeline for the complete implementation of
community-based care and additional resources the department will
require to meet that timeline, including enhanced training related
to procurement, contract monitoring and enforcement services,
information technology services, and financial and legal services;
(3) barriers to using federal and state money and
necessary purchased services to achieve greater numbers of children
and youth who remain safely with their families by reviewing and
effectively maximizing:
(A) the prevention and early intervention
services currently available in this state; and
(B) any services relating to families entering
the child protective services system;
(4) the placement of children in settings eligible for
federal financial participation under the requirements of the
federal Family First Prevention Services Act;
(5) any other beneficial programs or services
available under the federal Family First Prevention Services Act;
and
(6) legislative or regulatory barriers to full
implementation of community-based care.
(g) The committee may request relevant information from the
commission, the department, or other relevant state agencies, and
the commission, the department, or other agencies shall comply with
the request, unless the provision of the information is prohibited
by state or federal law.
(h) The committee shall submit a written report described by
Subsection (f) of this section to the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each
member of the standing committees of the senate and house of
representatives having primary jurisdiction over child welfare
issues not later than September 1, 2020.
(i) The committee shall monitor the continued
implementation of community-based care and family preservation and
other related prevention services, and the implementation plan
developed by the department under Section 264.153, Family Code.
(j) The committee shall submit a final evaluation of the
implementation of community-based care to the governor, the
lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
and each member of the standing committees of the senate and house
of representatives having primary jurisdiction over child welfare
issues not later than December 30, 2024.
(k) The committee is abolished and this Act expires December
31, 2024.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
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