| 1 | 1 | | 87R818 EAS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Rose H.B. No. 155 |
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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 office of minority statistics and engagement in the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Department of Family and Protective Services. |
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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. Subchapter B, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, |
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| 11 | 11 | | is amended by adding Section 40.044 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 40.044. OFFICE OF MINORITY STATISTICS AND ENGAGEMENT. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning |
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| 15 | 15 | | assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Office" means the office of minority statistics |
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| 17 | 17 | | and engagement established under this section. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) Using existing resources, the department, in |
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| 19 | 19 | | consultation with an institution of higher education and the child |
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| 20 | 20 | | welfare community, shall establish an office of minority statistics |
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| 21 | 21 | | and engagement within the department. The office shall address the |
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| 22 | 22 | | disproportionality in the rate of use of child protective and |
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| 23 | 23 | | welfare services by and the provision of those services to children |
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| 24 | 24 | | who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group and are in the |
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| 25 | 25 | | child welfare system. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) In collaboration with an institution of higher |
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| 27 | 27 | | education and appropriate persons in the child welfare community, |
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| 28 | 28 | | the office shall identify the causes of the disproportionality |
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| 29 | 29 | | described by Subsection (b) and develop recommendations for |
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| 30 | 30 | | addressing those causes and for improving the rate of use of child |
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| 31 | 31 | | protective and welfare services by and the provision of those |
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| 32 | 32 | | services to children and their families. In identifying the causes |
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| 33 | 33 | | and developing recommendations, the office shall: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) share with the institution any information |
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| 35 | 35 | | necessary for the institution to assist in identifying the causes |
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| 36 | 36 | | and developing recommendations; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) consider the unique needs and resources of this |
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| 38 | 38 | | state; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) consider the outcomes for children in the child |
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| 40 | 40 | | welfare system and the services necessary to improve the outcomes. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (d) The office shall annually submit a written report to the |
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| 42 | 42 | | governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of |
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| 43 | 43 | | representatives, and chair of each standing legislative committee |
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| 44 | 44 | | with primary jurisdiction over the department that includes: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (1) the recommendations developed under Subsection |
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| 46 | 46 | | (c); |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) methods to address disproportionality across the |
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| 48 | 48 | | child welfare system; and |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) a summary of the initiatives developed by the |
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| 50 | 50 | | department during the preceding year to address the causes of |
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| 51 | 51 | | disproportionality identified in Subsection (c). |
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| 52 | 52 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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