Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1597 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R6008 MLH-D
2	2	By: J. Johnson of Harris H.B. No. 1597
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to transitional living services provided to foster youth
8	8	transitioning to independent living.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 264.121(a), Family Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(a) The department shall address the unique challenges
13	13	facing foster children in the conservatorship of the department who
14	14	must transition to independent living by:
15	15	(1) expanding efforts to improve transition planning
16	16	and increasing the availability of transitional family group
17	17	decision-making to all youth age 14 or older in the department's
18	18	permanent managing conservatorship, including enrolling the youth
19	19	in the Preparation for Adult Living Program before the age of 16;
20	20	(2) coordinating with the commission to obtain
21	21	authority, to the extent allowed by federal law, the state Medicaid
22	22	plan, the Title IV-E state plan, and any waiver or amendment to
23	23	either plan, necessary to:
24	24	(A) extend foster care eligibility [and
25	25	transition services for youth] up to age 21 and develop policy to
26	26	permit eligible youth to return to foster care as necessary to
27	27	achieve the goals of the Transitional Living Services Program;
28	28	[and]
29	29	(B) extend transition services for youth up to
30	30	age 26 and develop policy to permit eligible youth who have exited
31	31	foster care to continue to participate in the Transitional Living
32	32	Services Program as necessary to achieve the goals of the program;
33	33	and
34	34	(C) extend Medicaid coverage for foster care
35	35	youth and former foster care youth up to age 26 [21] with a single
36	36	application at the time the youth leaves foster care; and
37	37	(3) entering into cooperative agreements with the
38	38	Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards
39	39	to further the objectives of the Preparation for Adult Living
40	40	Program. The department, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the
41	41	local workforce development boards shall ensure that services are
42	42	prioritized and targeted to meet the needs of foster care and former
43	43	foster care children and that such services will include, where
44	44	feasible, referrals for short-term stays for youth needing housing.
45	45	SECTION 2. Section 264.121(b)(3), Family Code, is amended
46	46	to read as follows:
47	47	(3) "Transitional Living Services Program" means a
48	48	program, administered by the department in accordance with
49	49	department rules and state and federal law, for youth who are age 14
50	50	or older but not more than 26 [21] years of age and are currently or
51	51	were formerly in foster care, that assists youth in transitioning
52	52	from foster care to independent living. The program provides
53	53	transitional living services, Preparation for Adult Living Program
54	54	services, and Education and Training Voucher Program services.
55	55	SECTION 3. Section 264.121(c), Family Code, is amended to
56	56	read as follows:
57	57	(c) At the time a child enters the Preparation for Adult
58	58	Living Program, the department shall provide an information booklet
59	59	to the child and the foster parent describing the program and the
60	60	benefits available to the child, including extended Medicaid
61	61	coverage until age 26 [21], priority status with the Texas
62	62	Workforce Commission, and the exemption from the payment of tuition
63	63	and fees at institutions of higher education as defined by Section
64	64	61.003, Education Code. The information booklet provided to the
65	65	child and the foster parent shall be provided in the primary
66	66	language spoken by that individual.
67	67	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.