Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4479 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Walle H.B. No. 4479
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to employee caseload limit goals for child and adult
7	7	protective services and child-care licensing services and call
8	8	processing goals for certain of those services.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 531.0481 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 531.0481. CASELOAD LIMIT GOALS FOR CERTAIN
13	13	CASEWORKERS. Notwithstanding Section 531.048(d) and to the extent
14	14	appropriated money is available for the purpose, the commission or
15	15	Department of Family and Protective Services, as appropriate, shall
16	16	work toward ensuring that the average caseload for the following
17	17	categories of caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by
18	18	this section:
19	19	(1) for caseworkers conducting child protective
20	20	services investigations, an average of 15 cases at any time;
21	21	(2) for child protective services caseworkers
22	22	providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 cases at
23	23	any time;
24	24	(3) for child protective services caseworkers
25	25	providing services through conservatorship programs, an average of
26	26	20 cases at any time;
27	27	(4) for child protective services caseworkers
28	28	providing services through foster and adoption programs, an average
29	29	of 20 cases at any time;
30	30	(5) for child-care licensing inspectors, an average
31	31	caseload of 64 nonresidential child-care facilities or registered
32	32	family homes at any time;
33	33	(6) for child-care licensing day-care investigators,
34	34	an average caseload of 17 investigations at any time; and
35	35	(7) for adult protective services specialists
36	36	providing adult protective services through in-home programs, an
37	37	average of 22 cases at any time.
38	38	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
39	39	is amended by adding Section 40.073 to read as follows:
40	40	Sec. 40.073. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE:
41	41	CALL PROCESSING GOALS. (a) With respect to the hotline maintained
42	42	by the department for purposes of receiving reports under Section
43	43	261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the extent
44	44	appropriated money is available for the purpose, the department
45	45	shall work toward ensuring that:
46	46	(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does
47	47	not exceed five minutes; and
48	48	(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal
49	49	year does not exceed 25 percent.
50	50	(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the
51	51	methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate
52	52	referred to in Subsection (a)(2).
53	53	SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2022:
54	54	(1) the Health and Human Services Commission and the
55	55	Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly submit a
56	56	report to the standing committees of the senate and house of
57	57	representatives having primary jurisdiction over those state
58	58	agencies regarding the agencies' progress in achieving the caseload
59	59	limit goals described in Section 531.0481, Government Code, as
60	60	added by this Act; and
61	61	(2) the Department of Family and Protective Services
62	62	shall submit a report to the committees described in Subdivision
63	63	(1) of this section regarding the department's progress in
64	64	achieving the call processing goals described in Section 40.073,
65	65	Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
66	66	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.