| 1 | 1 | | 87R1989 MCK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: J. Johnson of Harris H.B. No. 575 |
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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 Department of Family and Protective Services |
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| 8 | 8 | | enrolling certain foster children in the Preparation for Adult |
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| 9 | 9 | | Living Program. |
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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. Section 264.121(a), Family Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) The department shall address the unique challenges |
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| 14 | 14 | | facing foster children in the conservatorship of the department who |
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| 15 | 15 | | must transition to independent living by: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) expanding efforts to improve transition planning |
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| 17 | 17 | | and increasing the availability of transitional family group |
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| 18 | 18 | | decision-making to all youth age 14 or older in the department's |
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| 19 | 19 | | permanent managing conservatorship, including enrolling all [the] |
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| 20 | 20 | | youth who have been in the department's conservatorship for at |
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| 21 | 21 | | least four years after the youth's 10th birthday in the Preparation |
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| 22 | 22 | | for Adult Living Program [before the age of 16]; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) coordinating with the commission to obtain |
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| 24 | 24 | | authority, to the extent allowed by federal law, the state Medicaid |
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| 25 | 25 | | plan, the Title IV-E state plan, and any waiver or amendment to |
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| 26 | 26 | | either plan, necessary to: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) extend foster care eligibility and |
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| 28 | 28 | | transition services for youth up to age 21 and develop policy to |
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| 29 | 29 | | permit eligible youth to return to foster care as necessary to |
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| 30 | 30 | | achieve the goals of the Transitional Living Services Program; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) extend Medicaid coverage for foster care |
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| 32 | 32 | | youth and former foster care youth up to age 21 with a single |
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| 33 | 33 | | application at the time the youth leaves foster care; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) entering into cooperative agreements with the |
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| 35 | 35 | | Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards |
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| 36 | 36 | | to further the objectives of the Preparation for Adult Living |
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| 37 | 37 | | Program. The department, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the |
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| 38 | 38 | | local workforce development boards shall ensure that services are |
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| 39 | 39 | | prioritized and targeted to meet the needs of foster care and former |
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| 40 | 40 | | foster care children and that such services will include, where |
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| 41 | 41 | | feasible, referrals for short-term stays for youth needing housing. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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