By: Powell, Blanco S.B. No. 1200
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to referrals to and consent to services under certain
programs designed to serve pregnant women and families.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 265.101, Family Code, is amended by
amending Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivisions (1-a) and (1-b) to
read as follows:
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services
Commission.
(1-a) "Competitive grant program" means the
nurse-family partnership competitive grant program established
under this subchapter.
(1-b) "Health and human services agencies" has the
meaning assigned by Section 531.001, Government Code.
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 265, Family Code, is
amended by adding Section 265.1025 to read as follows:
Sec. 265.1025. COORDINATION BETWEEN AGENCIES AND LOCAL
ORGANIZATIONS. The department shall coordinate with the commission
to promote the referral to a partnership program of pregnant women
receiving services through a public benefits program administered
by the commission or a health and human services agency. The
coordination may include encouraging and supporting agreements
between local organizations providing services to pregnant women.
SECTION 3. Section 265.154(b), Family Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) A report submitted under this section must include:
(1) a description of the parenting education programs
implemented and of the models associated with the programs;
(2) information on the families served by the
programs, including the number of families served and their
demographic information;
(3) the goals and achieved outcomes of the programs;
(4) information on the cost for each family served,
including any available third-party return-on-investment analysis;
[and]
(5) information explaining the percentage of money
spent on evidence-based programs and on promising practice
programs; and
(6) the sources from which pregnant women were
referred in the preceding two-year period to a nurse-family
partnership program under Subchapter C.
SECTION 4. Section 531.982, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
(d) A minor who is otherwise eligible for a home visiting
program may consent to enrollment in and to receive services from a
home visiting program. For purposes of this subsection, "minor"
means an individual who is younger than 18 years of age.
SECTION 5. If before implementing any provision of this Act
a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
waiver or authorization is granted.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.