2021S0229-1 03/23/21
By: Campbell S.B. No. 2158
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to authorizing the Texas Education Agency to provide
identification kits for certain children.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Texas
Child Identification Act of 2021.
SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds
that:
(1) the proactive collection and central storage of
comprehensive identification information about individual children
by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies is resource
intensive; and
(2) the National Child Identification Program, known
as "Safety Blitz":
(A) is a national community service initiative
that has partnered with the states and their attorneys general,
local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and
community organizations to provide families with an inkless,
in-home fingerprint and DNA identification kit, which can be turned
over to law enforcement by the parent or guardian of a child to
provide information on a missing or trafficked child; and
(B) promotes the proactive collection and
storage of comprehensive identification information within the
home, decentralizing the process for law enforcement agencies that
may lack the resources to collect and centrally store vital
identification information related to individual children.
SECTION 3. AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE IDENTIFICATION KITS.
Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is amended by adding
Section 38.028 to read as follows:
Sec. 38.028. CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) In this
section, "elementary school" has the meaning assigned by Section
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. Section 1401(6)).
(b) To promote the proactive collection and storage of
comprehensive identification information by parents and guardians,
the agency shall provide inkless, in-home fingerprint and DNA
identification kits to any parent or guardian who requests one and
whose child attends kindergarten or elementary school. A kit may be
submitted by the parent or guardian to federal, state, tribal, or
local law enforcement in an effort to locate and return missing or
trafficked children.
SECTION 4. CONTINGENT UPON APPROPRIATION. The Texas
Education Agency is required to implement Section 38.028, Education
Code, as added by this Act, only if the legislature appropriates
money specifically for that purpose. If the legislature does not
appropriate money specifically for that purpose, the agency may,
but is not required to, implement that section using other
appropriations available for that purpose.
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September
1, 2021.