Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2359 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R9854 BDP-F
2	2	By: Walle H.B. No. 2359
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to employee caseload limit goals for child and adult
8	8	protective services and child-care licensing services and call
9	9	processing goals for certain of those services.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
12	12	amended by adding Section 531.0481 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 531.0481. CASELOAD LIMIT GOALS FOR CERTAIN
14	14	CASEWORKERS. Notwithstanding Section 531.048(d) and to the extent
15	15	appropriated money is available for the purpose, the commission or
16	16	Department of Family and Protective Services, as appropriate, shall
17	17	work toward ensuring that the average caseload for the following
18	18	categories of caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by
19	19	this section:
20	20	(1) for caseworkers conducting child protective
21	21	services investigations, an average of 15 cases at any time;
22	22	(2) for child protective services caseworkers
23	23	providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 cases at
24	24	any time;
25	25	(3) for child protective services caseworkers
26	26	providing services through conservatorship programs, an average of
27	27	20 cases at any time;
28	28	(4) for child protective services caseworkers
29	29	providing services through foster and adoption programs, an average
30	30	of 20 cases at any time;
31	31	(5) for child-care licensing inspectors, an average
32	32	caseload of 64 nonresidential child-care facilities or registered
33	33	family homes at any time;
34	34	(6) for child-care licensing day-care investigators,
35	35	an average caseload of 17 investigations at any time; and
36	36	(7) for adult protective services specialists
37	37	providing adult protective services through in-home programs, an
38	38	average of 22 cases at any time.
39	39	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
40	40	is amended by adding Section 40.073 to read as follows:
41	41	Sec. 40.073. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE:
42	42	CALL PROCESSING GOALS. (a) With respect to the hotline maintained
43	43	by the department for purposes of receiving reports under Section
44	44	261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the extent
45	45	appropriated money is available for the purpose, the department
46	46	shall work toward ensuring that:
47	47	(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does
48	48	not exceed five minutes; and
49	49	(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal
50	50	year does not exceed 25 percent.
51	51	(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the
52	52	methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate
53	53	referred to in Subsection (a)(2).
54	54	SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2024:
55	55	(1) the Health and Human Services Commission and the
56	56	Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly submit a
57	57	report to the standing committees of the senate and house of
58	58	representatives having primary jurisdiction over those state
59	59	agencies regarding the agencies' progress in achieving the caseload
60	60	limit goals described in Section 531.0481, Government Code, as
61	61	added by this Act; and
62	62	(2) the Department of Family and Protective Services
63	63	shall submit a report to the committees described in Subdivision
64	64	(1) of this section regarding the department's progress in
65	65	achieving the call processing goals described in Section 40.073,
66	66	Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
67	67	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.