| 1 | 1 | | 88R18717 BDP-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Bailes, Rose, Harris of Anderson H.B. No. 637 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to the payment of permanency care assistance after a |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | child's 18th birthday. |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 264.852, Family Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | (e) A permanency care assistance agreement shall provide |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | for permanency care assistance payments until the later of: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | (1) the last day of the month of the child's 18th |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | birthday; or |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (2) if the child is regularly attending high school or |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | enrolled in a program leading toward a high school diploma or high |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | school equivalency certificate, the last day of the month in which |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | the child graduates from high school or completes a program leading |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | toward a high school diploma or high school equivalency |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | certificate. |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. The heading to Section 264.855, Family Code, is |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | amended to read as follows: |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 264.855. CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY FOR PERMANENCY CARE |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | ASSISTANCE BENEFITS UNTIL [AFTER] AGE 21 [18]. |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies to a |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | permanency care assistance agreement entered into on or after the |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | effective date of this Act. A permanency care assistance agreement |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | entered into before the effective date of this Act is governed by |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | the law in effect on the date the agreement was entered into, and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|