| 1 | 1 | | 89R15504 MM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Meyer H.B. No. 5607 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to establishing a procedure for the Department of Family |
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| 10 | 10 | | and Protective Services to respond to and issue findings on reports |
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| 11 | 11 | | of abuse or neglect made by certain professionals. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 261, Family Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 261.1012 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 261.1012. ENHANCED DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO REPORT BY |
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| 16 | 16 | | PROFESSIONAL. The department shall establish a procedure for |
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| 17 | 17 | | enhanced response to a report of abuse or neglect made by a |
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| 18 | 18 | | professional under Section 261.101. The procedure must require: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) the department to contact the professional who |
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| 20 | 20 | | made the report of abuse or neglect by phone as soon as practicable |
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| 21 | 21 | | after receiving the report and before initiating an investigation; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) the department employee who contacts the |
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| 23 | 23 | | professional under Subdivision (1) to gather additional |
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| 24 | 24 | | information to inform the initiation of the investigation and |
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| 25 | 25 | | investigational procedures; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) the department to notify the professional who made |
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| 27 | 27 | | the report of abuse or neglect of the department's findings and |
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| 28 | 28 | | decision regarding any investigation resulting from the report; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (4) the department to establish a process to allow a |
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| 30 | 30 | | professional who receives information under Subdivision (3) to |
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| 31 | 31 | | request an administrative review of the department's investigation |
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| 32 | 32 | | if the professional believes the investigation was not conducted |
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| 33 | 33 | | appropriately based on the allegation; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (5) the department to automatically dispose of a case |
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| 35 | 35 | | with a finding of reason to believe that abuse or neglect occurred |
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| 36 | 36 | | if the professional's report on which the department's |
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| 37 | 37 | | investigation is based includes evidence that the person who is the |
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| 38 | 38 | | subject of the investigation disclosed to the professional that the |
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| 39 | 39 | | person abused or neglected the child who is the subject of the |
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| 40 | 40 | | professional's report. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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| 42 | 42 | | a report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child that is made on or |
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| 43 | 43 | | after the effective date of this Act. A report of suspected abuse |
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| 44 | 44 | | or neglect that is made before that date is governed by the law in |
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| 45 | 45 | | effect on the date the report was made, and that law is continued in |
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| 46 | 46 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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