89R15557 AMF-D
By: West S.B. No. 1918
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a relative and kinship care grant program administered
by the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 72, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 72.03951 to read as follows:
Sec. 72.03951. RELATIVE AND KINSHIP CARE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Using funds appropriated or otherwise available for the
purpose, the office shall develop and administer a program to
provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations that provide
legal assistance related to assuming care of a child to
individuals:
(1) who are relative or kinship caregivers of the
child; and
(2) whose incomes are at or below 400 percent of the
federal poverty level.
(b) Legal assistance under Subsection (a) includes advice,
consultation, or assistance that relates to:
(1) consent to treatment of a child by a nonparent
under Chapter 32, Family Code;
(2) authorization agreements for nonparent adult
caregivers of a child under Chapter 34, Family Code;
(3) temporary authorizations for care of a minor child
under Chapter 35, Family Code;
(4) suits affecting the parent-child relationship
under Title 5, Family Code; and
(5) any other legal documentation or proceedings
related to assuming care of a child.
(c) The office may award a grant under this section only in
accordance with a contract between the office and the recipient
that includes provisions under which the office is granted
sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of providing legal
assistance to relative or kinship caregivers is accomplished and
this state receives the return benefit.
(d) The office may accept gifts, grants, and donations for
the purposes of the grant program established under this section.
(e) The office may adopt rules to administer the grant
program established under this section, including rules that
establish:
(1) eligibility criteria for grant applications;
(2) grant application procedures;
(3) guidelines related to grant amounts;
(4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; and
(5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant
awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any
condition of the grant.
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas
Judicial System shall adopt the rules necessary to implement
Section 72.03951, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2025.