89R2663 MCF-F
By: West S.B. No. 661
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of the Office of Youth Health and Safety.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 523, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter I to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER I. OFFICE OF YOUTH HEALTH AND SAFETY
Sec. 523.0401. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Board" means the Board of Youth Health and
Safety.
(2) "Child" means an individual 10 years of age or
older and younger than 18 years of age who is under the jurisdiction
of a juvenile court.
(3) "Office" means the Office of Youth Health and
Safety.
Sec. 523.0402. OFFICE OF YOUTH HEALTH AND SAFETY. The
executive commissioner shall maintain an office of youth health and
safety within the commission's Office of Forensic Coordination with
the goal of:
(1) promoting trauma-responsive and culturally
informed services for children engaging in delinquent conduct in a
manner that supports the child's successful transition to
adulthood; and
(2) ensuring children become responsible, thriving,
and engaged members of their communities.
Sec. 523.0403. COMPOSITION OF BOARD; PRESIDING OFFICER.
(a) The board is the governing body of the office.
(b) The board is composed of the following 21 members or
their designees:
(1) the executive commissioner;
(2) the chief officer of the commission's Medicaid and
CHIP services division;
(3) the deputy executive commissioner of the
Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Behavioral Health
Services Department;
(4) the director of the Early Childhood Education
Division at the Texas Education Agency;
(5) the following members appointed by the executive
commissioner:
(A) a member of the judiciary;
(B) an attorney with experience in defending
civil rights cases;
(C) a member of the Texas Judicial Commission on
Mental Health;
(D) a faculty member from the medical school at
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio;
(E) a licensed trauma-informed youth counselor;
(F) an education advocate;
(G) two culturally responsive juvenile justice
advocates;
(H) a culturally responsive youth mental health
advocate;
(I) a harm reduction advocate; and
(J) a representative of the Texas Correctional
Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments; and
(6) the following members appointed by the executive
commissioner from recommendations made by the presiding officer:
(A) a child welfare advocate;
(B) two youth advocates;
(C) two individuals formerly committed to a
juvenile secure correctional facility who are able to serve as
credible messengers for detained youth; and
(D) a mitigation specialist.
(c) Board members appointed under Subsections (b)(5) and
(6) serve staggered six-year terms, with the terms of five or six
members expiring on February 1 of each odd-numbered year.
(d) The executive commissioner shall designate a member of
the board as the presiding officer to serve in that capacity at the
pleasure of the executive commissioner.
Sec. 523.0404. PLAN. (a) The office shall develop a plan to
improve the juvenile justice system under the authority of the
office.
(b) The plan must include a detailed list of procedures and
strategies to:
(1) not later than September 1, 2028:
(A) end commitments of children to
post-adjudication secure correctional facilities operated by the
Texas Juvenile Justice Department;
(B) significantly reduce the population of
children currently committed to post-adjudication secure
correctional facilities operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice
Department;
(C) establish infrastructure in each county in
this state to provide alternative services related to delinquency
prevention and intervention, including alternative evidence-based
safe, local, and supportive placements for children who are not
able to stay at home;
(D) establish secure placement options for
children who are determined by a court to present a serious risk of
harm to self or others;
(E) increase local, evidence-based delinquency
responses and interventions in communities and schools; and
(F) end racial and disability disparities for
children in the juvenile justice system; and
(2) conduct a study on the feasibility of a staggered
closure of all post-adjudication secure correctional facilities
operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
(c) In developing the plan, the office shall consult with
experts and interested parties, including juvenile probation
departments.
(d) Not later than January 1, 2027, the office shall submit
a copy of the plan to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the
legislature.
(e) This section expires September 1, 2032.
SECTION 2. Not later than the 60th day after the effective
date of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
Services Commission shall appoint members to the Board of Youth
Health and Safety in accordance with Section 523.0403, Government
Code, as added by this Act. In appointing the initial members of
the board under this section, the executive commissioner shall
designate six members for terms expiring February 1, 2027, six
members for terms expiring February 1, 2029, and five members for
terms expiring February 1, 2031.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.