Bill Text: TX SB426 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to a home visiting program for at-risk families.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - See remarks for effective date [SB426 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB426-Enrolled.html
S.B. No. 426 |
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relating to a home visiting program for at-risk families. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subchapter X to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER X. TEXAS HOME VISITING PROGRAM | ||
Sec. 531.981. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
(1) "Home visiting program" means a | ||
voluntary-enrollment program in which early childhood and health | ||
professionals such as nurses, social workers, or trained and | ||
supervised paraprofessionals repeatedly visit over a period of at | ||
least six months the homes of pregnant women or families with | ||
children under the age of six who are born with or exposed to one or | ||
more risk factors. | ||
(2) "Risk factors" means factors that make a child | ||
more likely to experience adverse experiences leading to negative | ||
consequences, including preterm birth, poverty, low parental | ||
education, having a teenaged mother or father, poor maternal | ||
health, and parental underemployment or unemployment. | ||
Sec. 531.982. ESTABLISHMENT OF TEXAS HOME VISITING PROGRAM. | ||
(a) The commission shall create a strategic plan to serve at-risk | ||
pregnant women and families with children under the age of six | ||
through home visiting programs that improve outcomes for parents | ||
and families. | ||
(b) A pregnant woman or family is considered at-risk for | ||
purposes of this section and may be eligible for voluntary | ||
enrollment in a home visiting program if the woman or family is | ||
exposed to one or more risk factors. | ||
(c) The commission may determine if a risk factor or | ||
combination of risk factors experienced by an at-risk pregnant | ||
woman or family qualifies the woman or family for enrollment in a | ||
home visiting program. | ||
Sec. 531.983. TYPES OF HOME VISITING PROGRAMS. (a) A home | ||
visiting program is classified as either an evidence-based program | ||
or a promising practice program. | ||
(b) An evidence-based program is a home visiting program | ||
that: | ||
(1) is research-based and grounded in relevant, | ||
empirically based knowledge and program-determined outcomes; | ||
(2) is associated with a national organization, | ||
institution of higher education, or national or state public health | ||
institute; | ||
(3) has comprehensive standards that ensure | ||
high-quality service delivery and continuously improving quality; | ||
(4) has demonstrated significant positive short-term | ||
and long-term outcomes; | ||
(5) has been evaluated by at least one rigorous | ||
randomized controlled research trial across heterogeneous | ||
populations or communities, the results of at least one of which has | ||
been published in a peer-reviewed journal; | ||
(6) follows with fidelity a program manual or design | ||
that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and frequency of | ||
the services that constitute the program; | ||
(7) employs well-trained and competent staff and | ||
provides continual relevant professional development | ||
opportunities; | ||
(8) demonstrates strong links to other | ||
community-based services; and | ||
(9) ensures compliance with home visiting standards. | ||
(c) A promising practice program is a home visiting program | ||
that: | ||
(1) has an active impact evaluation program or can | ||
demonstrate a timeline for implementing an active impact evaluation | ||
program; | ||
(2) has been evaluated by at least one outcome-based | ||
study demonstrating effectiveness or a randomized controlled trial | ||
in a homogeneous sample; | ||
(3) follows with fidelity a program manual or design | ||
that specifies the purpose, outcomes, duration, and frequency of | ||
the services that constitute the program; | ||
(4) employs well-trained and competent staff and | ||
provides continual relevant professional development | ||
opportunities; | ||
(5) demonstrates strong links to other | ||
community-based services; and | ||
(6) ensures compliance with home visiting standards. | ||
Sec. 531.984. FUNDING. (a) The commission shall ensure | ||
that at least 75 percent of funds appropriated for home visiting | ||
programs are used in evidence-based programs, with any remaining | ||
funds dedicated to promising practice programs. | ||
(b) The commission shall actively seek and apply for any | ||
available federal funds to support home visiting programs, | ||
including federal funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy | ||
Families program. | ||
(c) The commission may accept gifts, donations, and grants | ||
to support home visiting programs. | ||
Sec. 531.985. OUTCOMES. The commission shall ensure that a | ||
home visiting program achieves favorable outcomes in at least two | ||
of the following areas: | ||
(1) improved maternal or child health outcomes; | ||
(2) improved cognitive development of children; | ||
(3) increased school readiness of children; | ||
(4) reduced child abuse, neglect, and injury; | ||
(5) improved child safety; | ||
(6) improved social-emotional development of | ||
children; | ||
(7) improved parenting skills, including nurturing | ||
and bonding; | ||
(8) improved family economic self-sufficiency; | ||
(9) reduced parental involvement with the criminal | ||
justice system; and | ||
(10) increased father involvement and support. | ||
Sec. 531.986. EVALUATION OF HOME VISITING PROGRAM. | ||
(a) The commission shall adopt outcome indicators to measure the | ||
effectiveness of a home visiting program in achieving desired | ||
outcomes. | ||
(b) The commission may work directly with the model | ||
developer of a home visiting program to identify appropriate | ||
outcome indicators for the program and to ensure that the program | ||
demonstrates fidelity to its research model. | ||
(c) The commission shall develop internal processes to work | ||
with home visiting programs to share data and information to aid in | ||
making relevant analysis of the performance of a home visiting | ||
program. | ||
(d) The commission shall use data gathered under this | ||
section to monitor, conduct ongoing quality improvement on, and | ||
evaluate the effectiveness of home visiting programs. | ||
Sec. 531.987. INITIAL REPORT. (a) Not later than December | ||
1, 2014, the commission shall prepare and submit a report on | ||
state-funded home visiting programs to the Senate Committee on | ||
Health and Human Services and the House Human Services Committee or | ||
their successors. | ||
(b) The report submitted under this section must include: | ||
(1) the status of the implementation process, | ||
including a description of home visiting programs being implemented | ||
and the associated models; and | ||
(2) data on the number of families being served and | ||
their demographic information. | ||
(c) This section expires January 1, 2015. | ||
Sec. 531.9871. REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE. (a) Not later than | ||
December 1 of each even-numbered year, the commission shall prepare | ||
and submit a report on state-funded home visiting programs to the | ||
Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and the House Human | ||
Services Committee or their successors. | ||
(b) A report submitted under this section must include: | ||
(1) a description of home visiting programs being | ||
implemented and the associated models; | ||
(2) data on the number of families being served and | ||
their demographic information; | ||
(3) the goals and achieved outcomes of home visiting | ||
programs; | ||
(4) data on cost per family served, including | ||
third-party return-on-investment analysis, if available; and | ||
(5) data explaining what percentage of funding has | ||
been used on evidence-based programs and what percentage of funding | ||
has been used on promising practice programs. | ||
Sec. 531.988. RULES. The commission may adopt rules as | ||
necessary to implement this subchapter. | ||
SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of | ||
this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
(b) Section 531.9871, Government Code, as added by this Act, | ||
takes effect January 15, 2015. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 426 passed the Senate on | ||
March 13, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 426 passed the House on | ||
May 14, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 4, two | ||
present not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
Approved: | ||
______________________________ | ||
Date | ||
______________________________ | ||
Governor |