Bill Text: TX SB66 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to studying the causes of and making recommendations for reducing child fatalities, including fatalities from the abuse and neglect of children.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective on 9/1/13 [SB66 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB66-Enrolled.html
S.B. No. 66 |
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relating to studying the causes of and making recommendations for | ||
reducing child fatalities, including fatalities from the abuse and | ||
neglect of children. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subsections (b) and (c), Section 264.502, Family | ||
Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) The members of the committee who serve under Subsections | ||
(a)(1) through (3) shall select the following additional committee | ||
members: | ||
(1) a criminal prosecutor involved in prosecuting | ||
crimes against children; | ||
(2) a sheriff; | ||
(3) a justice of the peace; | ||
(4) a medical examiner; | ||
(5) a police chief; | ||
(6) a pediatrician experienced in diagnosing and | ||
treating child abuse and neglect; | ||
(7) a child educator; | ||
(8) a child mental health provider; | ||
(9) a public health professional; | ||
(10) a child protective services specialist; | ||
(11) a sudden infant death syndrome family service | ||
provider; | ||
(12) a neonatologist; | ||
(13) a child advocate; | ||
(14) a chief juvenile probation officer; | ||
(15) a child abuse prevention specialist; | ||
(16) a representative of the Department of Public | ||
Safety; [ |
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(17) a representative of the Texas Department of | ||
Transportation; | ||
(18) an emergency medical services provider; and | ||
(19) a provider of services to, or an advocate for, | ||
victims of family violence. | ||
(c) Members of the committee selected under Subsection (b) | ||
serve three-year terms with the terms of [ |
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members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year. | ||
SECTION 2. Subsection (f), Section 264.503, Family Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(f) [ |
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even-numbered year, the committee shall publish a report that | ||
contains aggregate child fatality data collected by local child | ||
fatality review teams, recommendations to prevent child fatalities | ||
and injuries, and recommendations to the department on child | ||
protective services operations based on input from the child safety | ||
review subcommittee. The committee shall [ |
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copy of the report [ |
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governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Department of | ||
State Health Services, and department[ |
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each even-numbered year, the department shall submit a written | ||
response to [ |
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State Health Services describing which of the committee's | ||
recommendations regarding the operation of the child protective | ||
services system the department will implement and the methods of | ||
implementation. | ||
SECTION 3. (a) The Protect Our Kids Commission is composed | ||
of six members appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be | ||
designated as presiding officer, three members appointed by the | ||
lieutenant governor, three members appointed by the speaker of the | ||
house of representatives, one member with experience in behavioral | ||
health and substance abuse appointed by the commissioner of the | ||
Department of State Health Services, one member who represents the | ||
Department of Family and Protective Services appointed by the | ||
commissioner of the department, and one member who represents the | ||
Office of Title V and Family Health of the Department of State | ||
Health Services appointed by the office director. | ||
(b) Each member appointed to the commission must have | ||
experience relating to the study of the relationship between child | ||
protective services and child welfare services and child abuse and | ||
neglect fatalities. | ||
(c) In making appointments to the commission, each | ||
appointing authority shall make every effort to select individuals | ||
whose expertise is not already represented by other members of the | ||
commission and who reflect the geographical, cultural, racial, and | ||
ethnic diversity of the state. | ||
(d) Members of the commission serve without compensation | ||
and are not entitled to reimbursement for expenses. | ||
(e) The commission shall study the relationship between | ||
child protective services and child welfare services and the rate | ||
of child abuse and neglect fatalities. | ||
(f) The commission shall: | ||
(1) identify promising practices and evidence-based | ||
strategies to address and reduce fatalities from child abuse and | ||
neglect; | ||
(2) develop recommendations and identify resources | ||
necessary to reduce fatalities from child abuse and neglect for | ||
implementation by state and local agencies and private sector and | ||
nonprofit organizations, including recommendations to implement a | ||
comprehensive statewide strategy for reducing those fatalities; | ||
and | ||
(3) develop guidelines for the types of information | ||
that should be tracked to improve interventions to prevent | ||
fatalities from child abuse and neglect. | ||
(g) The commission may accept gifts and grants of money, | ||
property, and services from any source to be used to conduct a | ||
function of the commission. | ||
(h) Not later than December 1, 2015, the commission shall | ||
submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the | ||
house of representatives a report containing: | ||
(1) the commission's findings and a complete | ||
explanation of each of the commission's recommendations; | ||
(2) proposed legislation necessary to implement the | ||
recommendations made in the report; and | ||
(3) any administrative recommendations proposed by | ||
the commission. | ||
(i) The commission is not subject to Chapter 2110, | ||
Government Code. | ||
(j) The Protect Our Kids Commission is abolished and this | ||
section expires December 31, 2015. | ||
SECTION 4. The members of the child fatality review team | ||
committee under Subsection (a), Section 264.502, Family Code, | ||
responsible for selecting the additional members of the committee | ||
required by Subsection (b), Section 264.502, Family Code, as | ||
amended by this Act, shall make those appointments not later than | ||
November 1, 2013. | ||
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 66 passed the Senate on | ||
March 13, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that | ||
the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 23, 2013, by the | ||
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 66 passed the House, with | ||
amendment, on May 20, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 147, | ||
Nays 0, two present not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
Approved: | ||
______________________________ | ||
Date | ||
______________________________ | ||
Governor |