Bill Text: TX HB1099 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to creating an advisory committee on child protective services in the region that includes Bexar County for the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-05 - Left pending in committee [HB1099 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB1099-Introduced.html
| 82R6052 MCK-F | ||
| By: Farias | H.B. No. 1099 | |
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| relating to creating an advisory committee on child protective | ||
| services in the region that includes Bexar County for the | ||
| Department of Family and Protective Services. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter E to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER E. BEXAR COUNTY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ADVISORY | ||
| COUNCIL | ||
| Sec. 40.121. BEXAR COUNTY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES | ||
| ADVISORY COUNCIL. (a) The Bexar County Child Protective Services | ||
| Advisory Council is an advisory committee to the department. The | ||
| council shall advise and make recommendations to the department on | ||
| any matter relating to the provision of child protective services | ||
| in the department region that includes Bexar County, and the | ||
| department shall give due consideration to the council's advice and | ||
| recommendations. The council shall support the department's | ||
| mission and goals in the department region that includes Bexar | ||
| County by providing a regular forum for the discussion and | ||
| resolution of region-specific issues, concerns, and | ||
| recommendations. | ||
| (b) The Bexar County Child Protective Services Advisory | ||
| Council consists of: | ||
| (1) the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council; and | ||
| (2) the Bexar County Advocates Advisory Council. | ||
| Sec. 40.122. BEXAR COUNTY JUDGES ADVISORY COUNCIL. (a) The | ||
| Bexar County Judges Advisory Council consists of: | ||
| (1) the judge of each court in the county having | ||
| jurisdiction over child abuse and neglect cases and proceedings; | ||
| (2) the judge with supervisory authority over the | ||
| courts in the county having jurisdiction over child abuse and | ||
| neglect cases and proceedings; | ||
| (3) the department's director for the region that | ||
| includes Bexar County; and | ||
| (4) the following five individuals designated by the | ||
| department from the department region that includes Bexar County: | ||
| (A) an individual who has responsibility for and | ||
| expertise regarding contract monitoring; | ||
| (B) an individual who has responsibility for and | ||
| expertise regarding licensing and regulation of child-care | ||
| facilities; | ||
| (C) an individual who has responsibility for and | ||
| expertise regarding investigations; | ||
| (D) an individual who has responsibility for and | ||
| expertise regarding family-based safety services; and | ||
| (E) an individual who has responsibility for and | ||
| expertise regarding conservatorship and foster care. | ||
| (b) The Bexar County Judges Advisory Council shall elect a | ||
| presiding officer from its members. | ||
| (c) The Bexar County Judges Advisory Council shall adopt | ||
| bylaws under which it shall operate. | ||
| Sec. 40.123. BEXAR COUNTY ADVOCATES ADVISORY COUNCIL. (a) | ||
| The Bexar County Advocates Advisory Council consists of the | ||
| following eight members: | ||
| (1) a member of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board; | ||
| (2) an advocate for foster care youth and child | ||
| welfare in the department region that includes Bexar County; | ||
| (3) a former foster child; | ||
| (4) a foster care provider; | ||
| (5) a member of an organization that provides mental | ||
| health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services in | ||
| Bexar County; | ||
| (6) a member of a research and advocacy organization | ||
| on children's issues, including abuse and neglect, basic needs, | ||
| early care and education, and health care; | ||
| (7) a member of an organization that provides a home to | ||
| children who have suffered abuse or neglect and counseling for | ||
| families in crisis; and | ||
| (8) a member of an organization that provides | ||
| court-appointed special advocates for abused or neglected | ||
| children. | ||
| (b) Members of the advocates advisory council must be | ||
| residents of or maintain full-time employment in Bexar County. | ||
| (c) The presiding officer of the Bexar County Judges | ||
| Advisory Council shall appoint the members of the Bexar County | ||
| Advocates Advisory Council on consideration of recommendations | ||
| made by advocates for foster care youth and child welfare in the | ||
| department region that includes Bexar County. | ||
| Sec. 40.124. MEETINGS. (a) The Bexar County Judges | ||
| Advisory Council shall meet quarterly at the call of the presiding | ||
| officer. | ||
| (b) The Bexar County Advocates Advisory Council shall meet | ||
| quarterly with the judges on the Bexar County Judges Advisory | ||
| Council. The purpose of the quarterly meetings is to provide the | ||
| child protective services advocates in the department region that | ||
| includes Bexar County the opportunity to bring to the attention of | ||
| the judges on the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council any | ||
| concerns, questions, and recommendations the advocates have | ||
| regarding the department's policies and procedures that impact | ||
| foster care youth or foster care providers or other child | ||
| protective service providers in the department region that includes | ||
| Bexar County. | ||
| (c) The quarterly meeting between the judges on the Bexar | ||
| County Judges Advisory Council and the Bexar County Advocates | ||
| Advisory Council must occur not more than 21 days or less than 14 | ||
| days before the date of the next quarterly meeting of the Bexar | ||
| County Judges Advisory Council. | ||
| (d) The Bexar County Advocates Advisory Council must submit | ||
| any concerns, questions, and recommendations it presented to the | ||
| judges at the meeting described by Subsection (b) in writing not | ||
| later than the seventh day before the date of the next quarterly | ||
| meeting of the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council. | ||
| (e) The judges on the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council | ||
| shall present the judges' questions, concerns, and recommendations | ||
| and those of the Bexar County Advocates Advisory Council in writing | ||
| to the other members of the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council at | ||
| the judges advisory council's next quarterly meeting. | ||
| (f) The presiding officer of the Bexar County Judges | ||
| Advisory Council shall coordinate and facilitate all quarterly | ||
| meetings under this section. The department shall designate a | ||
| staff person to serve as the liaison to the Bexar County Child | ||
| Protective Services Advisory Council to assist in scheduling the | ||
| quarterly meetings. | ||
| (g) The members of the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council | ||
| shall attend the quarterly meetings of the judges advisory council. | ||
| Judges serving on the judges advisory council shall also attend the | ||
| quarterly meetings with the advocates advisory council. | ||
| (h) The members of the Bexar County Advocates Advisory | ||
| Council shall attend each quarterly meeting of the advocates | ||
| advisory council. A member of the Bexar County Advocates Advisory | ||
| Council who fails to attend a quarterly meeting of the advocates | ||
| advisory council is considered to have resigned the member's | ||
| position on the council effective on the date of the meeting unless | ||
| the member receives prior approval for the member's absence from | ||
| the presiding officer of the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council. | ||
| A vacancy created by a resignation under this subsection shall be | ||
| filled as provided by Section 40.123. | ||
| Sec. 40.125. DEPARTMENT'S DUTIES. (a) The department | ||
| employees who serve on the Bexar County Judges Advisory Council | ||
| shall report the issues, concerns, and recommendations of the | ||
| council to the department personnel who have authority to consider | ||
| the issues, concerns, and recommendations and determine whether any | ||
| change in department policy or practice is necessary to effectively | ||
| address those issues, concerns, or recommendations. | ||
| (b) The department shall consider the issues, concerns, and | ||
| recommendations presented to the department by the Bexar County | ||
| Judges Advisory Council and respond to those issues, concerns, and | ||
| recommendations not later than the 30th day after the date the | ||
| issue, concern, or recommendation is raised in a quarterly meeting | ||
| of the council. The department's written response must include the | ||
| department's rationale for its policies and for any action the | ||
| department takes or does not take in response to the council's | ||
| issues, concerns, and recommendations. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2011, the judge with | ||
| supervisory authority over the courts in Bexar County having | ||
| jurisdiction over child abuse and neglect cases and proceedings | ||
| shall call the first meeting of the Bexar County Judges Advisory | ||
| Council. The Bexar County Judges Advisory Council members shall | ||
| elect a presiding officer at the first meeting. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | ||
