Bill Text: TX HB482 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relating to employee caseload limit goals for child and adult protective services and child-care licensing services and call processing goals for certain of those services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-04-26 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HB482 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HB482-Introduced.html

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85R2986 MM-F
By: Walle H.B. No. 482

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to employee caseload limit goals for child and adult
protective services and child-care licensing services and call
processing goals for certain of those services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 531.0481 to read as follows:
Sec. 531.0481. CASELOAD LIMIT GOALS FOR CERTAIN
CASEWORKERS. Notwithstanding Section 531.048(d) and to the extent
appropriated money is available for the purpose, the commission or
Department of Family and Protective Services, as appropriate, shall
work toward ensuring that the average caseload for the following
categories of caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by
this section:
(1) for caseworkers conducting child protective
services investigations, an average of 15 cases at any time;
(2) for child protective services caseworkers
providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 cases at
any time;
(3) for child protective services caseworkers
providing services through conservatorship programs, an average of
20 cases at any time;
(4) for child protective services caseworkers
providing services through foster and adoption programs, an average
of 20 cases at any time;
(5) for child-care licensing inspectors, an average
caseload of 64 nonresidential child-care facilities or registered
family homes at any time;
(6) for child-care licensing day-care investigators,
an average caseload of 17 investigations at any time; and
(7) for adult protective services specialists
providing adult protective services through in-home programs, an
average of 22 cases at any time.
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
is amended by adding Section 40.073 to read as follows:
Sec. 40.073. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE:
CALL PROCESSING GOALS. (a) With respect to the hotline maintained
by the department for purposes of receiving reports under Section
261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the extent
appropriated money is available for the purpose, the department
shall work toward ensuring that:
(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does
not exceed five minutes; and
(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal
year does not exceed 25 percent.
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the
methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate
referred to in Subsection (a)(2).
SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2018:
(1) the Health and Human Services Commission and the
Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly submit a
report to the standing committees of the senate and house of
representatives having primary jurisdiction over those state
agencies regarding the agencies' progress in achieving the caseload
limit goals described in Section 531.0481, Government Code, as
added by this Act; and
(2) the Department of Family and Protective Services
shall submit a report to the committees described in Subdivision
(1) of this section regarding the department's progress in
achieving the call processing goals described in Section 40.073,
Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.