Bill Text: TX HB709 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a study conducted by Texas A&M University on services for children and families available in rural counties for children in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-20 - Referred to Human Services [HB709 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB709-Introduced.html
| 85R4478 GCB-D | ||
| By: Wu | H.B. No. 709 | |
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| relating to a study conducted by Texas A&M University on services | ||
| for children and families available in rural counties for children | ||
| in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and | ||
| Protective Services. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services | ||
| Commission. | ||
| (2) "Department" means the Department of Family and | ||
| Protective Services. | ||
| (3) "Rural county" means a county with a population of | ||
| less than 50,000. | ||
| (4) "Services for children and families" includes | ||
| mental health services, medical services, specialized medical | ||
| services, and child protective services. | ||
| (b) The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System | ||
| shall designate a department or entity at Texas A&M University to | ||
| conduct a study on services for children and families available to | ||
| be provided in rural counties to children in the managing | ||
| conservatorship of the department and to the parents of those | ||
| children. The study must: | ||
| (1) determine what types of services for children and | ||
| families are available to the children and parents in rural | ||
| counties; | ||
| (2) determine the number of clinics, physicians, and | ||
| other service providers that are available to provide services for | ||
| children and families to children and parents in rural counties; | ||
| (3) determine the number of clinics, offices of | ||
| physicians, and other providers of services for children and | ||
| families in rural counties that have closed in the preceding five | ||
| years; | ||
| (4) propose actions the commission and department can | ||
| take to address any shortage in the provision of services for | ||
| children and families to children and parents in rural counties, | ||
| including: | ||
| (A) the provision of services through | ||
| telemedicine medical services and telehealth services in rural | ||
| counties; | ||
| (B) partnerships between the commission or | ||
| department and institutions of higher education to provide services | ||
| in rural counties; and | ||
| (C) incentives offered by the commission or | ||
| department to service providers for providing services in rural | ||
| counties; and | ||
| (5) make recommendations to the legislature for | ||
| increasing the quality and quantity of services provided to the | ||
| children and parents in rural counties. | ||
| (c) The department or entity at Texas A&M University | ||
| designated by the board of regents to conduct the study shall | ||
| provide the study results and recommendations to the governor, | ||
| lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and | ||
| each member of the legislature not later than December 1, 2018. | ||
| (d) This section expires September 1, 2019. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
