Bill Text: TX HB769 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the evaluation of potential foster parents and adoptive parents.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-02-22 - Referred to Human Services [HB769 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB769-Introduced.html
| By: Lozano | H.B. No. 769 | |
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| relating to the evaluation of potential foster parents and adoptive | ||
| parents. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code, | ||
| is amended by adding Section 42.064 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 42.064. PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION REQUIRED. (a) The | ||
| department or a licensed child-placing agency may not place a child | ||
| in a licensed or verified foster home, foster group home, agency | ||
| foster home, or agency foster group home unless the department or | ||
| licensed child-placing agency has performed a psychological | ||
| evaluation of the operator of the home to determine the operator's | ||
| personality and emotional characteristics and strengths and | ||
| weaknesses to: | ||
| (1) determine whether the operator: | ||
| (A) is psychologically fit and emotionally | ||
| prepared to be a foster care provider; or | ||
| (B) poses a danger or risk to children in foster | ||
| care; and | ||
| (2) appropriately match the foster care provider with | ||
| a child for whom the foster care provider is best able to provide a | ||
| safe, nurturing environment. | ||
| (b) The department or a licensed child placing agency may | ||
| not place a child in an adoptive home unless the department or | ||
| licensed child-placing agency has performed a psychological | ||
| evaluation of the potential adoptive parents in the manner provided | ||
| by Subsection (a) for evaluating foster care providers. | ||
| (c) The department shall evaluate available nationally | ||
| recognized psychological examination and evaluation tools to | ||
| determine the appropriate examination or evaluation tool for | ||
| purposes of this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 42.064, Human Resources Code, as added | ||
| by this Act, applies only to a child placed in a foster home or an | ||
| adoptive home on or after the effective date of this Act. A child | ||
| placed in a foster home or an adoptive home before the effective | ||
| date of this Act is governed by the law in effect at the time the | ||
| child was placed in the foster home or adoptive home, and the former | ||
| law is continued in effect for that purpose. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | ||
