Bill Text: TX SB66 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Relating to studying the causes of and making recommendations for reducing child fatalities, including fatalities from the abuse and neglect of children.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)

Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective on 9/1/13 [SB66 Detail]

Download: Texas-2013-SB66-Enrolled.html

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S.B. No. 66

AN ACT
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; [and]
(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 [five or] six or seven
members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year.
SECTION 2. Subsection (f), Section 264.503, Family Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(f) [The committee shall issue a report for each preventable
child death. The report must include findings related to the
child's death, recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths,
and details surrounding the department's involvement with the child
prior to the child's death.] Not later than April 1 of each
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 [compilation of the
reports published under this subsection during the year,] submit a
copy of the report [compilation] to the governor, lieutenant
governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Department of
State Health Services, and department[,] and make the report
[compilation] available to the public. Not later than October 1 of
each even-numbered year, the department shall submit a written
response to [on] the committee's recommendations [compilation from
the previous year] to the committee, governor, lieutenant governor,
[and] speaker of the house of representatives, and Department of
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