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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to employee caseload limit goals for child and adult |
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protective services and child-care licensing services and call |
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processing goals for certain of those services. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 531.0481 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 531.0481. CASELOAD LIMIT GOALS FOR CERTAIN |
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CASEWORKERS. Notwithstanding Section 531.048(d) and to the extent |
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appropriated money is available for the purpose, the commission or |
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Department of Family and Protective Services, as appropriate, shall |
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work toward ensuring that the average caseload for the following |
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categories of caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by |
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this section: |
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(1) for caseworkers conducting child protective |
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services investigations, an average of 15 cases at any time; |
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(2) for child protective services caseworkers |
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providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 cases at |
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any time; |
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(3) for child protective services caseworkers |
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providing services through conservatorship programs, an average of |
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20 cases at any time; |
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(4) for child protective services caseworkers |
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providing services through foster and adoption programs, an average |
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of 20 cases at any time; |
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(5) for child-care licensing inspectors, an average |
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caseload of 64 nonresidential child-care facilities or registered |
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family homes at any time; |
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(6) for child-care licensing day-care investigators, |
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an average caseload of 17 investigations at any time; and |
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(7) for adult protective services specialists |
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providing adult protective services through in-home programs, an |
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average of 22 cases at any time. |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, |
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is amended by adding Section 40.073 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 40.073. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE: |
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CALL PROCESSING GOALS. (a) With respect to the hotline maintained |
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by the department for purposes of receiving reports under Section |
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261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the extent |
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appropriated money is available for the purpose, the department |
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shall work toward ensuring that: |
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(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does |
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not exceed five minutes; and |
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(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal |
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year does not exceed 25 percent. |
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(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the |
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methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate |
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referred to in Subsection (a)(2). |
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SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2024: |
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(1) the Health and Human Services Commission and the |
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Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly submit a |
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report to the standing committees of the senate and house of |
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representatives having primary jurisdiction over those state |
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agencies regarding the agencies' progress in achieving the caseload |
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limit goals described in Section 531.0481, Government Code, as |
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added by this Act; and |
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(2) the Department of Family and Protective Services |
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shall submit a report to the committees described in Subdivision |
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(1) of this section regarding the department's progress in |
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achieving the call processing goals described in Section 40.073, |
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Human Resources Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |