Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 1574 amends the Human Resources Code to designate the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services as the agency with primary responsibility for implementing and managing programs intended to provide early intervention or prevent at-risk behaviors that lead to child abuse, delinquency, running away, truancy, and dropping out of school.

            Senate Bill 1574 adds a chapter to the Family Code to require the department to provide services for children in at-risk situations and their families and to achieve the consolidation of prevention and early intervention services within a single agency. Services are to be provided through a new division called the prevention and early intervention services division that is directed to develop and administer a comprehensive and unified delivery system of prevention and early intervention services, to improve the responsiveness of services by facilitating greater coordination and flexibility in the use of funds by state and local service providers, to provide greater accountability for services, and to assist local communities in the coordination and development of services. The act includes provisions for the transfer of certain programs from certain agencies to the division.

            Senate Bill 1574 also transfers a chapter of the Labor Code to the Family Code relating to the communities in schools program, to be administered by the department, and amends provisions of that chapter relating to program administration and funding for the program, in addition to certain other requirements.