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Senate Bill 939 |
Senate Author: Watson |
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Effective: 6-19-09 |
House Sponsor: Hughes |
Senate Bill 939 amends provisions of the Education Code and Family Code relating to benefits and services for children in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). The bill requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and DFPS not later than January 1, 2010, to enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding the exchange of information as appropriate to facilitate DFPS's evaluation of educational outcomes of students in foster care and authorizes TEA, under the authority of DFPS, to provide student demographic information to education research centers for additional analysis regarding the educational outcomes of those students. The bill changes the conditions under which a student is exempt from payment of tuition and fees at an institution of higher education relating to the student's dates under DFPS conservatorship and date of undergraduate enrollment at such an institution. The bill authorizes the expansion of the membership of review teams established by DFPS to evaluate casework and decision-making related to investigations of child abuse or neglect and changes member qualifications.
Senate Bill 939 specifies the goals that a DFPS permanency plan for a child under its temporary managing conservatorship may include and requires such plan to include concurrent permanency goals consisting of a primary permanency goal and at least one alternative permanency goal. The bill expands court oversight of DFPS conservatorship of a child by requiring additional information and determinations to be included in DFPS's placement review report and the court's placement review hearing, respectively, and establishes a deadline by which a court is required to conduct the initial placement review hearing following a final order that terminates a parent's parental rights.