1-1 By: Davila (Senate Sponsor - Ellis) H.B. No. 2485 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 17, 1993; 1-3 May 19, 1993, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-4 and Human Services; May 25, 1993, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 2; May 25, 1993, sent to printer.) 1-6 COMMITTEE VOTE 1-7 Yea Nay PNV Absent 1-8 Zaffirini x 1-9 Ellis x 1-10 Madla x 1-11 Moncrief x 1-12 Nelson x 1-13 Patterson x 1-14 Shelley x 1-15 Truan x 1-16 Wentworth x 1-17 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-18 AN ACT 1-19 relating to the establishment and powers and duties of a healthy 1-20 start pilot program modeled after the Hawaii healthy start program. 1-21 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-22 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is 1-23 amended by adding Chapter 45 to read as follows: 1-24 CHAPTER 45. HEALTHY START PILOT PROGRAM 1-25 SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1-26 Sec. 45.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: 1-27 (1) "Program" means the healthy start pilot program 1-28 established under this chapter. 1-29 (2) "Family support worker" means a person providing 1-30 home-based family support services. 1-31 (3) "Home-based family support services" means 1-32 services to provide pregnant women and new parents with information 1-33 and access to health care, social services, and related services 1-34 through home visits by workers trained in the Hawaii healthy start 1-35 model. 1-36 (4) "High risk" means at risk of child abuse or 1-37 neglect as determined by a valid and reliable assessment 1-38 instrument. 1-39 Sec. 45.002. HEALTHY START PILOT PROGRAM. (a) The 1-40 department shall establish a healthy start pilot program modeled 1-41 after the Hawaii healthy start program to provide services to 1-42 families and children during the prenatal through preschool years. 1-43 (b) The goal of the program is to prevent child abuse and 1-44 neglect. The program shall be designed to: 1-45 (1) promote optimal child development; 1-46 (2) improve family coping skills and functioning; and 1-47 (3) promote positive parenting skills and 1-48 intrafamilial interaction. 1-49 (c) The program shall provide: 1-50 (1) prenatal to preschool family and children's 1-51 services; 1-52 (2) home-based family support; and 1-53 (3) referral to community services. 1-54 SUBCHAPTER B. PRENATAL TO PRESCHOOL FAMILY 1-55 AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES 1-56 Sec. 45.021. PRENATAL TO PRESCHOOL FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S 1-57 SERVICES PILOT PROJECT. (a) As part of the program, the 1-58 department shall establish a prenatal to preschool family and 1-59 children's services pilot project. 1-60 (b) The pilot project must begin operation not later than 1-61 January 1, 1994. 1-62 (c) The project shall be administered by a grant recipient 1-63 selected under Section 45.026. 1-64 Sec. 45.022. HEALTH FACILITIES SCREENING. (a) The prenatal 1-65 to preschool family and children's services pilot project shall 1-66 provide systematic clinic-based or hospital-based screening for 1-67 high-risk families of newborns in selected counties. 1-68 (b) Health facility screening shall be accomplished by a 2-1 family support worker, who shall examine patient records for 2-2 evidence of child abuse or neglect risk indicators. 2-3 (c) A family support worker shall interview a mother who is 2-4 a member of a high-risk family identified under Subsection (b) to 2-5 encourage participation in the program. 2-6 Sec. 45.023. FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER. (a) The prenatal to 2-7 preschool family and children's services pilot project shall 2-8 provide home-based family support services to families who accept 2-9 the services under Section 45.022. 2-10 (b) The services provided under this section shall include 2-11 home visits by a family support worker to assess the needs of the 2-12 family and to refer the family to appropriate services. The family 2-13 support worker shall identify the specific needs of the family to 2-14 ensure that appropriate services are used and that the services are 2-15 used with the appropriate frequency. The family support worker 2-16 shall coordinate the use of these services. 2-17 (c) The family support worker shall assist participating 2-18 families in selecting a primary health care provider to promote 2-19 preventive health care and positive child development. The family 2-20 support worker shall: 2-21 (1) monitor the scheduling and completion of health 2-22 care visits and the availability of transportation for the visits; 2-23 (2) review the results of the visits; and 2-24 (3) coordinate future visits or referrals to necessary 2-25 services. 2-26 (d) The family support worker shall provide continuous 2-27 follow-up with the family until the child born at the time the 2-28 family was identified as a high-risk family under Section 45.022 2-29 reaches the age of five. 2-30 Sec. 45.024. TRAINING PROGRAMS. The prenatal to preschool 2-31 family and children's services pilot project shall provide a 2-32 structured training program modeled after the Hawaii healthy start 2-33 training program. The training program shall establish uniform 2-34 standards for delivery of services under this subchapter. 2-35 Sec. 45.025. INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT. The department may 2-36 enter into an interagency agreement with other state agencies to 2-37 facilitate coordination and increase the likelihood of healthy 2-38 outcomes for families at high risk for abuse or neglect. 2-39 Sec. 45.026. ADMINISTRATION OF PILOT PROJECT. The board 2-40 shall adopt rules governing the establishment of a grant to a child 2-41 abuse prevention organization for the development and 2-42 implementation of the prenatal to preschool family and children's 2-43 services pilot project. 2-44 Sec. 45.027. DUTIES OF GRANT RECIPIENT. The recipient of 2-45 the grant under Section 45.026 shall: 2-46 (1) implement the prenatal to preschool family and 2-47 children's services pilot project as required by this subchapter; 2-48 and 2-49 (2) use existing programs and services to implement 2-50 the project. 2-51 SUBCHAPTER C. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM 2-52 Sec. 45.051. TERMINATION OF PILOT PROJECT. The pilot 2-53 project established under this chapter terminates August 31, 1999. 2-54 Sec. 45.052. REPORT. (a) The department shall prepare a 2-55 written report on the effectiveness of the pilot project and shall 2-56 file a copy of this report with the governor and each house of the 2-57 legislature not later than February 1 of each odd-numbered year. 2-58 (b) The department shall conduct or arrange for an 2-59 independent evaluation of the project based on the Hawaii healthy 2-60 start program evaluation guidelines. The department shall make 2-61 recommendations on further implementation of the healthy start 2-62 program. 2-63 (c) This chapter expires September 1, 1999. 2-64 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-65 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-66 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-67 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-68 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-69 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-70 passage, and it is so enacted. 3-1 * * * * * 3-2 Austin, 3-3 Texas 3-4 May 25, 1993 3-5 Hon. Bob Bullock 3-6 President of the Senate 3-7 Sir: 3-8 We, your Committee on Health and Human Services to which was 3-9 referred H.B. No. 2485, have had the same under consideration, and 3-10 I am instructed to report it back to the Senate with the 3-11 recommendation that it do pass and be printed. 3-12 Zaffirini, 3-13 Chair 3-14 * * * * * 3-15 WITNESSES 3-16 FOR AGAINST ON 3-17 ___________________________________________________________________ 3-18 Name: Diana Davila x 3-19 Representing: Texas State Representative 3-20 City: Austin, Texas 3-21 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-22 Name: Boyd Graves x 3-23 Representing: TX Dept. of Human Services 3-24 City: Austin, Texas 3-25 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-26 Name: Winifred Conlon x 3-27 Representing: TX State Foster Parents 3-28 City: Austin, Texas 3-29 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-30 Name: Wendall Telton x 3-31 Representing: TX Coal. for Prev. of Chi. AB 3-32 City: Austin, Texas 3-33 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-34 Name: Rogene Gee Calvert x 3-35 Representing: Child Abuse Prevention Net. 3-36 City: Houston, Texas 3-37 -------------------------------------------------------------------