By Cuellar of Webb                                    H.B. No. 1003
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to provisions governing a comprehensive assessment of a
    1-3  juvenile offender when the offender first is referred to the
    1-4  juvenile court.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Section 53.01, Family Code, is amended by adding
    1-7  subsection (d) to read as follows:
    1-8        (d)  If the intake officer, probation officer, or other
    1-9  person authorized by the court determines that the child referred
   1-10  to juvenile court is a child within the meaning of this title, that
   1-11  there is probable cause to believe that the child engaged in
   1-12  delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision,
   1-13  and that further proceedings in the case are in the interest of the
   1-14  child or the public, the office or official designated by the
   1-15  juvenile court shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the
   1-16  child, a copy of which shall be transferred to the juvenile court.
   1-17  The comprehensive assessment shall include information relevant to
   1-18  the child's physical, emotional, and educational needs and history
   1-19  and shall contain a recommendation regarding whether the child
   1-20  needs social services, in addition to sanctions imposed by the
   1-21  court.  In preparing the comprehensive assessment, the office or
   1-22  official designated by the juvenile court shall consider all
   1-23  relevant information regarding the child, which shall include, but
    2-1  not be limited to, written reports from probation officers,
    2-2  professional court employees, or professional consultants.
    2-3        SECTION 2.  SEVERABILITY.  If any section, sentence, clause,
    2-4  or part of this Act shall, for any reason, by held invalid, such
    2-5  invalidity shall not affect the remaining portions of the Act, and
    2-6  it is hereby declared to be the intention of this legislature to
    2-7  have passed each section, sentence, clause, or part irrespective of
    2-8  the fact that any other section, sentence, clause, or part may be
    2-9  declared invalid.
   2-10        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect on September 1, 1995.
   2-11        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-12  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-13  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-14  constitutional rule requiring bill to be read on three several days
   2-15  in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.