By McDonald H.B. No. 1210
74R3890 MJW-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the Child Abuse Program Evaluation Committee.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 772.007, Government Code, is transferred
1-5 to the Family Code, redesignated as Subchapter E, Chapter 34, and
1-6 amended to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER E. CHILD ABUSE PROGRAM EVALUATION
1-8 Sec. 34.701 <772.007>. <GOVERNOR'S> CHILD ABUSE PROGRAM
1-9 EVALUATION COMMITTEE. (a) The Child Abuse Program Evaluation
1-10 Committee is established within the Department of Protective and
1-11 Regulatory Services <office of the governor>.
1-12 (b) The committee is appointed by the Board of Protective
1-13 and Regulatory Services <governor with the advice and consent of
1-14 the senate> and is composed of the following 15 members:
1-15 (1) an officer or employee of the Central Education
1-16 Agency;
1-17 (2) an officer or employee of the <Texas> Department
1-18 of Protective and Regulatory <Human> Services;
1-19 (3) an officer or employee of the Texas Juvenile
1-20 Probation Commission;
1-21 (4) an officer or employee of the Texas Department of
1-22 Mental Health and Mental Retardation;
1-23 (5) an officer or employee <a member> of the
1-24 Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council <on Child Abuse and Neglect
2-1 Prevention>;
2-2 (6) an officer or employee <a member> of the Health
2-3 and Human Services Commission <commission>;
2-4 (7) three members of the public who have knowledge of
2-5 and experience in the area of delivery of services relating to
2-6 child abuse and neglect;
2-7 (8) three members of the public who have knowledge of
2-8 and experience in the area of evaluation of programs relating to
2-9 the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect; and
2-10 (9) three members of the public who are or have been
2-11 recipients of services relating to the prevention or treatment of
2-12 child abuse or neglect.
2-13 (c) A committee member appointed to represent a state agency
2-14 or entity <council> serves at the pleasure of the board <governor>
2-15 or until termination of the person's employment or membership with
2-16 the agency or entity <council>. The public members serve staggered
2-17 six-year terms, with the terms of three public members expiring on
2-18 September <February> 1 of each even-numbered <odd-numbered> year.
2-19 (d) A member of the committee serves without compensation.
2-20 A public member is entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses
2-21 and per diem as provided by the General Appropriations Act.
2-22 (e) The committee shall elect from its members a presiding
2-23 officer and any other officers considered necessary.
2-24 (f) Appointments to the committee shall be made without
2-25 regard to the race, color, handicap, sex, religion, age, or
2-26 national origin of an appointee.
2-27 (g) The committee shall:
3-1 (1) develop and adopt policies and procedures
3-2 governing the system each state agency uses to evaluate the
3-3 effectiveness of programs to prevent or treat child abuse or
3-4 neglect with which the agency contracts;
3-5 (2) develop and adopt standard definitions of "child
3-6 abuse treatment" and "child abuse prevention" to be used in
3-7 implementing and administering the evaluation system created under
3-8 this subchapter <section>;
3-9 (3) develop and adopt standard models and guidelines
3-10 for prevention and treatment of child abuse to be used in
3-11 implementing and administering the evaluation system created under
3-12 this subchapter;
3-13 (4) develop and adopt, in cooperation with each
3-14 affected state agency, a schedule for each agency's adoption and
3-15 implementation of the committee's evaluation system that considers
3-16 each agency's budget cycle;
3-17 (5) <(4)> develop and adopt a standard report form and
3-18 a reporting schedule for the affected agencies;
3-19 (6) <(5)> develop and adopt objective criteria by
3-20 which the performance of child abuse programs may be measured after
3-21 reports under this subchapter <section> are submitted and
3-22 evaluated; and
3-23 (7) <(6)> report annually to the Board of Protective
3-24 and Regulatory Services <Governor's Interagency Council on Health
3-25 and Human Services>, governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of
3-26 the house of representatives on the results of the committee's
3-27 evaluation process.
4-1 (h) In adopting an evaluation system under this subchapter
4-2 <section>, the committee shall allow the affected agencies as much
4-3 latitude as possible in:
4-4 (1) the methods used to collect the required data; and
4-5 (2) the timetable for full implementation of the
4-6 system, allowing for gradual implementation of the system according
4-7 to classes of program providers.
4-8 (i) Each agency that contracts with a public or private
4-9 entity for services relating to a program for the prevention or
4-10 treatment of child abuse or neglect shall adopt and implement the
4-11 committee's evaluation system and shall report to the committee as
4-12 required by this subchapter <section>.
4-13 SECTION 2. (a) Not later than January 1, 1996, the Board of
4-14 Protective and Regulatory Services shall make appointments to the
4-15 Child Abuse Program Evaluation Committee that are necessary to
4-16 accomplish the change in the committee's composition required by
4-17 Section 1 of this Act. A public member of the committee serving on
4-18 the effective date of this Act shall serve the remainder of the
4-19 member's appointed term.
4-20 (b) The term of a public member of the Child Abuse Program
4-21 Evaluation Committee whose term before the enactment of this Act
4-22 was to expire on February 1, 1997, shall expire on September 1,
4-23 1996.
4-24 (c) The term of a public member of the Child Abuse Program
4-25 Evaluation Committee whose term before the enactment of this Act
4-26 was to expire on February 1, 1999, shall expire on September 1,
4-27 1998.
5-1 (d) The term of a public member of the Child Abuse Program
5-2 Evaluation Committee whose term before the enactment of this Act
5-3 was to expire on February 1, 2001, shall expire on September 1,
5-4 2000.
5-5 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
5-6 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
5-7 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-8 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-9 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-10 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.