1-1  By:  Harris                                           S.C.R. No. 20
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed January 16, 1995; January 19, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Finance;
    1-4  April 3, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 12,
    1-5  Nays 0; April 3, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-6                     SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-7        WHEREAS, Services provided to at-risk youth and their
    1-8  families in Texas are fragmented among a number of agencies, which
    1-9  results in a lack of coordination and confusion about inconsistent
   1-10  and overlapping responsibilities; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, Fifteen state agencies, each with independent
   1-12  boards, serve children and families; in addition to those under the
   1-13  purview of the Health and Human Services Commission, the Central
   1-14  Education Agency, the Texas Youth Commission, the Children's Trust
   1-15  Fund of Texas Council, and the Communities in Schools program also
   1-16  serve children; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, The majority of services available currently focus
   1-18  on crisis intervention rather than prevention or early
   1-19  intervention;  rather than prioritizing services in a manner that
   1-20  would support families and build on their strengths, the state
   1-21  tends to intervene in the most expensive and intensive manner; and
   1-22        WHEREAS, The creation of a single agency dedicated to
   1-23  providing children and their families with all needed services at a
   1-24  centralized location would ensure the consistent and coordinated
   1-25  application of resources;  at-risk youths and their families could
   1-26  be identified at an earlier stage and referred to the appropriate
   1-27  department within the agency for services; and
   1-28        WHEREAS, State policymakers in Texas have long recognized
   1-29  that people with complex problems are often poorly served by a
   1-30  fragmented social service system, and it is imperative that the
   1-31  state improve the coordination  and delivery of children's
   1-32  services; now, therefore, be it
   1-33        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   1-34  hereby request the comptroller of public accounts to conduct a
   1-35  performance review to determine if state agencies that provide
   1-36  services to children should be combined or overseen by a single
   1-37  board or agency; and, be it further
   1-38        RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
   1-39  copy of this resolution to the comptroller of public accounts.
   1-40                               * * * * *