CN H.B. 1928 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS JUVENILE JUSTICE & FAMILY ISSUES H.B. 1928 By: McClendon 4-4-97 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND Throughout Texas, local juvenile boards operate or contract for the operation of juvenile preadjudication and post-adjudication secure detention and correctional facilities. Section 51.12 of the Texas Family Code requires that the juvenile court judges and juvenile board members inspect these facilities annually and certify them as suitable for the detention of children. To be eligible to receive state funding from the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC), counties must comply with TJPC standards for these types of facilities. TJPC standards are used by every juvenile board that currently operates such a facility, with American Correctional Association (ACA) standards being additionally utilized in about five counties. PURPOSE The purpose of this bill is to require all juvenile court judges and juvenile board members to certify their juvenile facilities based upon the minimum professional standards. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Section 51.12, Family Code, is amended to require that all juvenile court judges and juvenile board members certify their juvenile pre-adjudication and post-adjudication secure detention and correctional facilities in accordance with the minimum professional standards. This section further provides that such facilities must register annually with TJPC. SECTION 2. Effective Date. SECTION 3. Emergency Clause. CJ H.B. 1928 75(R) EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENT The amendment restores current law in TFC Sec. 51.12(c)2 where standards promulgated by the American Correctional Association may be used and strikes "adopted by commission" from (i)2 relating to the adherence of a facility to minimum standards.