By Wise                                         H.B. No. 1914

      75R5633 SAW-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the powers and duties of the Children's Trust Fund of

 1-3     Texas Council.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 74, Human Resources Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Section 74.004 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 74.004.  EARLY PARENTING SKILLS PROGRAMS.  (a)  Subject

 1-8     to the availability of funds, the council shall provide grants for

 1-9     voluntary, community-based, early parenting skills programs in at

1-10     least three different geographic areas of this state.

1-11           (b)  To be eligible for a grant, an early parenting skills

1-12     program must serve expectant parents and families with one or more

1-13     children three years of age or younger.

1-14           (c)  The programs may:

1-15                 (1)  educate expectant parents and parents about the

1-16     physical, mental, and emotional development of children and about

1-17     how to promote children's learning and development;

1-18                 (2)  sponsor shared learning experiences for parents

1-19     and children;

1-20                 (3)  screen children for physical, mental, emotional,

1-21     or behavioral problems that may cause learning problems;

1-22                 (4)  purchase educational materials that expectant

1-23     parents and parents may borrow for home use;

1-24                 (5)  provide group emotional support, including support

 2-1     for parents under stress;

 2-2                 (6)  emphasize participation in the program by fathers;

 2-3     and

 2-4                 (7)  use a sliding fee scale.

 2-5           (d)  The council shall review the programs periodically to

 2-6     ensure that program instruction and materials are not racially,

 2-7     culturally, or sexually biased.

 2-8           (e)  The funded programs shall cooperate with schools and

 2-9     other social services programs to avoid duplication of services.

2-10           SECTION 2.  (a)  The Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council

2-11     shall prepare a report on the extent to which training on child

2-12     abuse and neglect is provided in this state.

2-13           (b)  The report shall include information on the following:

2-14                 (1)  training available to professionals who provide

2-15     services to or have frequent contact with children, including:

2-16                       (A)  police officers, prosecutors, and other law

2-17     enforcement personnel;

2-18                       (B)  judges;

2-19                       (C)  social services workers;

2-20                       (D)  day care providers;

2-21                       (E)  educators; and

2-22                       (F)  health care providers, including mental

2-23     health care providers;

2-24                 (2)  training available to the general public;

2-25                 (3)  training available on the following topics:

2-26                       (A)  child abuse and neglect;

2-27                       (B)  sexual victimization of children;

 3-1                       (C)  missing children;

 3-2                       (D)  parenting skills; and

 3-3                       (E)  child witnesses;

 3-4                 (4)  pre-service and in-service training; and

 3-5                 (5)  joint training by professionals working in

 3-6     different fields.

 3-7           (c)  Not later than December 1, 1998, the council shall

 3-8     submit the report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the

 3-9     speaker of the house of representatives.  On request, the council

3-10     shall provide the report to any member of the legislature.

3-11           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

3-12           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.