1-1     By:  Wise (Senate Sponsor - Lucio)                    H.B. No. 1914

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 16, 1997;

 1-3     May 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health

 1-4     and Human Services; May 17, 1997, rereferred to Committee on

 1-5     Jurisprudence; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-6     vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 1; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to the powers and duties of the Children's Trust Fund of

1-10     Texas Council.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Chapter 74, Human Resources Code, is amended by

1-13     adding Section 74.004 to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 74.004.  EARLY PARENTING SKILLS PROGRAMS.  (a)  Subject

1-15     to the availability of funds, the council shall provide grants for

1-16     voluntary, community-based, early parenting skills programs in at

1-17     least three different geographic areas of this state.

1-18           (b)  To be eligible for a grant, an early parenting skills

1-19     program must serve expectant parents and families with one or more

1-20     children three years of age or younger.

1-21           (c)  The programs may:

1-22                 (1)  educate expectant parents and parents about the

1-23     physical, mental, and emotional development of children and about

1-24     how to promote children's learning and development;

1-25                 (2)  sponsor shared learning experiences for parents

1-26     and children;

1-27                 (3)  purchase educational materials that expectant

1-28     parents and parents may borrow for home use;

1-29                 (4)  provide group emotional support, including support

1-30     for parents under stress;

1-31                 (5)  emphasize participation in the program by fathers;

1-32     and

1-33                 (6)  use a sliding fee scale.

1-34           (d)  The council shall review the programs periodically to

1-35     ensure that program instruction and materials are not racially,

1-36     culturally, or sexually biased.

1-37           (e)  The funded programs shall cooperate with schools and

1-38     other social services programs to avoid duplication of services.

1-39           SECTION 2.  (a)  The Children's Trust Fund of Texas Council

1-40     shall prepare a report on the extent to which training on child

1-41     abuse and neglect is provided in this state.

1-42           (b)  The report shall include information on the following:

1-43                 (1)  training available to professionals who provide

1-44     services to or have frequent contact with children, including:

1-45                       (A)  police officers, prosecutors, and other law

1-46     enforcement personnel;

1-47                       (B)  judges;

1-48                       (C)  social services workers;

1-49                       (D)  day care providers;

1-50                       (E)  educators; and

1-51                       (F)  health care providers, including mental

1-52     health care providers;

1-53                 (2)  training available to the general public;

1-54                 (3)  training available on the following topics:

1-55                       (A)  child abuse and neglect;

1-56                       (B)  sexual victimization of children;

1-57                       (C)  missing children;

1-58                       (D)  parenting skills; and

1-59                       (E)  child witnesses;

1-60                 (4)  pre-service and in-service training; and

1-61                 (5)  joint training by professionals working in

1-62     different fields.

1-63           (c)  Not later than December 1, 1998, the council shall

1-64     submit the report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the

 2-1     speaker of the house of representatives.  On request, the council

 2-2     shall provide the report to any member of the legislature.

 2-3           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-4           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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