By Maxey                                        H.B. No. 2052

      75R2889 SAW-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the release by a child-placing agency of background

 1-3     information about an agency home or group home to another

 1-4     child-placing agency.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,

 1-7     is amended by adding Section 42.0535 to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 42.0535.  REQUIRED INFORMATION FOR VERIFICATION.  (a)  A

 1-9     child-placing agency that seeks to verify an agency home or an

1-10     agency group home shall request background information about the

1-11     agency home or group home from a child-placing agency that has

1-12     previously verified that agency home or agency group home.

1-13           (b)  A child-placing agency that has verified an agency home

1-14     or an agency group home is required to release to another

1-15     child-placing agency background information requested under

1-16     Subsection (a).

1-17           (c)  A child-placing agency that releases background

1-18     information under this section is immune from civil and criminal

1-19     liability for the release of the information.

1-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-21     applies only to the release by a child-placing agency of background

1-22     information about an agency home or agency group home on or after

1-23     that date.  The release of background information before that date

1-24     is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the

 2-1     effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for

 2-2     that purpose.

 2-3           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.