By Harris                                        S.B. No. 794

      75R3401 MCK-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to certain state agencies to use of assessment centers and

 1-3     developing standards and licensing procedures for assessment

 1-4     centers.

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

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,

 1-7     is amended by adding Sections 40.066 and 40.067 to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 40.066.  ASSESSMENT CENTER LICENSE.  (a)  The department

 1-9     by rule shall create an assessment center licensing program under

1-10     which an emergency shelter may perform assessments of the placement

1-11     needs of children who need substitute care.

1-12           (b)  An emergency shelter licensed under this section is not

1-13     required to also be licensed under Chapter 42.

1-14           (c)  An emergency shelter may not act as an assessment center

1-15     unless it has been licensed by the department as an assessment

1-16     center.

1-17           Sec. 40.067.  USE OF ASSESSMENT CENTER.  Before placing a

1-18     child in substitute care, the department, the Texas Juvenile

1-19     Probation Commission, or the Texas Department of Mental Health and

1-20     Mental Retardation shall use an assessment center to determine the

1-21     appropriate substitute care services for the child.

1-22           SECTION 2.  Representatives of the Health and Human Services

1-23     Commission, the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services,

1-24     the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, and the Texas Department

 2-1     of Mental Health and Mental Retardation shall jointly develop

 2-2     common standards for evaluating assessment centers.  Before

 2-3     adopting the standards for evaluating assessment centers, the

 2-4     representatives shall consider the 1993 standards developed by the

 2-5     Department of Protective and Regulatory Services work group.

 2-6           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-11     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-12     passage, and it is so enacted.