1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the coordination of child support collection and parent
1-3 location functions of certain state agencies.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 231, Family Code, is
1-6 amended by adding Section 231.011 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 231.011. COOPERATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF PROTECTIVE AND
1-8 REGULATORY SERVICES. (a) In this section, "department" means the
1-9 Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.
1-10 (b) To the extent possible, the Title IV-D agency shall:
1-11 (1) provide to the department access to all of the
1-12 Title IV-D agency's available child support locating resources;
1-13 (2) allow the department to use the Title IV-D
1-14 agency's child support enforcement system to track child support
1-15 payments and to have access to the agency's management reports that
1-16 show payments made;
1-17 (3) make reports on Title IV-E, Social Security Act
1-18 (42 U.S.C. Section 670 et seq.), foster care collections available
1-19 to the department in a timely manner; and
1-20 (4) work with the department to obtain child support
1-21 payments for protective services cases in which the department is
1-22 responsible for providing care for children under temporary and
1-23 final orders.
1-24 SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 231, Family Code, is
2-1 amended by adding Section 231.310 to read as follows:
2-2 Sec. 231.310. INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP. (a) The Title IV-D
2-3 agency shall establish a work group to facilitate the sharing of
2-4 data and resources to locate parents and relatives of children
2-5 served by the Title IV-D agency and other health and human services
2-6 agencies.
2-7 (b) The work group shall consist of representatives from the
2-8 Title IV-D agency, the Department of Protective and Regulatory
2-9 Services, the Texas Department of Human Services, the Texas
2-10 Department of Health, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas
2-11 Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rehabilitation Commission,
2-12 and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
2-13 (c) The commissioner of human services or the commissioner's
2-14 designee shall serve as the work group's presiding officer.
2-15 (d) The work group shall evaluate the procedures used by
2-16 each agency in the work group to locate parents and relatives of
2-17 children served by the agencies and develop a mechanism to ensure
2-18 that each agency in the work group, or any private contractor
2-19 performing location functions for an agency, is able to access
2-20 information in the database of each other agency without paying a
2-21 fee.
2-22 (e) The work group shall evaluate opportunities for using
2-23 outside contracting and coordinating efforts with other community
2-24 resources.
2-25 (f) To the extent possible, the Department of Protective and
2-26 Regulatory Services and the Title IV-D agency shall use outside
2-27 contractors and community resources to locate parents in child
3-1 protection and child support cases.
3-2 SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
3-3 amended by adding Section 264.208 to read as follows:
3-4 Sec. 264.208. LOCATION OF PARENTS. (a) The department shall
3-5 create a division staffed by personnel trained in locating parents
3-6 and relatives of children throughout the state.
3-7 (b) The department shall use outside contractors and
3-8 volunteer resources to the extent feasible to perform its
3-9 responsibilities under this section.
3-10 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-11 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3271 was passed by the House on April
16, 1999, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3271 was passed by the Senate on May
10, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor