1-1     By:  Luna (Senate Sponsor - Gallegos)                 H.B. No. 3778
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 28, 1999;
 1-3     April 29, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on Human
 1-4     Services; May 6, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 6, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to coordination by the Department of Protective and
 1-9     Regulatory Services of investigation of reports of child abuse or
1-10     neglect.
1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12           SECTION 1.  Subchapter D, Chapter 261, Family Code, is
1-13     amended by adding Section 261.3125 to read as follows:
1-14           Sec. 261.3125.  INVESTIGATIONS COORDINATOR.  (a)  The
1-15     department shall employ in each region of the department for child
1-16     protective services at least one child protective services
1-17     investigations coordinator.  The job responsibilities of the
1-18     investigations coordinator must focus only on child abuse and
1-19     neglect investigation issues, including reports of child abuse
1-20     required by Section 261.101, to achieve a greater compliance with
1-21     that section, and on assessing and improving the effectiveness of
1-22     the department in providing for the protection of children in the
1-23     region.
1-24           (b)  The duties of a child protective services investigations
1-25     coordinator must include the duty to:
1-26                 (1)  conduct staff reviews and evaluations of cases
1-27     determined to involve a high risk to the health or safety of a
1-28     child, including cases of abuse reported under Section 261.101;
1-29                 (2)  monitor cases in which there have been multiple
1-30     referrals to the department of child abuse or neglect involving the
1-31     same family, child, or person alleged to have committed the abuse
1-32     or neglect; and
1-33                 (3)  approve decisions and assessments related to
1-34     investigations of cases of child abuse or neglect that involve a
1-35     high risk to the health or safety of a child.
1-36           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-37           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-38     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-39     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-40     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-41     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-42                                  * * * * *