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 * * * * *