SRC-CTC S.B. 962 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 962
2001S0550/1By: Moncrief
Health & Human Services
3/22/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the turnover rate for child protective services (CPS)
caseworkers in Dallas and Tarrant counties is 43 and 25 percent,
respectively.  Current caps on full-time employees prevents the training
academy from enrolling enough trainees to fill vacant positions since
trainees count toward the full-time employee cap, even though the trainees
do not actively work on cases.  As proposed, S.B. 962 creates a pilot
program in a region of the state with the highest percentage of unfilled
caseworker positions to temporarily increase the enrollment of CPS trainees
to twice the current limit to address the shortage of CPS workers.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a
state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  DEFINITIONS.  Defines "caseworker," "department," "pilot
project," "target region," and "target training academy." 

SECTION 2.  PILOT PROJECT.  Establishes a pilot project to aid target
regions in meeting their needs for caseworkers. 

SECTION 3.  DEPARTMENT DUTIES.  Requires the Department of Protective and
Regulatory Services (department), for the duration of the pilot project, to
perform certain tasks. 

SECTION 4.  DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.  Authorizes the department to
terminate the pilot project if the department determines that the number of
caseworkers serving the public in the target region equals or exceeds the
number of authorized caseworker positions as that number existed
immediately before the effective date of this Act. 

SECTION 5.  Effective date: September 1, 2001.