| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to court-appointed volunteer advocates in certain suits |
|
|
affecting the parent-child relationship. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 264.601(2), Family Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(2) "Volunteer advocate program" means a |
|
|
volunteer-based, nonprofit program that: |
|
|
(A) provides advocacy services to abused or |
|
|
neglected children with the goal of obtaining a permanent placement |
|
|
for a child that is in the child's best interest; and |
|
|
(B) complies with recognized standards for |
|
|
volunteer advocate programs. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 264.602, Family Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (f) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(a) The statewide organization with which the attorney |
|
|
general contracts under Section 264.603 shall contract for services |
|
|
with eligible volunteer advocate programs to provide advocacy |
|
|
services to abused or neglected children [expand the existing
|
|
|
services of the programs]. |
|
|
(f) Expenses incurred by a volunteer advocate program to |
|
|
promote public awareness of the need for volunteer advocates or to |
|
|
explain the work performed by volunteer advocates are not |
|
|
considered administrative expenses for the purpose of Section |
|
|
264.603(b). |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 264.603(a), Family Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The attorney general shall contract with one statewide |
|
|
organization of individuals or groups of individuals who have |
|
|
expertise in the dynamics of child abuse and neglect and experience |
|
|
in operating volunteer advocate programs to provide training, |
|
|
technical assistance, and evaluation services for the benefit of |
|
|
local volunteer advocate programs. The contract shall: |
|
|
(1) include [require] measurable goals and objectives |
|
|
relating to the number of: |
|
|
(A) volunteer advocates in the program; and |
|
|
(B) children receiving services from the |
|
|
program; and |
|
|
(2) follow practices designed to ensure compliance |
|
|
with standards referenced in the contract [for expanding local
|
|
|
volunteer child advocate programs to areas of the state in which
|
|
|
those programs do not exist]. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 264.604(a), Family Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A person is eligible for a contract under Section |
|
|
264.602 only if the person is a public or private nonprofit entity |
|
|
that operates a volunteer advocate program that: |
|
|
(1) uses individuals appointed as volunteer advocates |
|
|
or guardians ad litem by the court to provide for the needs of |
|
|
abused or neglected children; |
|
|
(2) has provided court-appointed advocacy services |
|
|
for at least six months [two years]; |
|
|
(3) provides court-appointed advocacy services for at |
|
|
least 10 children each month; and |
|
|
(4) has demonstrated that the program has local |
|
|
judicial support. |
|
|
SECTION 5. The following provisions of the Family Code are |
|
|
repealed: |
|
|
(1) Section 264.602(c); and |
|
|
(2) Sections 264.607(b) and (c). |
|
|
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |