| TO: | Honorable Jim McReynolds, Chair, House Committee on Corrections |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB539 by Raymond (Relating to a physical and mental examination of a child subject to the juvenile justice system.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Family Code, Section 51.20 to permit a juvenile court to order a youth who is initially detained in facilities operated by the Youth Commission (TYC), pre-adjudication secure detention facilities, and post-adjudication secure correctional facilities to be examined by a disinterested expert, including a physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist qualified by education and clinical training in mental health or mental retardation and experienced in forensic evaluation, to determine whether the child has a mental illness, is a person with mental retardation, or suffers from chemical dependency.
The Juvenile Probation Commission anticipates no significant fiscal impact as juvenile courts can already order chemical dependency evaluations for youth initially detained in the juvenile system. TYC reports no significant fiscal implications from the bill.
| Source Agencies: | 665 Juvenile Probation Commission, 694 Youth Commission
|
| LBB Staff: | JOB, ESi, GG, AI
|