BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 66

By: Nelson

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

S.B. 66 adds an emergency medical services provider and a provider of services to, or advocate for, victims of family violence to the State Child Fatality Review Team Committee (committee); clarifies the committee's role; and changes the committee's reporting requirement from annual to biennial.

S.B. 66 amends current law relating to the child fatality review team committee.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 264.502(b) and (c), Family Code, as follows:

(b) Adds to the list of additional members of the child fatality review team committee (committee) selected by the members of the committee who serve under Subsections (a)(1) (relating to a person appointed by and representing the state registrar of vital statistics), (2) (relating to a person appointed by and representing the commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services), and (3) (relating to a person appointed by and representing the Title V director of the Department of State Health Services), an emergency medical services provider and a provider of services to, or advocate for, victims of family violence.

(c) Provides that members of the committee selected under Subsection (b) serve three-year terms with the terms of six or seven members, rather than five or six members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year.

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 264.503(f), Family Code, as follows:

(f) Requires the committee, not later than April 1 of each even-numbered year, to publish a report that contains aggregate child fatality data collected by local child fatality review teams, recommendations to prevent child fatalities and injuries, and recommendations to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) on child protective services operations based on input from the child safety review subcommittee.  Requires the committee to submit a copy of the report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and DFPS and make the report available to the public.  Requires DFPS, not later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, to submit a written response to the committee's recommendations to the committee, governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and DSHS describing which of the committee's recommendations regarding the operation of the child protective services system DFPS will implement and the methods of implementation. 

Deletes existing text requiring the committee to issue a report for each preventable child death.  Deletes existing text requiring the report to include findings related to the child'sdeath, recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths, and details surrounding DFPS's involvement with the child prior to the child's death.  Deletes existing text requiring the committee to publish, not later than April 1 of each year, a compilation of the reports published under this subsection during the year, submit a copy of the compilation to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and DFPS, and make the compilation available to the public.  Deletes existing text requiring DFPS's written response on the compilation from the previous year to be submitted not later than October 1 of each year. 

SECTION 3.  Requires the members of the committee under Section 264.502(a) (relating to the composition of the committee), Family Code, responsible for selecting the additional members of the committee required by Section 264.502(b), Family Code, as amended by this Act, to make those appointments not later than November 1, 2013.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.