| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the child fatality review team committee. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subsections (b) and (c), Section 264.502, Family |
|
|
Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) The members of the committee who serve under Subsections |
|
|
(a)(1) through (3) shall select the following additional committee |
|
|
members: |
|
|
(1) a criminal prosecutor involved in prosecuting |
|
|
crimes against children; |
|
|
(2) a sheriff; |
|
|
(3) a justice of the peace; |
|
|
(4) a medical examiner; |
|
|
(5) a police chief; |
|
|
(6) a pediatrician experienced in diagnosing and |
|
|
treating child abuse and neglect; |
|
|
(7) a child educator; |
|
|
(8) a child mental health provider; |
|
|
(9) a public health professional; |
|
|
(10) a child protective services specialist; |
|
|
(11) a sudden infant death syndrome family service |
|
|
provider; |
|
|
(12) a neonatologist; |
|
|
(13) a child advocate; |
|
|
(14) a chief juvenile probation officer; |
|
|
(15) a child abuse prevention specialist; |
|
|
(16) a representative of the Department of Public |
|
|
Safety; [and] |
|
|
(17) a representative of the Texas Department of |
|
|
Transportation; |
|
|
(18) an emergency medical services provider; and |
|
|
(19) a provider of services to, or an advocate for, |
|
|
victims of family violence. |
|
|
(c) Members of the committee selected under Subsection (b) |
|
|
serve three-year terms with the terms of [five or] six or seven |
|
|
members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subsection (f), Section 264.503, Family Code, is |
|
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(f) [The committee shall issue a report for each preventable
|
|
|
child death.
The report must include findings related to the
|
|
|
child's death, recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths,
|
|
|
and details surrounding the department's involvement with the child
|
|
|
prior to the child's death.] Not later than April 1 of each |
|
|
even-numbered year, the committee shall 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 on child |
|
|
protective services operations based on input from the child safety |
|
|
review subcommittee. The committee shall [compilation of the
|
|
|
reports published under this subsection during the year,] submit a |
|
|
copy of the report [compilation] to the governor, lieutenant |
|
|
governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Department of |
|
|
State Health Services, and department[,] and make the report |
|
|
[compilation] available to the public. Not later than October 1 of |
|
|
each even-numbered year, the department shall submit a written |
|
|
response to [on] the committee's recommendations [compilation from
|
|
|
the previous year] to the committee, governor, lieutenant governor, |
|
|
[and] speaker of the house of representatives, and Department of |
|
|
State Health Services describing which of the committee's |
|
|
recommendations regarding the operation of the child protective |
|
|
services system the department will implement and the methods of |
|
|
implementation. |
|
|
SECTION 3. The members of the child fatality review team |
|
|
committee under Subsection (a), Section 264.502, Family Code, |
|
|
responsible for selecting the additional members of the committee |
|
|
required by Subsection (b), Section 264.502, Family Code, as |
|
|
amended by this Act, shall make those appointments not later than |
|
|
November 1, 2013. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |