| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the use of an Internet application to allow access by |
|
|
court-appointed volunteer advocates to child protective services |
|
|
case information. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 264, Family Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 264.614 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 264.614. INTERNET APPLICATION FOR CASE TRACKING AND |
|
|
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. (a) Subject to the availability of |
|
|
money as described by Subsection (c), the department shall develop |
|
|
an Internet application that allows a court-appointed volunteer |
|
|
advocate representing a child in the managing conservatorship of |
|
|
the department to access the child's case file through the |
|
|
department's automated case tracking and information management |
|
|
system and to add the volunteer advocate's findings and reports to |
|
|
the child's case file. |
|
|
(b) The court-appointed volunteer advocate shall maintain |
|
|
the confidentiality required by this chapter and department rule |
|
|
for the information accessed by the advocate through the system |
|
|
described by Subsection (a). |
|
|
(c) The department may not use money other than money |
|
|
received as a gift, grant, or donation to pay for the costs of |
|
|
developing and maintaining the Internet application required by |
|
|
Subsection (a). The department may solicit and accept gifts, |
|
|
grants, and donations of any kind and from any source for purposes |
|
|
of this section. |
|
|
(d) The executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
|
|
Services Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. (a) As soon as practicable after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act, the Department of Family and Protective Services |
|
|
shall solicit money and develop the Internet application as |
|
|
required by Section 264.614, Family Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
(b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this |
|
|
Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services |
|
|
Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement Section |
|
|
264.614, Family Code, as added by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |