Amend CSHB 39 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ____. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 531.0481 to read as follows:
Sec. 531.0481. CASELOAD LIMIT GOALS FOR CERTAIN CASEWORKERS. Notwithstanding Section 531.048(d) and to the extent appropriated money is available for the purpose, the commission or Department of Family and Protective Services, as appropriate, shall work toward ensuring that the average caseload for the following categories of caseworkers does not exceed the number specified by this section:
(1) for caseworkers conducting child protective services investigations, an average of 15 cases at any time;
(2) for child protective services caseworkers providing family-based safety services, an average of 10 cases at any time;
(3) for child protective services caseworkers providing services through conservatorship programs, an average of 20 cases at any time;
(4) for child protective services caseworkers providing services through foster and adoption programs, an average of 20 cases at any time;
(5) for child-care licensing inspectors, an average caseload of 64 nonresidential child-care facilities or registered family homes at any time;
(6) for child-care licensing day-care investigators, an average caseload of 17 investigations at any time; and
(7) for adult protective services specialists providing adult protective services through in-home programs, an average of 22 cases at any time.
SECTION ____. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code, is amended by adding Section 40.073 to read as follows:
Sec. 40.073. ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION HOTLINE: CALL PROCESSING GOALS. (a) With respect to the hotline maintained by the department for purposes of receiving reports under Section 261.103, Family Code, and Section 48.051, to the extent appropriated money is available for the purpose, the department shall work toward ensuring that:
(1) the average hold time for calls to the hotline does not exceed five minutes; and
(2) the call abandonment rate for each state fiscal year does not exceed 25 percent.
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall adopt the methodology to be used to calculate the call abandonment rate referred to in Subsection (a)(2).
SECTION ____. Not later than December 1, 2018:
(1) the Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly submit a report to the standing committees of the senate and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over those state agencies regarding the agencies' progress in achieving the caseload limit goals described in Section 531.0481, Government Code, as added by this Act; and
(2) the Department of Family and Protective Services shall submit a report to the committees described in Subdivision (1) of this section regarding the department's progress in achieving the call processing goals described in Section 40.073, Human Resources Code, as added by this Act.