BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 1542 |
By: Price |
Human Services |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties note that building high quality foster care capacity that best meets the needs of children in the state's foster care system remains a high priority. The parties further note that traditional foster homes and general residential operations operating as cottage homes are vital parts of the continuum of care for children in Texas and should be classified as the least restrictive setting when being considered as the potential placement site for certain children under the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services. C.S.H.B. 1542 seeks to provide for that classification.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 1542 amends the Family Code to require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), in selecting a foster care placement for a child, to consider whether the placement is in the child's best interests. The bill requires DFPS, in determining whether a placement is in a child's best interests, to consider whether the placement is the least restrictive setting for the child; is the closest in geographic proximity to the child's home; is the most able to meet the identified needs of the child; and satisfies any expressed interests of the child relating to placement, when developmentally appropriate. The bill specifies that, if a suitable relative or other designated caregiver is not available, placing the child in a foster home or a general residential operation operating as a cottage home is considered the least restrictive setting and defines "least restrictive setting" as a placement for a child that, in comparison to all other available placements, is the most family-like setting.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2017.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 1542 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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