BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2330

By: Dukes

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that youth in foster care are particularly vulnerable to becoming teenage parents due to their trauma history, instability, and inconsistent therapeutic services and supports. H.B. 2330 seeks to ensure that the state has information about youth in foster care who are parents or children of minor parents in foster care and that youth in foster care who are pregnant or parents receive appropriate information and specialized services.

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.

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.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 2330 amends the Family Code to require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to collect information on the number of children in DFPS managing conservatorship who are minor parents, information on the number of children in DFPS managing conservatorship who are also the children of such minor parents, and, with respect to each child who is a minor parent and each child of a minor parent in DFPS managing conservatorship, statistics regarding each child's age, ethnicity, type of substitute care placement, county of residence, and length of time in substitute care. The bill requires DFPS to prepare an annual report on the collected information and make the report available on the DFPS website. The bill prohibits the report from including any individually identifiable information regarding a minor parent or child who is the subject of information in the report. The bill requires DFPS at developmentally appropriate stages to provide to children in DFPS managing conservatorship who are pregnant or who are minor parents information on and support in providing safe environments for children, including information and support regarding safe sleeping arrangements, suggestions for childproofing potentially dangerous settings in a home, methods to cope with crying infants, selection of appropriate substitute caregivers, a child's early brain development, the importance of paternal involvement in a child's life, and the benefits of reading and talking to young children. The bill requires DFPS to provide parenting skills training and other services, including depression screening services, to children in DFPS managing conservatorship who are pregnant or minor parents and to appropriately recruit, prepare, train, and support individuals, including foster parents, substitute caregivers, and mentors, who work directly with children in DFPS managing conservatorship who are pregnant or minor parents to ensure the individuals provide the specialized care and support needed by those children.                                                        

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.