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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to administrative review of investigations of reports of |
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child abuse or neglect. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 261.309, Family Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: |
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(c-1) Not later than the 15th day after the date the |
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department completes the investigation, the investigator, an |
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employee of the department providing family-based safety services, |
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or, if neither the investigator nor an employee providing |
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family-based safety services is available, any employee of the |
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department shall attempt to provide oral, in-person notice to the |
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person who is alleged to have abused or neglected a child that the |
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person has a right to request an administrative review under |
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Subsection (c). The department shall document the notice or |
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attempted notice in the investigation report described by Section |
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261.308. |
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SECTION 2. The Department of Family and Protective Services |
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shall adopt rules necessary to implement Section 261.309(c-1), |
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Family Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the |
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effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 3. Section 261.309(c-1), Family Code, as added by |
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this Act, applies only to an investigation completed on or after the |
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effective date of this Act. An investigation completed before the |
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effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the |
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date the investigation was completed, and the former law is |
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continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |