Amend HB 700 (senate committee printing) as follows:

(1)  Strike the recital to SECTION 1 of the bill (page 1, lines 23 and 24) and substitute the following:

SECTION 1.  Section 264.121, Family Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a), (a-2), (a-6), (e-1), and (g) and adding Subsections (a-7) and (e-4) to read as follows:

(2)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 264.121, Family Code (page 1, between lines 24 and 25) insert the following:

(a)  The department shall address the unique challenges facing foster children in the conservatorship of the department who must transition to independent living by:

(1)  expanding efforts to improve transition planning and increasing the availability of transitional family group decision-making to all youth age 14 or older in the department's permanent managing conservatorship, including enrolling the youth in the Preparation for Adult Living Program before the age of 16;

(2)  coordinating with the commission to obtain authority, to the extent allowed by federal law, the state Medicaid plan, the Title IV-E state plan, and any waiver or amendment to either plan, necessary to:

(A)  extend foster care eligibility and transition services for youth up to age 21 and develop policy to permit eligible youth to return to foster care as necessary to achieve the goals of the Transitional Living Services Program; and

(B)  extend Medicaid coverage for foster care youth and former foster care youth up to age 21 with a single application at the time the youth leaves foster care; [and]

(3)  entering into cooperative agreements with the Texas Workforce Commission and local workforce development boards to further the objectives of the Preparation for Adult Living Program. The department, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the local workforce development boards shall ensure that services are prioritized and targeted to meet the needs of foster care and former foster care children and that such services will include, where feasible, referrals for short-term stays for youth needing housing;

(5)  documenting in the youth's case file any accommodations made under Subdivision (4).

(a-2)  The experiential life-skills training under Subsection (a-1) must include:

(1)  a financial literacy education program developed in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner and the State Securities Board that:

(A)  includes instruction on:

(i)  obtaining and interpreting a credit score;

(ii)  protecting, repairing, and improving a credit score;

(iii)  avoiding predatory lending practices;

(iv)  saving money and accomplishing financial goals through prudent financial management practices;

(v)  using basic banking and accounting skills, including balancing a checkbook;

(vi)  using debit and credit cards responsibly;

(vii)  understanding a paycheck and items withheld from a paycheck;

(viii)  understanding the time requirements and process for filing federal taxes;

(ix)  protecting financial, credit, and personally identifying information in personal and professional relationships and online;

(x)  forms of identity and credit theft; and

(xi)  using insurance to protect against the risk of financial loss; and

(B)  assists a youth who has a source of income to:

(i)  establish a savings plan and, if available, a savings account that the youth can independently manage; and

(ii)  prepare a monthly budget that includes the following expenses:

(a)  rent based on the monthly rent for an apartment advertised for lease during the preceding month;

(b)  utilities based on a reasonable utility bill in the area in which the youth resides;

(c)  telephone service based on a reasonable bill for telephone service in the area in which the youth resides;

(d)  Internet service based on a reasonable bill for Internet service in the area in which the youth resides; and

(e)  other reasonable monthly expenses; and

(2)  for youth who are 17 years of age or older, lessons related to:

(A)  insurance, including applying for and obtaining automobile insurance and residential property insurance, including tenants insurance; [and]

(B)  civic engagement, including the process for registering to vote, the places to vote, and resources for information regarding upcoming elections; and

(C)  the documents the youth is required to receive under Subsection (e-1) prior to being discharged from foster care and how those documents may be used.

(3)  In SECTION 1 of the bill, in amended Section 264.121, Family Code (page 1, between lines 42 and 43) insert the following:

(e-1)  If, at the time a youth is discharged from foster care, the youth is at least 18 years of age or has had the disabilities of minority removed, the department shall provide to the youth, not later than the 30th day before the date the youth is discharged from foster care, the following information and documents unless the youth already has the information or document:

(1)  the youth's birth certificate;

(2)  the youth's immunization records;

(3)  the information contained in the youth's health passport;

(4)  a personal identification certificate under Chapter 521, Transportation Code;

(5)  a social security card or a replacement social security card, if appropriate; and

(6)  a Medicaid card or other proof of the youth's enrollment in Medicaid or an insurance card from a health plan that provides health coverage to foster youth[, if appropriate].

(g)  For a youth taking prescription medication, the department shall ensure that the youth's transition plan includes provisions to assist the youth in managing the use of the medication and in managing the child's long-term physical and mental health needs after leaving foster care, including:

(1)  provisions that inform the youth about:

(A) [(1)]  the use of the medication;

(B) [(2)]  the resources that are available to assist the youth in managing the use of the medication; and

(C) [(3)]  informed consent and the provision of medical care in accordance with Section 266.010(l); and

(2)  for each youth who is 17 years of age or older and preparing to leave foster care, a program supervised by a health care professional to assist the youth with independently managing the youth's medication.

(4)  Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is amended by adding Section 264.1214 to read as follows: