87R12521 MCK-D
 
  By: Kolkhorst S.B. No. 1896
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the regulation of child-care facilities.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
  amended by adding Sections 264.1071 and 264.1073 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 264.1071.  OFFICE STAYS PROHIBITED. The department may
  not allow a child to stay overnight in a department office.
         Sec. 264.1073.  THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE. The department and
  single source continuum contractors shall:
               (1)  lessen employment restrictions to allow single
  parents to participate in therapeutic foster care, when quality
  care can be assured;
               (2)  expand the eligible age for therapeutic foster
  care to include children 10 years of age or older;
               (3)  prepare and plan for the subsequent placement not
  later than the 30th day after a child is placed in therapeutic
  foster care to assist in the transition to the least restrictive
  placement; and
               (4)  extend the length of time for a therapeutic foster
  care placement.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
  amended by adding Section 264.117 to read as follows:
         Sec. 264.117.  MENTORS FOR FOSTER CHILDREN. (a)  The
  department and each single source continuum contractor in this
  state, in collaboration with faith- and community-based
  organizations, shall examine the feasibility of designing a
  volunteer mentor and well-being monitor program for children in
  congregate care settings.
         (b)  Not later than December 31, 2022, the department shall
  report its findings and recommendations for establishing a mentor
  program to the legislature.
         (c)  This section expires September 1, 2023.
         SECTION 3.  (a) Section 264.1261, Family Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (b-1) and (b-2) to read as follows:
         (b-1)  Notwithstanding Section 264.0011, the Health and
  Human Services Commission in collaboration with the department, and
  each single source continuum contractor in this state, shall
  develop a plan to increase the placement capacity in each catchment
  area of the state with the goal of eliminating the need to place a
  child outside of the child's community. The commission shall
  consider whether contracting for additional capacity at
  residential treatment centers, facilities that provide mental
  inpatient or outpatient beds for children with behavioral health or
  mental health needs, and other potential temporary placement
  options provide the best methods for meeting capacity shortages.
         (b-2)  The department and each single source continuum
  contractor shall contract with facilities for reserve beds to
  ensure that the department may place each child in a facility if
  capacity is otherwise unavailable.
         (b)  Sections 264.1261(a) and (b), Family Code, as added by
  Chapter 822 (H.B. 1549), Acts of the 85th Legislature, Regular
  Session, 2017, are repealed.
         SECTION 4.  Subchapter B-1, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
  amended by adding Section 264.1511 to read as follows:
         Sec. 264.1511.  COMMISSION RESPONSIBILITIES; REFERENCE IN
  SUBCHAPTER.  (a)  Notwithstanding Section 264.0011 or any provision
  of this subchapter, the Health and Human Services Commission has
  the powers and shall perform duties assigned to the department
  under this subchapter.
         (b)  In this subchapter, a reference to the department or
  Department of Family and Protective Services means the Health and
  Human Services Commission.
         SECTION 5.  (a)  Subchapter A, Chapter 533, Government Code,
  is amended by adding Sections 533.00521 and 533.00522 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 533.00521.  STAR HEALTH PROGRAM: HEALTH CARE FOR FOSTER
  CHILDREN.  (a)  The commission shall annually evaluate the use of
  benefits under the Medicaid program in the STAR Health program
  offered to children in foster care and provide recommendations to
  the Department of Family and Protective Services and each single
  source continuum contractor in this state to better coordinate the
  provision of health care and use of those benefits for children in
  foster care.
         (b)  The commission shall report its findings to the
  legislature.
         Sec. 533.00522.  STAR HEALTH PROGRAM: MENTAL HEALTH
  PROVIDERS. A contract between a Medicaid managed care organization
  and the commission for the organization to provide health care
  services to recipients under the STAR Health program must require
  the organization to ensure the organization maintains a network of
  mental and behavioral health providers, including child
  psychiatrists and other appropriate providers, in all Department of
  Family and Protective Services catchment areas in the state.
         (b)  The changes in law made by this section apply only to a
  contract for the provision of health care services under the STAR
  Health program between the Health and Human Services Commission and
  a Medicaid managed care organization under Chapter 533, Government
  Code, that is entered into, renewed, or extended on or after the
  effective date of this section.
         (c)  If before implementing Section 533.00522, Government
  Code, as added by this section, the Health and Human Services
  Commission determines that a waiver or authorization from a federal
  agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, the
  health and human services agency affected by the provision shall
  request the waiver or authorization and may delay implementing that
  provision until the waiver or authorization is granted.
         SECTION 6.  Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Section 40.05291 to read as follows:
         Sec. 40.05291.  ELECTRONIC CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. (a)  The
  department shall develop a plan to eliminate the department's use
  of paper case files and fully transition to an electronic case
  management system.
         (b)  The department shall implement a fully electronic case
  management system not later than September 1, 2023.
         (c)  This section expires September 1, 2025.
         SECTION 7.  Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Section 40.0583 to read as follows:
         Sec. 40.0583.  STATE AUDITOR REVIEW OF CONTRACTS. The state
  auditor shall annually review each department performance-based
  contract to determine whether the department is properly enforcing
  contract provisions with providers and to provide recommendations
  for improving department oversight and execution of contracts.
         SECTION 8.  Subchapter B, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Section 42.026 to read as follows:
         Sec. 42.026.  ACCESS TO DATABASE. (a)  The commission shall
  make the child-care licensing division's searchable database
  accessible to commission and department investigators.
         (b)  The department shall make the department's searchable
  database accessible to commission and department investigators.
         SECTION 9.  Subchapter C, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Sections 42.0538 and 42.0583 to read as
  follows:
         Sec. 42.0538.  PROVISIONAL LICENSE FOR KINSHIP PROVIDER.
  The commission shall develop standards for and provide a
  provisional license for a kinship provider, as defined by Section
  264.851, Family Code, who meets the basic safety requirements. A
  kinship provider issued a provisional license under this section
  shall complete all licensing requirements within the time set by
  the executive commissioner by rule.
         Sec. 42.0583.  IDENTIFYING AT-RISK PROVIDERS. The
  department shall use data analytics collected from providers,
  including general residential operations providing treatment
  services to young adults with emotional disorders, to develop an
  early warning system to identify at-risk providers most in need of
  technical support and to promote corrective actions and minimize
  standard violations.
         SECTION 10.  Subchapter D, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Section 42.0711 to read as follows:
         Sec. 42.0711.  INSPECTION OF FACILITY ON PROBATION;
  PLACEMENT LIMITS.  (a)  The commission shall inspect each week a
  general residential operation that is placed on probation for
  continued violations of this chapter.
         (b)  The department or a single source continuum contractor
  may not place a child in a facility whose license the commission has
  placed on probation.
         (c)  The department and each single source continuum
  contractor shall develop a contingency plan to ensure adequate
  capacity in other facilities to meet the placement needs of the
  department in the event a facility is placed on probation.
         SECTION 11.  Subchapter D, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Section 42.080 to read as follows:
         Sec. 42.080.  DISCIPLINARY ACTION PROHIBITED. The
  commission may not issue a citation to or take any other
  disciplinary action against a general residential operation or a
  child-placing agency for failing to employ a licensed child-care
  administrator or licensed child-placing administrator, as
  appropriate, if the operation or agency has:
               (1)  been without an administrator for less than 60
  days; and
               (2)  made substantial efforts to hire a qualified
  administrator.
         SECTION 12.  Subchapter H, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
  is amended by adding Sections 42.2541, 42.256, 42.257, 42.258,
  42.259, 42.260, and 42.261 to read as follows:
         Sec. 42.2541.  IMPROVING EDUCATION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN.
  (a)  The commission shall develop a strategic plan for improving the
  provision of educational services to children placed in a general
  residential operation.
         (b)  The department shall report to the Texas Education
  Agency the educational outcomes for children placed in a general
  residential operation.
         (c)  The department and the Texas Education Agency shall
  annually evaluate the educational outcomes for children placed in a
  general residential operation and adopt strategies and policies to
  improve the outcomes and standards.
         Sec. 42.256.  TREATMENT MODEL. (a)  Each general
  residential operation providing treatment services shall adopt a
  treatment model that is an evidence-based model or a recognized
  promising practice with continuous quality improvement model.  The
  operation shall submit the model to the commission.
         (b)  The operation shall annually evaluate the overall
  effectiveness of the model adopted under this section.
         (c)  The treatment model must address all aspects related to
  children's care, including children's therapeutic needs.  The model
  shall include:
               (1)  the manner in which treatment goals will be
  individualized and identified for each child;
               (2)  the method the operation will use to measure the
  effectiveness of each treatment goal for the child;
               (3)  the actions the operation will take if the
  treatment goals are not met; and
               (4)  the method the operation will use to monitor and
  evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment model.
         (d)  A general residential operation may change a treatment
  model adopted under this section after notifying the commission of
  the change and submitting the new treatment model to the
  commission.
         (e)  The executive commissioner may adopt rules to implement
  this section.
         (f)  The general residential operation shall adopt policies
  and procedures to implement the treatment model.
         Sec. 42.257.  EVALUATION OF PLACEMENTS. A general
  residential operation that considers accepting a child's placement
  with the operation shall evaluate the proposed placement on the
  following criteria:
               (1)  whether the child meets the operation's admission
  criteria;
               (2)  whether the child would benefit from the treatment
  model implemented at the operation; and
               (3)  whether the operation has the staff and resources
  to meet the child's needs considering the other children at the
  operation and the other children's needs.
         Sec. 42.258.  LIMIT ON PLACEMENTS FOR NEW FACILITY. If the
  department or a single source continuum contractor contracts with a
  general residential operation providing treatment services to
  place children with the operation before the operation is licensed,
  the contract must limit the number of children that may be placed at
  the operation each month and limit the number of children with a
  service level of specialized, intense, or intense plus until the
  operation exhibits sustained compliance with the licensing
  standards.
         Sec. 42.259.  TRANSITION PLANS. A general residential
  operation shall develop a transition plan for each child who has
  been placed at the operation for longer than six months.
         Sec. 42.260.  TELEHEALTH PILOT PROGRAM. The department in
  coordination with the single source continuum contractors shall
  establish a pilot program to use telehealth services to provide
  mental health and behavioral health care for children placed in a
  residential treatment center.
         Sec. 42.261.  HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS. A general
  residential operation that provides treatment services to children
  who are victims of human trafficking shall use the Commercial
  Sexual Exploitation-Identification Tool, an evidence-based
  screening tool, as part of the operation's screening of children
  placed in the operation to systematically recognize the indicators
  of child sex trafficking.  The general residential operation shall
  develop protocols to provide clear guidance to operation staff on
  the conduct of screenings and response to youth who have indicators
  of sex trafficking. 
         SECTION 13.  Section 43.0081, Human Resources Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 43.0081.  PROVISIONAL LICENSE. (a) The commission
  [department] may issue a provisional child-care administrator's
  license to:
               (1)  an applicant licensed in another state who applies
  for a license in this state if the applicant[. An applicant for a
  provisional license under this section must]:
                     (A)  is [(1) be] licensed in good standing as a
  child-care administrator for at least two years in another state,
  the District of Columbia, a foreign country, or a territory of the
  United States that has licensing requirements that are
  substantially equivalent to the requirements of this chapter;
                     (B)  has [(2) have] passed a national or other
  examination recognized by the commission [department] that
  demonstrates competence in the field of child-care administration;
  and
                     (C)  is [(3) be] sponsored by a person licensed by
  the commission [department] under this chapter with whom the
  provisional license holder may practice under this section; and
               (2)  an applicant who otherwise qualifies for a license
  but does not meet the experience requirement in Section
  43.004(a)(4).
         (b)  The commission [department] may waive the requirement
  of Subsection (a)(1)(C) [(a)(3)] for an applicant if the commission
  [department] determines that compliance with that paragraph
  [subsection] constitutes a hardship to the applicant.
         (c)  A provisional license under Subsection (a)(1) is valid
  until the date the commission [department] approves or denies the
  provisional license holder's application for a license. The
  commission [department] shall issue a license under this chapter to
  the provisional license holder described by Subsection (a)(1) if:
               (1)  the provisional license holder passes the
  examination required by Section 43.004;
               (2)  the commission [department] verifies that the
  provisional license holder has the academic and experience
  requirements for a license under this chapter; and
               (3)  the provisional license holder satisfies any other
  license requirements under this chapter.
         (d)  For a provisional license holder described by
  Subsection (a)(1), the commission shall [The department must]
  complete the processing of a provisional license holder's
  application for a license not later than the 180th day after the
  date the provisional license is issued.  The commission
  [department] may extend the 180-day limit if the results of the
  license holder's examination have not been received by the
  commission [department].
         (e)  A person issued a provisional license under Subsection
  (a)(2) must sign an agreement with the commission agreeing to
  obtain the experience required by Section 43.004(a)(4) as soon as
  possible after the license is issued. The person may not be issued
  a child-care administrator license until the person obtains the
  required experience.
         SECTION 14.  (a)  The Department of Family and Protective
  Services shall:
               (1)  study extending permanency care assistance
  benefits to individuals who are not relatives of a foster child and
  who do not have a longstanding and significant relationship with
  the foster child; and
               (2)  assess the potential impact and favorable
  permanency outcomes for children who might otherwise remain in
  foster care for long periods or have managing conservatorship of
  the child transferred without any benefits to the caregiver.
         (b)  Not later than December 31, 2022, the Department of
  Family and Protective Services shall submit a report to the
  legislature on the results of the study and assessment conducted
  under this section and recommendations for further action based on
  the study and assessment.
         (c)  This section expires September 1, 2023.
         SECTION 15.  Not later than January 1, 2023, the Department
  of Family and Protective Services shall:
               (1)  transition the family-based safety services
  program to evidenced-based programs under the Family First
  Prevention Services Act (Title VII, Div. E, Pub. L. No. 115-123);
  and
               (2)  develop community referrals to existing
  prevention and early intervention programs.
         SECTION 16.  The executive commissioner of the Health and
  Human Services Commission shall adopt minimum standards related to
  continuum-of-care operations, cottage home operations, and
  specialized child-care homes as provided by Section 42.042, Human
  Resources Code, as amended by Chapter 317 (H.B. 7), Acts of the 85th
  Legislature, Regular Session, 2017, as soon as practicable after
  the effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 17.  The Health and Human Services Commission and
  the Department of Family and Protective Services shall jointly
  evaluate the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L.
  116-260), to determine methods for maximizing this state's receipt
  of federal funds to provide foster youth transition planning to
  adulthood and additional services for foster youth and young adults
  in extended foster care.
         SECTION 18.  (a) On the effective date of this Act, the
  Department of Family and Protective Services shall abolish the
  prevention and early intervention division of the department.
         (b)  The Department of Family and Protective Services shall
  transfer any department funds and resources, including department
  employees, allocated to the prevention and early intervention
  division to the Health and Human Services Commission.
         SECTION 19.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.