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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to authorizing the Texas Education Agency to provide |
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identification kits for certain children. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Texas |
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Child Identification Act of 2021. |
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SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds |
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that: |
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(1) the proactive collection and central storage of |
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comprehensive identification information about individual children |
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by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies is resource |
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intensive; and |
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(2) the National Child Identification Program, known |
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as "Safety Blitz": |
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(A) is a national community service initiative |
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that has partnered with the states and their attorneys general, |
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local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, and |
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community organizations to provide families with an inkless, |
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in-home fingerprint and DNA identification kit, which can be turned |
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over to law enforcement by the parent or guardian of a child to |
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provide information on a missing or trafficked child; and |
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(B) promotes the proactive collection and |
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storage of comprehensive identification information within the |
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home, decentralizing the process for law enforcement agencies that |
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may lack the resources to collect and centrally store vital |
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identification information related to individual children. |
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SECTION 3. AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE IDENTIFICATION KITS. |
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Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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Section 38.028 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 38.028. CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM. (a) In this |
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section, "elementary school" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 |
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U.S.C. Section 1401(6)). |
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(b) To promote the proactive collection and storage of |
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comprehensive identification information by parents and guardians, |
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the agency shall provide inkless, in-home fingerprint and DNA |
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identification kits to any parent or guardian who requests one and |
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whose child attends kindergarten or elementary school. A kit may be |
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submitted by the parent or guardian to federal, state, tribal, or |
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local law enforcement in an effort to locate and return missing or |
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trafficked children. |
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SECTION 4. CONTINGENT UPON APPROPRIATION. The Texas |
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Education Agency is required to implement Section 38.028, Education |
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Code, as added by this Act, only if the legislature appropriates |
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money specifically for that purpose. If the legislature does not |
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appropriate money specifically for that purpose, the agency may, |
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but is not required to, implement that section using other |
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appropriations available for that purpose. |
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SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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1, 2021. |