BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3765

By: Bucy

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Children entering and transitioning within the foster care system are often abruptly taken from their homes and provided a trash bag to pack up all of their belongings. Bags of Love, a nonprofit dedicated to this issue, asserts that implementing an official system for luggage distribution would ensure that all foster children have a suitable bag for their belongings. This would help prevent additional stress, trauma, and other social-emotional impacts on already vulnerable children and would help decrease the stigma around foster care. H.B. 3765 seeks to require the Department of Family and Protective Services to maintain and distribute a supply of luggage for use when transporting the personal belongings of foster children and to maintain a record of each time a trash bag is used for this purpose.

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. 3765 amends the Family Code to require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to establish and maintain a decentralized supply of luggage to be used to transport a foster child's personal belongings and to develop procedures for the storage and distribution of luggage to ensure the maximum number of children are able to use the luggage. The bill requires DFPS to provide luggage to a child who is being removed from the child's home or changing placement and authorizes DFPS to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations of any kind and from any source for purposes of providing luggage for foster children.

H.B. 3765 requires DFPS to maintain a record of each time a trash bag is used to move a foster child's personal belongings and to include the reason DFPS did not provide the child with appropriate luggage to move the child's personal belongings. The bill requires DFPS to submit an annual report to the legislature that includes a summary of the number of times a trash bag was used to transport a foster child's personal belongings and the reasons DFPS failed to provide the child with appropriate luggage and a summary of DFPS's luggage supply inventory and inventory management practices.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.