BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2311

By: Paxton

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Residential treatment centers (RTCs) provide supervision and care for children with serious emotional disorders. As part of the application for a license to operate a residential treatment center, current law requires a prospective licensee to submit a proposed operational plan to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), including a plan for providing for the resident children's education. S.B. 2311 seeks to strengthen current educational planning requirements for RTC license applicants by requiring a written agreement between the RTC and the school that will be educating the resident children before the RTC becomes operational, including information about the location where educational services will be provided and the transportation of children to that location.

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

S.B. 2311 amends the Human Resources Code to revise the provision requiring the operational plan a person applying for a license to operate a general residential operation must submit to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to include an educational plan describing the applicant's plan to provide for the educational needs of the children at the general residential operation that includes any discussions, plans, and agreements with the local public school district, private school, or local charter school that will be providing education to the school-age children at the operation, as follows:

· replaces any discussions, plans, and agreements with a written agreement; and

· specifies that the written agreement includes information about the location where education services will be provided and the transportation of children to that location.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.