88R20165 BDP-F
	By: Frank, Rose, Noble	H.B. No. 1517
	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1517:
	By:  Rose	C.S.H.B. No. 1517

Statutes affected:
Introduced: ()
House Committee Report: ()

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to an independent assessment of the Health and Human
	Services Commission's rules, minimum standards, and contract
	requirements that apply to certain residential child-care
	providers.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 42, Human Resources Code,
	is amended by adding Section 42.027 to read as follows:
	Sec. 42.027.  INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT. (a) Not later than
	March 31, 2024, the commission shall contract with an independent
	entity that has demonstrated expertise in evaluating state child
	welfare systems and conducting statistical and operational
	analysis to conduct an assessment of:
	(1)  the commission's rules, minimum standards, and
	contract requirements that apply to child-placing agencies,
	residential child-care facilities, relative caregivers, and
	adoptive homes; and
	(2)  the standards or oversight requirements
	prescribed by law to determine:
	(A)  the relevance of the standard or oversight
	requirement;
	(B)  whether the standard or oversight
	requirement complies with federal laws, rules, or guidelines; and
	(C)  whether the standard or oversight
	requirement is the best practice.
	(b)  Not later than September 30, 2024, or the date of the
	next comprehensive review required under Section 42.042(b),
	whichever occurs first, the independent entity shall complete the
	assessment and submit to the commission and the department a report
	that includes the findings of the assessment and recommendations
	for:
	(1)  simplifying the commission's minimum standards for
	the purposes of:
	(A)  prioritizing the health, safety, and
	well-being of children residing in a residential child-care
	facility or the home of a relative caregiver or an adoptive parent;
	and
	(B)  reducing any barriers to opening a
	child-placing agency or a residential child-care facility or
	becoming a relative caregiver or an adoptive parent;
	(2)  adjusting the commission's system for assigning
	weights to minimum standards to ensure that the system is
	methodical, consistent, and reflective of a strategic model for
	increasing the focus on the health, safety, and well-being of
	children residing in a residential child-care facility or the home
	of a relative caregiver or an adoptive parent, including an
	explanation of the recommended adjustments;
	(3)  taking into consideration the model licensing
	standards recommended by the Administration for Children and
	Families of the United States Department of Health and Human
	Services, eliminating any minimum standards that are weighted as
	low, medium-low, or medium by the commission and are not directly
	related to child safety;
	(4)  addressing any licensing, training, or oversight
	requirements that are barriers to retaining high-quality
	residential child-care facilities, relative caregivers, or
	adoptive parents;
	(5)  updating licensing standards for the purposes of:
	(A)  prioritizing the health, safety, and
	well-being of children residing in a residential child-care
	facility or the home of a relative caregiver or an adoptive parent;
	and
	(B)  reducing any barriers to the hiring and
	retention of high-quality leadership, administrators, and staff at
	child-placing agencies and residential child-care facilities;
	(6)  providing flexibility in applying standards to
	ensure that services are provided in response to the needs of each
	individual child residing in a residential child-care facility or
	the home of a relative caregiver or an adoptive parent;