The proposed bill, titled the Juvenile Girls Protection Act, amends the Family Code to establish guidelines for the placement of children in detention or correctional facilities based on their biological sex. It introduces a new section, 51.127, which mandates that the Texas Juvenile Justice Department or a juvenile board must place a child according to their biological sex as indicated on their official birth certificate or, if that is unavailable, another government record. The bill specifies that a birth certificate's statement of biological sex is considered accurate only if it was recorded at or near the time of birth and has not been modified except for clerical corrections.

Additionally, the bill includes amendments to existing sections of the Family Code, specifically Sections 51.12 and 51.125, to enhance compliance requirements for facilities. These amendments remove the option for facilities to be non-compliant with minimum standards and instead require strict adherence to the new placement requirements outlined in Section 51.127. The bill also ensures that the vital statistics unit of the Department of State Health Services cannot charge fees for issuing birth certificates for this purpose and mandates that juvenile boards and the Texas Juvenile Justice Board adopt necessary rules to implement these provisions while ensuring compliance with state and federal laws.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Family Code 51.12, Family Code 51.125 (Family Code 51)