Bill > SB425

This bill creates a new Child and Adult Protective Investigations Advisory Committee within the Department of Family and Protective Services, composed of 13 members from various backgrounds including government officials, department representatives, legal professionals, and a parent or caregiver with personal experience in child protective services. The committee's primary purpose is to improve the accuracy, consistency, and fairness of child and adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation investigations by developing standardized policies, ensuring due process, creating effective training programs, and providing a public input forum. The committee will be required to meet quarterly, livestream and archive its meetings, and submit an annual comprehensive report to state leadership detailing investigation statistics, challenges, and recommendations across different regions. The report must include detailed information such as the number of investigations, case dispositions, foster care placements, and administrative reviews. Committee members must adhere to strict conflict of interest guidelines, and the committee is set to be automatically dissolved on September 1, 2029, with the bill taking effect on September 1, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB425