Bill > SB698

This bill creates the Office of Youth Health and Safety within the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Forensic Coordination, establishing a 21-member Board to govern the office with the primary goals of promoting trauma-responsive services for children in the juvenile justice system and supporting their successful transition to adulthood. The board will include state officials, appointed members from various backgrounds such as judiciary, mental health, education, and youth advocacy, including two former juvenile facility residents serving as "credible messengers." The office is required to develop a comprehensive plan by January 1, 2027, with ambitious objectives including ending commitments to juvenile secure correctional facilities by September 1, 2028, reducing the population of children in these facilities, establishing alternative local services and interventions, creating secure placement options for high-risk youth, increasing community-based delinquency responses, and eliminating racial and disability disparities in the juvenile justice system. The board members will serve staggered six-year terms, with the executive commissioner designating the presiding officer, and the initial board members will be appointed with staggered terms expiring in 2027, 2029, and 2031. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, with the office's planning mandate expiring on September 1, 2032.

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB698