Ensures that the CPS caseworker consult with the CASA, guardian ad litem, and attorney ad litem prior to changing a child's CPS placement, except in cases of emergency.
Promotes evidence-based practices for prevention programs that focus on homes visitation.
Closes the final loophole in child-care background checks and allows Child Care Licensing (CCL) to focus on high-risk providers.
Removes administrative barriers to allow DFPS to create a mentoring program for parents in the CPS system.
Requires judges, before approving the dismissal of a CPS suit, to consider whether any preexisting child support, visitation, or other issues impacting the welfare of children would continue or new orders would be issued.
Ensures that the state is the payer of last resort for daycare services for kinship caregivers and foster parents.
Creates a felony criminal offense for continuous violation of a protective order.
Fixes typographical errors and clarify ambiguous references in law relating to crime victims so that these acts can be carried out as intended.
Makes clarifications to bring the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act into compliance with the federal Deficit Reduction Act.
Defines a term of two years for the Office of the Ombudsman for the State Supported Living Centers.
Authorizes Fort Worth to create a project financing zone to improve the Coliseum and Convention Center.
Prohibits psychiatric care facilities from hiring psychological nursing assistants, commonly known as psych techs, who have committed serious crimes and requires the Department of State Health Services to maintain an employee misconduct registry for psych techs.
Requires all clinical staff, clinical trainees, medical students, interns, and resident physicians of a hospital to wear badges clearly stating their names, their departments, and their job or trainee titles.
Expands the list of victims who are eligible for early lease termination to include individuals who are being stalked; victims of attempted assault or abuse; and victims of indecency with a child and sexual performance with a child.
Increases representation on the DCTA board, clarifies contracting issues, and authorizes DCTA to join a Local Government Corporation.
Clarifies that a "license holder" under the Medical Practice Act includes a person holding a license, permit, or certificate to practice medicine in Texas for purposes of protecting physician's private information.
Requires the Department of State Health Services to educate low-income individuals applying for health services about the availability of coverage and subsidies through the Health Insurance Exchange and requires individuals who are applying to receive services through the Department to certify that they do not have access to private insurance that covers those services.
Makes clarifying changes and updates to the Board of Nursing’s regulation of nurses to improve the practice of nursing and patient safety.
Requires the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services to evaluate family cost sharing provisions in the Early Childhood Intervention program and implement changes to increase the cost effectiveness family cost sharing.
Designates the month of April as Water Safety Month.
Adds a drug-testing eligibility requirement for applicants to receive unemployment compensation benefits.
Gives counties and municipalities the authority to treat stagnant water located on abandoned or foreclosed properties with a mosquito larvicide in order to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus.
Expands the eligibility requirements for child advocacy centers (CACs) to receive certain contracts to provide services for children and family members in child abuse and neglect cases.
Permits Cap Metro and DCTA to create a local government corporation to coordinate transportation services between local entities.
Raises production limit for brewpubs to 10,000 Barrels up from 5,000. Allows Self-Distribution of 1,000 Barrels.
Sets a new annual beer/ale production limit of 125,000 barrels and extends the rights afforded to in-state brewers permit holders to their out-of-state counterparts. Limits the amount of ale that a brewer can self-distribute to no more than 40,000 barrels annually.
Sets a new annual beer/ale production limit of 125,000 barrels and extends the rights afforded to in-state brewers permit holders to their out-of-state counterparts. Limits the amount of ale that a manufacturer can self-distribute to no more than 40,000 barrels annually.
Allows small brewers to devote a small amount of their annual production limit for direct sales to consumers. Sales to consumers will be dedicated for responsible, on-premise consumption and could not exceed 5,000 barrels annually.
This bill creates a new specialty license plate specific to the Afghanistan theater of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Requires that CPS managers, whether newly hired or promoted, complete CPS manager training before beginning this position. The training must assist managers develop skills to manage employee workloads, manage a mobile workforce, and implement operational policies.
Prohibits the use of public-private partnerships in the Capitol complex.
Directs that records of a nonprofit foundation supporting CPRIT is subject to the Open Records Act.
Gives SBOE oversight over any service or product by an educational service center (ESC) that is curriculum-related, including instructional materials and curriculum management materials, including CSCOPE.
Strengthens the prescription program to deter abuse and addiction.
Prohibits a public or private institution of higher education from adopting or enforcing any rule, regulation or other provision prohibiting individuals with a valid concealed handgun license attending the institution from storing a legal handgun in their locked vehicle while parked on campus.
Establishes neonatal and maternal level of care designations for hospitals.
Allows a judge to order that juveniles in the juvenile justice system be screened for chemical dependency.
Repeals several health and human services programs and advisory councils that have fulfilled their original statutory purpose and are no longer functioning.
Requires the TCEQ to consider input by a county in which a Municipal Utility District (MUD) is proposed outside of a municipality's corporate boundaries.
Directs the Department of Family and Protective Services to seek an appropriate waiver to allow the agency to utilize federal funds for prevention and reunification projects.
Ensures that the use of psychotropic medications by foster youth is appropriate, necessary, and monitored.
Establishes School Health Advisory Council Subcommittees to make recommendations to school boards on how to increase physical activity and improve school fitness among students.
Requires HHSC to make recommendations to the Legislature to address mental health workforce shortages in this state.
Increases the penalty for illegally passing a school bus.
Designates October 1st as Influenza Awareness Day.
Requires hospital-owned and operated freestanding emergency medical facilities to advertise as emergency rooms if the facility charges emergency room rates.
Requires the Department of State Health Services to provide timely and clear guidance on state food regulations to individuals and businesses upon request.
Eliminates duplicative state regulation of dental laboratories in Texas.
Directs the Department of Family and Protective Services and the Department of State Health Services to conduct a study on certain children who test positive for alcohol and controlled substances.
Ensures that all photos, videos, and recordings taken during Child Care Licensing inspections and investigations remain confidential, unless release is required by rule or law.
Gives peace officers and judges more authority to enforce communicable disease control measures.
Creates a uniform and consistent donation policy for the Department of Aging and Disability Services.
Codifies several elements of transition plans for foster youth and further strengthens plans by adding requirements for food preparation and public transportation training.
Gives Grapevine representation on the Fort Worth Transportation Authority's board.
Ensures that the state has the tools necessary to protect individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) residing in state supported living centers and receiving services in the community.
Protects individuals receiving services through programs administered by DADS from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Ensures that nursing facility licensure fees reflect the cost of regulation, aligns Alzheimer's certification with the three-year licensure cycle, and increases accountability in the Medicaid bed allocation process.
Makes reforms to the Board's complaint review and resolution processes, strengthens the Board's authority and enforcement powers, and increases staffing to improve the Board's ability to respond to complaints and potential fraud.
Requires the state registrar and local or county registrars to include the date of a person’s death on their birth certificate, regardless of their age.
Requires that data submitted by healthcare facilities to the Department of State Health Services regarding Healthcare Associated Infections specify whether an infection resulted in the death of a patient while hospitalized and requires the Department to make this information available to the public.
Requires the Health and Human Services Commission to work with community-based organizations to encourage individuals receiving benefits through Medicaid, TANF, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to access existing online resources that provide nutrition and wellness education and promote healthy lifestyles.
Strengthens licensure requirements for emergency medical services (EMS) providers.
Prevents fraud and better assists the Health and Human Services Commission in determining eligibility for its programs by cross-referencing information of program applicants with social security numbers from the Department of Public Safety.
Authorizes the Canyon Falls Water Control and Improvement District No. 2 in Denton County to build roads.
Removes the minimum $1,000 threshold on the total sales price of all the items sold for the sales tax exemption on the sale of gold, silver, or rare coins, effectively removing existing restrictions on the use tax exemption for such items.
Allows students and school district staff to offer traditional greetings regarding winter celebrations, including "Merry Christmas," "Happy Hanukkah," and "happy holidays."
Requires all newborns to receive a test for congenital heart disease prior to the newborn's release from the hospital unless the parents opt-out.
Streamlines efficiency in Medicaid; limits flow of tax dollars to Planned Parenthood; prohibits taxpayer-funded abortions at public hospitals; and allows Texas to join with other states to opt out of Obamacare.
Allows health care providers to collaborate to improve health care quality and efficiency.
Makes statutory changes needed to implement cost savings assumed in budget.
Eliminates obsolete and redundant reporting requirements among HHS-related agencies.
Directs DADS to conduct utilization reviews of individuals in waiver programs and directs them to collaborate with HHSC to explore developing a uniform licensing and contracting process for waivers.
Allows universities to donate surplus and salvage computer equipment to rural hospitals.
Directs DFPS to conduct background checks on applicants to the taxpayer-funded relative caregiver program.
Strengthens requirements for sponsoring agencies in the Child and Adult Food Care Program.
Requires HHS agencies to share information about adverse licensing decisions.
Requires DSHS to implement State Auditor Report recommendations at their three public health labs.
Closes a loophole for fresh produce washers, packagers, and shippers who are not currently required to be licensed by DSHS.
Clarifies and strengthens state statute on stalking offenses.
Extends statute of limitations for bigamy from 3 to 7 years, and 10 years after the victim's 18th birthday if they were a minor when the offense occurred.
Requires a county voter registrar (instead of the tax assessor/collector) to maintain a list of permanent jury duty exemptions.
Extends the Scofflaw Program to include general-law municipalities.
Requires a written chain of custody for individuals transporting human remains meant for donation to science.
Requires proof that H1-B Visa applicants have either practices or are committed to practice in medically underserved areas for three years.
Prohibits TMS from accepting anonymous complaints; eliminate confidentiality for certain parties; increases amount of time TMB has to complete investigations.
Prohibits TMB from changing a finding of fact or modifying an order of an administrative law judge.
Enhances whistleblower protections for nurses who report negligence by other providers.
Makes clarifying changes to the nurses Practice Act.
Expands the definition of a nuisance to include sexually oriented crimes that impact minors and human trafficking.
Makes the second conviction for employing a child in an SOB as a state jail felony. Makes the third conviction of employing a child in an SOB a third degree felony.
Redesigns the foster care system to help displaced children remain in their home communities.
Enhances mental health care and availability for children who are in the CPS system.
Makes changes to requirements for courts and attorneys ad litem to wards and proposed wards of the state.
Extends orders for emergency orders to adult protective services and clarifies that exploitation includes using a client's personal information for personal or monetary gain.
Adds Personal Attendant services to the Home and Community-Based Services and Community Living Assistance and Support Services waivers.
Strengthens fraud and abuse controls on providers of home health care participating in the Medicaid program.
Allows the Texas Education Agency to collect de-identified, individual students Fitnessgram data.
Allows the Texas Medical Board to issue a remedial plan to resolve an investigation of a complaint.
Removes current hospital exemptions to the provision of Newborn Hearing Screenings and places follow-up procedures (currently in rule) in statute.
Requires private autopsy facilities to post a notice to consumers on how to file a complaint with the Texas Medical Board.
