S.B. No. 66
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to studying the causes of and making recommendations for
  reducing child fatalities, including fatalities from the abuse and
  neglect of children.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subsections (b) and (c), Section 264.502, Family
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (b)  The members of the committee who serve under Subsections
  (a)(1) through (3) shall select the following additional committee
  members:
               (1)  a criminal prosecutor involved in prosecuting
  crimes against children;
               (2)  a sheriff;
               (3)  a justice of the peace;
               (4)  a medical examiner;
               (5)  a police chief;
               (6)  a pediatrician experienced in diagnosing and
  treating child abuse and neglect;
               (7)  a child educator;
               (8)  a child mental health provider;
               (9)  a public health professional;
               (10)  a child protective services specialist;
               (11)  a sudden infant death syndrome family service
  provider;
               (12)  a neonatologist;
               (13)  a child advocate;
               (14)  a chief juvenile probation officer;
               (15)  a child abuse prevention specialist;
               (16)  a representative of the Department of Public
  Safety; [and]
               (17)  a representative of the Texas Department of
  Transportation;
               (18)  an emergency medical services provider; and
               (19)  a provider of services to, or an advocate for,
  victims of family violence.
         (c)  Members of the committee selected under Subsection (b)
  serve three-year terms with the terms of [five or] six or seven
  members, as appropriate, expiring February 1 each year.
         SECTION 2.  Subsection (f), Section 264.503, Family Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (f)  [The committee shall issue a report for each preventable
  child death.   The report must include findings related to the
  child's death, recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths,
  and details surrounding the department's involvement with the child
  prior to the child's death.]  Not later than April 1 of each
  even-numbered year, the committee shall publish a report that
  contains aggregate child fatality data collected by local child
  fatality review teams, recommendations to prevent child fatalities
  and injuries, and recommendations to the department on child
  protective services operations based on input from the child safety
  review subcommittee.  The committee shall [compilation of the
  reports published under this subsection during the year,] submit a
  copy of the report [compilation] to the governor, lieutenant
  governor, speaker of the house of representatives, Department of
  State Health Services, and department[,] and make the report 
  [compilation] available to the public.  Not later than October 1 of
  each even-numbered year, the department shall submit a written
  response to [on] the committee's recommendations [compilation from
  the previous year] to the committee, governor, lieutenant governor,
  [and] speaker of the house of representatives, and Department of
  State Health Services describing which of the committee's
  recommendations regarding the operation of the child protective
  services system the department will implement and the methods of
  implementation.
         SECTION 3.  (a)  The Protect Our Kids Commission is composed
  of six members appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be
  designated as presiding officer, three members appointed by the
  lieutenant governor, three members appointed by the speaker of the
  house of representatives, one member with experience in behavioral
  health and substance abuse appointed by the commissioner of the
  Department of State Health Services, one member who represents the
  Department of Family and Protective Services appointed by the
  commissioner of the department, and one member who represents the
  Office of Title V and Family Health of the Department of State
  Health Services appointed by the office director.
         (b)  Each member appointed to the commission must have
  experience relating to the study of the relationship between child
  protective services and child welfare services and child abuse and
  neglect fatalities.
         (c)  In making appointments to the commission, each
  appointing authority shall make every effort to select individuals
  whose expertise is not already represented by other members of the
  commission and who reflect the geographical, cultural, racial, and
  ethnic diversity of the state.
         (d)  Members of the commission serve without compensation
  and are not entitled to reimbursement for expenses.
         (e)  The commission shall study the relationship between
  child protective services and child welfare services and the rate
  of child abuse and neglect fatalities.
         (f)  The commission shall:
               (1)  identify promising practices and evidence-based
  strategies to address and reduce fatalities from child abuse and
  neglect;
               (2)  develop recommendations and identify resources
  necessary to reduce fatalities from child abuse and neglect for
  implementation by state and local agencies and private sector and
  nonprofit organizations, including recommendations to implement a
  comprehensive statewide strategy for reducing those fatalities;
  and
               (3)  develop guidelines for the types of information
  that should be tracked to improve interventions to prevent
  fatalities from child abuse and neglect.
         (g)  The commission may accept gifts and grants of money,
  property, and services from any source to be used to conduct a
  function of the commission.
         (h)  Not later than December 1, 2015, the commission shall
  submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the
  house of representatives a report containing:
               (1)  the commission's findings and a complete
  explanation of each of the commission's recommendations;
               (2)  proposed legislation necessary to implement the
  recommendations made in the report; and
               (3)  any administrative recommendations proposed by
  the commission.
         (i)  The commission is not subject to Chapter 2110,
  Government Code.
         (j)  The Protect Our Kids Commission is abolished and this
  section expires December 31, 2015.
         SECTION 4.  The members of the child fatality review team
  committee under Subsection (a), Section 264.502, Family Code,
  responsible for selecting the additional members of the committee
  required by Subsection (b), Section 264.502, Family Code, as
  amended by this Act, shall make those appointments not later than
  November 1, 2013.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
 
 
 
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 66 passed the Senate on
  March 13, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
  the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 23, 2013, by the
  following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate    
 
         I hereby certify that S.B. No. 66 passed the House, with
  amendment, on May 20, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 147,
  Nays 0, two present not voting.
 
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
 
 
  Approved:
 
  ______________________________ 
              Date
 
 
  ______________________________ 
            Governor