|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to the collection and use of certain information relating |
|
to child abuse and neglect and the provision of prevention and early |
|
intervention services. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 265, Family Code, is |
|
amended by adding Sections 265.0041, 265.0043, and 265.0044 to read |
|
as follows: |
|
Sec. 265.0041. GEOGRAPHIC RISK MAPPING FOR PREVENTION AND |
|
EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES. (a) The department shall use |
|
existing risk terrain modeling systems, predictive analytic |
|
systems, or geographic risk assessments or shall develop a system |
|
or assessment under Subsection (c) to: |
|
(1) identify geographic areas that have high risk |
|
indicators of child maltreatment and child fatalities resulting |
|
from abuse or neglect; and |
|
(2) target the implementation and use of prevention |
|
and early intervention services to those geographic areas. |
|
(b) The department may not use data gathered under this |
|
section to identify a specific family or individual. |
|
(c) The Health and Human Services Commission, on behalf of |
|
the department, may enter into agreements with institutions of |
|
higher education to develop or adapt, in coordination with the |
|
department, a risk terrain modeling system, a predictive analytic |
|
system, or a geographic risk assessment to be used for purposes of |
|
this section. |
|
Sec. 265.0043. INTERAGENCY SHARING OF DATA FOR RISK TERRAIN |
|
MODELING. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, state |
|
agencies, including the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Juvenile |
|
Justice Department, and the Department of Public Safety, shall |
|
disclose information related to child abuse or neglect to the |
|
department for the purpose of developing a risk terrain modeling |
|
system under Section 265.0041. |
|
Sec. 265.0044. ETHICAL GUIDELINES. (a) The executive |
|
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission, in |
|
consultation with the prevention advisory committee, shall develop |
|
guidelines regarding: |
|
(1) the type of risk terrain modeling data to be |
|
collected by the department and the acceptable uses of the data; |
|
(2) the types of data that may be shared; and |
|
(3) the methods for sharing the data and final |
|
geographic risk maps. |
|
(b) In developing the guidelines required under Subsection |
|
(a), the executive commissioner shall consider whether the |
|
department plans to make any data the department collects |
|
available: |
|
(1) for use in research that has been approved by an |
|
institutional review board; or |
|
(2) to researchers who are working in collaboration |
|
with an institution of higher education. |
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |