H.B. No. 3765

	AN ACT
	relating to the establishment of a supply of luggage by the
	Department of Family and Protective Services for the transport of
	the personal belongings of a foster child.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 263.008(b), Family Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	(b)  It is the policy of this state that each child in foster
	care be informed of the child's rights provided by state or federal
	law or policy that relate to:
	(1)  abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination, and
	harassment;
	(2)  food, clothing, shelter, and education;
	(3)  luggage to transport the child's personal
	belongings;
	(4)  medical, dental, vision, and mental health
	services, including the right of the child to consent to treatment;
	(5) [(4)]  emergency behavioral intervention,
	including what methods are permitted, the conditions under which it
	may be used, and the precautions that must be taken when
	administering it;
	(6) [(5)]  placement with the child's siblings and
	contact with members of the child's family;
	(7) [(6)]  privacy and searches, including the use of
	storage space, mail, and the telephone;
	(8) [(7)]  participation in school-related
	extracurricular or community activities;
	(9) [(8)]  interaction with persons outside the foster
	care system, including teachers, church members, mentors, and
	friends;
	(10) [(9)]  contact and communication with
	caseworkers, attorneys ad litem, guardians ad litem, and
	court-appointed special advocates;
	(11) [(10)]  religious services and activities;
	(12) [(11)]  confidentiality of the child's records;
	(13) [(12)]  job skills, personal finances, and
	preparation for adulthood;
	(14) [(13)]  participation in a court hearing that
	involves the child;
	(15) [(14)]  participation in the development of
	service and treatment plans;
	(16) [(15)]  if the child has a disability, the
	advocacy and protection of the rights of a person with that
	disability; and
	(17) [(16)]  any other matter affecting the child's
	ability to receive care and treatment in the least restrictive
	environment that is most like a family setting, consistent with the
	best interests and needs of the child.
	SECTION 2.  Subchapter B, Chapter 264, Family Code, is
	amended by adding Section 264.1078 to read as follows:
	Sec. 264.1078.  LUGGAGE FOR FOSTER CHILDREN. (a) In this
	section, "luggage" means a suitcase, duffel bag, backpack, or
	similar container designed to hold an individual's personal
	belongings.
	(b)  The department shall:
	(1)  establish and maintain a decentralized supply of
	luggage to be used to transport a foster child's personal
	belongings; and
	(2)  develop procedures for the storage and
	distribution of luggage.
	(c)  The department shall provide luggage to a child who is
	being removed from the child's home or changing placement. Luggage
	provided to a child under this subsection belongs to the child and
	may not be reclaimed by the department or retained by the child's
	foster parent. The department is not required to provide new
	luggage under this subsection to a child who is changing placement
	and has the luggage previously provided by the department.
	(d)  The department shall maintain a record of each time a
	trash bag is used to move a foster child's personal belongings. The
	record must include the reason the department did not provide the
	child with appropriate luggage to move the child's personal
	belongings.
	(e)  The department shall submit an annual report to the
	legislature that includes a summary of:
	(1)  the number of times a trash bag was used to
	transport a foster child's personal belongings and the reasons the
	department failed to provide the child with appropriate luggage;
	and
	(2)  the department's supply inventory and inventory
	management practices for the luggage supply maintained under
	Subsection (b).
	(e-1)  This subsection and Subsection (e) expire September
	1, 2025.
	(f)  The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
	donations of any kind and from any source for purposes of this
	section.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
	______________________________	______________________________
	President of the Senate	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 3765 was passed by the House on May 9,
	2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 130, Nays 15, 2 present, not
	voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
	No. 3765 on May 19, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 120, Nays 21,
	2 present, not voting.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House
	I certify that H.B. No. 3765 was passed by the Senate, with
	amendments, on May 17, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 27, Nays
	4.
	______________________________
	Secretary of the Senate
	APPROVED: __________________
	Date
	__________________
	Governor