bill creating a special track for professional abuse reports

The text as introduced · 377 words

89R15504 MM-D

By: Meyer
H.B. No. 5607

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to establishing a procedure for the Department of Family

and Protective Services to respond to and issue findings on reports

of abuse or neglect made by certain professionals.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 261, Family Code, is

amended by adding Section 261.1012 to read as follows:

Sec. 261.1012. ENHANCED DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO REPORT BY

PROFESSIONAL. The department shall establish a procedure for

enhanced response to a report of abuse or neglect made by a

professional under Section 261.101. The procedure must require:

(1) the department to contact the professional who

made the report of abuse or neglect by phone as soon as practicable

after receiving the report and before initiating an investigation;

(2) the department employee who contacts the

professional under Subdivision (1) to gather additional

information to inform the initiation of the investigation and

investigational procedures;

(3) the department to notify the professional who made

the report of abuse or neglect of the department's findings and

decision regarding any investigation resulting from the report;

(4) the department to establish a process to allow a

professional who receives information under Subdivision (3) to

request an administrative review of the department's investigation

if the professional believes the investigation was not conducted

appropriately based on the allegation; and

(5) the department to automatically dispose of a case

with a finding of reason to believe that abuse or neglect occurred

if the professional's report on which the department's

investigation is based includes evidence that the person who is the

subject of the investigation disclosed to the professional that the

person abused or neglected the child who is the subject of the

professional's report.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

a report of suspected abuse or neglect of a child that is made on or

after the effective date of this Act. A report of suspected abuse

or neglect that is made before that date is governed by the law in

effect on the date the report was made, and that law is continued in

effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.