West Bill Creates An Office, A 21-Member Board And A Plan

The text as introduced · 818 words

89R2663 MCF-F

By: West
S.B. No. 698

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the creation of the Office of Youth Health and Safety.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 523, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subchapter I to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER I. OFFICE OF YOUTH HEALTH AND SAFETY

Sec. 523.0401. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:

(1) "Board" means the Board of Youth Health and

Safety.

(2) "Child" means an individual 10 years of age or

older and younger than 18 years of age who is under the jurisdiction

of a juvenile court.

(3) "Office" means the Office of Youth Health and

Safety.

Sec. 523.0402. OFFICE OF YOUTH HEALTH AND SAFETY. The

executive commissioner shall maintain an office of youth health and

safety within the commission's Office of Forensic Coordination with

the goal of:

(1) promoting trauma-responsive and culturally

informed services for children engaging in delinquent conduct in a

manner that supports the child's successful transition to

adulthood; and

(2) ensuring children become responsible, thriving,

and engaged members of their communities.

Sec. 523.0403. COMPOSITION OF BOARD; PRESIDING OFFICER.

(a) The board is the governing body of the office.

(b) The board is composed of the following 21 members or

their designees:

(1) the executive commissioner;

(2) the chief officer of the commission's Medicaid and

CHIP services division;

(3) the deputy executive commissioner of the

Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Behavioral Health

Services Department;

(4) the director of the Early Childhood Education

Division at the Texas Education Agency;

(5) the following members appointed by the executive

commissioner:

(A) a member of the judiciary;

(B) an attorney with experience in defending

civil rights cases;

(C) a member of the Texas Judicial Commission on

Mental Health;

(D) a faculty member from the medical school at

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio;

(E) a licensed trauma-informed youth counselor;

(F) an education advocate;

(G) two culturally responsive juvenile justice

advocates;

(H) a culturally responsive youth mental health

advocate;

(I) a harm reduction advocate; and

(J) a representative of the Texas Correctional

Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments; and

(6) the following members appointed by the executive

commissioner from recommendations made by the presiding officer:

(A) a child welfare advocate;

(B) two youth advocates;

(C) two individuals formerly committed to a

juvenile secure correctional facility who are able to serve as

credible messengers for detained youth; and

(D) a mitigation specialist.

(c) Board members appointed under Subsections (b)(5) and

(6) serve staggered six-year terms, with the terms of five or six

members expiring on February 1 of each odd-numbered year.

(d) The executive commissioner shall designate a member of

the board as the presiding officer to serve in that capacity at the

pleasure of the executive commissioner.

Sec. 523.0404. PLAN. (a) The office shall develop a plan to

improve the juvenile justice system under the authority of the

office.

(b) The plan must include a detailed list of procedures and

strategies to:

(1) not later than September 1, 2028:

(A) end commitments of children to

post-adjudication secure correctional facilities operated by the

Texas Juvenile Justice Department;

(B) significantly reduce the population of

children currently committed to post-adjudication secure

correctional facilities operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice

Department;

(C) establish infrastructure in each county in

this state to provide alternative services related to delinquency

prevention and intervention, including alternative evidence-based

safe, local, and supportive placements for children who are not

able to stay at home;

(D) establish secure placement options for

children who are determined by a court to present a serious risk of

harm to self or others;

(E) increase local, evidence-based delinquency

responses and interventions in communities and schools; and

(F) end racial and disability disparities for

children in the juvenile justice system; and

(2) conduct a study on the feasibility of a staggered

closure of all post-adjudication secure correctional facilities

operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

(c) In developing the plan, the office shall consult with

experts and interested parties, including juvenile probation

departments.

(d) Not later than January 1, 2027, the office shall submit

a copy of the plan to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the

speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the

legislature.

(e) This section expires September 1, 2032.

SECTION 2. Not later than the 60th day after the effective

date of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human

Services Commission shall appoint members to the Board of Youth

Health and Safety in accordance with Section 523.0403, Government

Code, as added by this Act. In appointing the initial members of

the board under this section, the executive commissioner shall

designate six members for terms expiring February 1, 2027, six

members for terms expiring February 1, 2029, and five members for

terms expiring February 1, 2031.

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