HIGHLIGHTS OF MINUTES
Legislative Committee Meeting 1/12/06

HFS 44 committee:
HFS 44 committee is supposed to meet twice more and have a final draft by 3/15/06. If all goes well, it would be effective 10/15/06. Legislative Committee requests HFS 44 committee SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS WHETHER THIS ADM. RULE WILL APPLY IN JUVENILE PLACEMENT CASES. Both opinions have bee heard, but it needs to be specified in the rule.

There was a question about if a Voluntary Placement Agreement is more than 60 days, is a Perm. Plan needed? The answer is yes.

AB 821, AB 822, and SB 285
Bills all have to do with truancy and eliminating the requirements for schools to comply with 118.16(5) conditions before sending truancy referrals to intake workers. SB 285 has a different twist, however. This bill would create a new CHIPS jurisdiction for what amounts to “educational neglect”. It would apply to children in grades K-5.

SB 24 – threats to harm social workers, etc.
On 10/5/05 the Senate passed this bill – it went on to the Assembly. Tom There has been no action on SB 24 since November. We are all to ask at regional meetings for examples of threat situations against social workers and their families that could be used at public hearings.

SB 226 – Informed consent for minors for inpatient/ outpatient TX (MH & DD)
Will keep an eye on this one. Those that have read it feel it’s confusing and there are many questions to be answered.

AB 699
Relating to establishment of medium-security correctional institutions on the grounds of JCI’s This is for youth age 17-21. Would still have to have sight and sound separation. Will keep an eye on this.

Juvenile Justice Commission
The Juvenile Justice Commission did a survey to rank areas of need.

AB 138 – Will follow this

NEXT MEETING: March 2nd