HB 2809 seeks to improve transparency and oversight of the well-being of children under the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). The bill amends the Texas Family Code to require DFPS to include in its annual public report the number of children in its managing conservatorship who attempted suicide during the previous year. This new reporting requirement supplements existing data already collected and reported, such as the number of deaths, cases of trafficking, and instances of children who go missing from substitute care.
Additionally, HB 2809 expands the definition of a "significant change in medical condition" under Section 264.018 of the Family Code. Specifically, it clarifies that a suicide attempt qualifies as a significant medical event that must be reported. By codifying suicide attempts as part of significant medical incidents, the bill ensures heightened attention and appropriate response by DFPS and related entities.
The bill does not create new programs or expand the authority of DFPS, but enhances existing reporting practices to better inform the Legislature, stakeholders, and the public about the challenges faced by youth in state conservatorship.
The originally filed version of HB 2809 proposed amending Section 264.017(b) of the Family Code to require the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to add a new reporting metric: the number of children who attempted suicide while in the department’s managing conservatorship. It also amended Section 264.018(a)(4) to include suicide attempts within the definition of a "significant change in medical condition," ensuring that suicide attempts would be recognized as major medical events requiring appropriate notification.
The most notable change in the Committee Substitute was a revision of the deadline for submitting the annual report. In the originally filed version, DFPS was required to publish its report by February 1 each year. In the substitute version, that deadline is pushed to August 1. This six-month extension provides DFPS additional time to collect and verify the more detailed and sensitive data, such as suicide attempts, ensuring better accuracy and completeness.
Otherwise, the structure and substantive policy content of the bill remained the same between the filed version and the Committee Substitute. Both versions maintain the added suicide attempt reporting and the revised definition of significant medical condition without expanding or altering the scope of DFPS’s authority beyond public reporting and internal notification.
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Rep. Toni Rose
