Our Recap
This Session, our network developed priorities and key issues, we tracked more bills than ever before, our members testified before State decision-makers, and YOU joined us every step of the way.
This is our Legislative Toolkit that provides a session wrap-up, including information on budget details, major funding initiatives, individual bills that have passed, and the effect to kids and families in Texas.
Did you know?
The 89th Session is the 24th regular legislative session that TACFS has participated in AND 2025 is our 50th Anniversary! We have been celebrating this milestone anniversary all year through our Advocacy Day in January, by telling our story #ontheblog, and through the 50 for 50 Campaign. Read up on our history and learn more about the campaign online at tacfs.org/50for50.
Big Wins for Texas Kids, Families & Providers
Family Support
TACFS strongly supported a comprehensive investment in support for keeping families safely together.
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HB 1 Family First Pilots
Legislators funded $22.9 million to sustain the Texas Family First Pilots and expand eligible populations. These pilots serve families with youth at imminent risk of removal.
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HB 1 Heart Galleries
The budget also included $12 million to sustain the Heart Galleries of Texas. This effort continues funding for 11 regional heart galleries and infuses post-adoption support funding into communities statewide.
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HB 1 Kinship
The legislature funded $3 million to expand kinship family support for children with behavioral health needs.
Mental Health
Our network is advocating for increased access to mental health professionals through Medicaid and expanded mental health services throughout the continuum.
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HB 1 Mobile Crisis
The legislature funded $40 million to HHSC for youth mobile crisis outreach teams.
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HB 1 Capacity & Rates
They also funded $92.6 million for rate increases and expanded capacity at community mental health hospitals.
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HB 1 Credentialing
The budget also includes a directive to HHSC to analyze and implement improvements to the Medicaid credentialing system (the process by which providers become verified to bill through Medicaid).
Liability & Regulatory
We supported sustainability of foster homes and community organizations through targeted liability support and simplified regulations for community-based organizations and SSCCs.
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SB 1558 Liability
This landmark legislation sets a national standard for improved access to liability insurance for Texas providers. It clarifies protection for non-profit providers under the Charitable Immunity and Liability Act and establishes a framework for “good standing."
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HB 2789 SSCCs
Removes CPA Licensure requirements for SSCCs, Tuberculosis testing requirements, minimum liability insurance requirements, trespass posting, and more. This bill is a follow-up to SB 593 from the 89th Legislature.
Statewide Rollout of CBC & T3C
TACFS supported the continued rollout of CBC and T3C, allowing for greater flexibility and creativity to serve high acuity kids and youth.
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HB 1 T3C
Sustained T3C Rates and allocated another $12 million for provider readiness grants.
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HB 1 Expansion
The budget included sustained implementation of current CBC areas and funded expansion into 7A, 7B, 11A, and 11B.
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SB 513 Going West
Legislators approved and funded $5 million for a West Texas CBC Pilot.
89R Bill Tracker
We tracked a record number of bills this session. Filter, sort, and search below by topic below to view bills that passed or failed relating to Texas foster care.
| Bill Number | Author | Status | Caption | TACFS Notes | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 109 | Rose | y | Relating to the construction, expansion, and operation of certain inpatient mental health facilities and the designation of residential treatment facilities for certain juveniles. | Allows DFPS to take over the old Terrell State Hospital in addition to the Waco Center for CWOP | Mental Health |
| HB 1106 | Shaheen | y | Relating to the definitions of child abuse and neglect. | Abuse and neglect definition does not include refusal to affirm general or sexual orientation | Investigations |
| HB 1151 | Hull | y | Relating to neglect of a child and the grounds for termination of the parent-child relationship and possession of a child by the Department of Family and Protective Services. | Alternative health or refusal of psychotropic meds is not abuse/neglect. | Investigations |
| HB 1155 | Hull | n | Relating to monetary assistance provided by the Department of Family and Protective Services to certain parents. | Provide funding to monitored return cases | Foster Care |
| HB 116 | Dutton | y | Relating to grounds for the involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship. | Removes O-Grounds for removal | Investigations |
| HB 1211 | Lujan | y | Relating to tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services. | Have to be enrolled by 27th birthday instead of 25th. | Transition |
| HB 140 | Noble | y | Relating to advisory bodies for the Department of Family and Protective Services, including the creation of the child protective investigations advisory committee and the abolition of the Family and Protective Services Council. | Investigations council at DFPS, abolishes the DFPS council, training/compliance with procedures, public input on concerns, explicitly bars any of us from serving. | Investigations |
| HB 1403 | Harris | y | Relating to the collection and confidentiality of information regarding firearms in agency foster homes; creating a civil penalty. | Disallows CPA/HHSC/DFPS from asking about guns, specifically the types of firewarms or if any changes in firearms occur, financial penalty. | Foster Care |
| Hb 141 | Manuel | n | Relating to the adoption of the revised Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children by the State of Texas; making conforming changes. | ICPC changes | Foster Care |
| HB 1716 | Darby | n | Relating to the provision of counseling services by certain providers under Medicaid and reimbursement for those services. | 50% medicaid billing for licensed professionals under supervision | Medicaid; Regulatory |
| HB 179 | Johnson | n | Relating to elimination of limitations periods for suits for personal injury arising from certain offenses against a child. | Statute of Limitations elimination | Regulatory; Foster Care |
| HB 194 | Toth | n | Relating to the establishment of faith-based child-care facilities. | Faith Based, unlicensed CBC | CBC |
| HB 2070 | Hull | n | Relating to individuals whose name may be added to the central child abuse or neglect registry. | Court order before registry add for RTBs | Investigations |
| HB 215 | Guillen | n | Relating to the payment of support rights and other benefits for a child in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services. | Financial benefits redirected from state to caregiver | Foster Care |
| HB 2216 | Hull | n | Relating to procedures and grounds related to the removal and placement of children, including for terminating the parent-child relationship, for taking possession of a child, and for certain hearings in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed by a governmental entity. | ICWA for All, active efforts required before removal or termination, changed evidentiary standard | Investigations; Foster Care |
| HB 2789 | Frank | y | Relating to the regulation of child welfare, including licensure, community-based care contractors, family homes, and child-care facilities. | SB 593 2.0. no CBC CPA License, TB testing, Liability insurance requirements, etc | Regulatory |
| HB 2809 | Rose | y | Relating to required reporting by the Department of Family and Protective Services regarding youth in the managing conservatorship of the department who attempt suicide. | Report on the number of chidlren in conservatorship who attempt suicide. | Investigations; Foster Care |
| HB 3153 | Kerwin | y | Relating to hiring and employment requirements for persons in direct contact with children at certain facilities. | Background checks and reference checks, includes an exemption that our checks are already sufficient. | Regulatory; Residential Care |
| HB 3597 | Hickland | y | Relating to public hearing requirements for issuing a license for or expanding certain residential child-care facilities. | Public hearing for GROs in counties less than 500,000 | Regulatory; Residential Care |
| HB 3758 | Schatzline | n | Relating to admissibility and disclosure of certain evidence in a civil suit concerning a child alleged to have been abused or neglected or to be at risk of abuse or neglect filed by a governmental entity. | Statements not admissble unless independently confirmed | Investigations |
| HB 3759 | Schatzline | n | Relating to the emergency possession of certain abandoned children by designated emergency infant care providers and the termination of parental rights to those children. | Expand Baby Moses to 1 Year | Invesigations |
| HB 4116 | Davis, Aicha | n | Relating to information made available to a relative or other designated caregiver. | Written info to kin caregivers on available services/programs to support | Kinship |
| HB 4129 | Davis, Aicha | y | Relating to the contract requirements for a contract between a single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services. | DFPS must implement formal measures to ensure quality, including financial interventions, quality improvement plans, etc | Regulator; CBC |
| HB 451 | Thompson | y | Relating to a screening for the risk of commercial sexual exploitation of certain children. | CSE-it when age appropriate | Prevention |
| HB 4655 | Hull | y | Relating to the Preparation for Adult Living Program and other services for foster children transitioning to independent living. | PAL include additional financial info, including credit scores, payday loans, title loans, interet rates, bank account, motor vehicle purchase info, etc. | Transition; Foster Care |
| HB 4730 | Hull | n | Relating to the voluntary relinquishment of parental rights, adoption, and the regulation of child-placing agencies. | Modifies requirements and timelines for voluntary relinquishment | Investigations |
| HB 475 | Johnson | n | Relating to Medicaid coverage and reimbursement for multisystemic therapy services. | MST as a Medicaid Benefit | Medicaid; Mental Health |
| HB 488 | Johnson | n | Relating to Medicaid coverage and reimbursement for functional family therapy services. | FFT as a Medicaid Benefit | Medicaid; Mental Health |
| HB 5302 | Schatzline | n | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Post-adoption Assistance Program. | Grant Program for post-adoption | Adoption; Prevention |
| HB 5394 | Rose | y | Relating to prohibiting single source continuum contractors and child-placing agencies from imposing certain requirements on or adopting certain policies and procedures related to relative and designated caregivers. | Prohibit additional requirements on kinship caregivers | CBC; Kinship |
| HB 741 | Gervin-Hawkins | n | Relating to the procedures for the removal of certain children in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services and monetary assistance provided by the Department of Family and Protective Services to certain relative or designated caregivers. | Can't remove a child from a kin placement during an investigation except in special circumstances | Kinship; Investigations |
| SB 1148 | Sparks | n | Relating to required training for caregivers to children, including foster parents. | 10 hours additional caregiver training | Regulatory; Foster Care |
| SB 1195 | Birdwell | n | Relating to the procedures for removing names from the central registry of child abuse and neglect. | Removal from child abuse registry | Investigations |
| SB 1196 | Birdwell | n | Relating to the procedures and notice required before an individual's name is added to the central child abuse or neglect registry. | SOAH finding required before addition to the registry | Investigations |
| SB 1398 | Kolkhorst | y | Relating to certain procedures in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship for a child placed in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services and the provision of family preservation services and community-based foster care. | Future of Family Preservation Services | Prevention |
| SB 1558 | Perry | y | Relating to the liability of nonprofit entities contracted with the Department of Family and Protective Services or with a single source continuum contractor to provide community-based care or child welfare services. | Liability Insurance protections for Non-profit foster care providers | Regulatory; CBC |
| SB 1589 | Hancock | y | Relating to the contract requirements for a contract between a single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services. | Individual or wholesale Case mangement takeover by DFPS | CBC |
| SB 162 | Menendez | n | Relating to the eligibility of a relative or other designated caregiver of a foster child for monetary assistance. | Removes requirement for kin caregivers to be verified to access full foster care rate | Kinship |
| SB 2018 | Paxton | y | Relating to the strong families credit against certain taxes for entities that contribute to certain organizations. | Allows tax breaks for contributions to orgs that serve at-risk families | CBC |
| SB 2032 | Paxton | y | Relating to certain requirements regarding a contract between a single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services. | SSCC/DFPS can't terminate without 180 days notice, may enter into contract with another SSCC to take over | CBC |
| SB 2034 | Paxton | y | Relating to the receivership of a single-source continuum contractor providing child welfare services. | Allows for SSCC receivership in limited circumstances | CBC |
| SB 2165 | Parker | y | Relating to prohibiting the dismissal of certain suits affecting the parent-child relationship involving the Department of Family and Protective Services. | Can't close legal cases while child is on runaway | Regulatory; Foster Care |
| SB 2306 | Parker | y | Relating to the provision of adoption cost information by a licensed child-placing agency. | Requires adoption costs for CPAs to be posted online | Adoption |
| SB 2454 | Hancock | n | Relating to the rights and responsibilities of a foster parent. | Foster Parent bill of rights | Foster Care |
| SB 498 | Sparks | n | Relating to the Licensed Professional Counselors Compact; authorizing fees. | Join the multi-state LPC Compact | Regulatory |
| SB 513 | Sparks | y | Relating to a rural community-based care pilot program. | CBC pilot in West Texas | CBC |
| SB 607 | West | n | Relating to monetary assistance provided by the Department of Family and Protective Services to certain parental child safety placement caregivers. | PCSP financial assistance | Foster Care |
| SB 835 | Paxton | y | Relating to the enforceability of certain nondisclosure or confidentiality provisions with respect to an act of sexual abuse. | Disallows NDAs in sex abuse settlements | Investigations |
| SB 855 | Sparks | y | Relating to the authority of certain medical consenters to assume financial responsibility for certain out-of-network medical care provided to children in foster care. | Allows foster parents to pay out of pocket for services outside of medicaid. | Foster Care; Medicaid |
