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Senate committee adopts substitute to expand human‑trafficking screening for children in state care
Summary
The Senate Committee on Health & Human Services adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 451 to require broader screening for human‑trafficking risk among children in the custody of the Department of Family and Protective Services and those under Texas Juvenile Justice Department jurisdiction; the bill was left pending for later action.
The Senate Committee on Health & Human Services on a voice vote adopted a committee substitute to House Bill 451, which would require universal screening for human‑trafficking risk for children in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and those under the jurisdiction of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD).
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bryan Paxton, told the committee the measure would expand the use of an existing, validated screening tool selected by the governor’s child trafficking team to identify children at risk and connect them to care coordination teams that cover about 95% of the state. “This bill expands the utilization of screening for risk or signs of commercial sexual exploitation to all children…
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