SB 513 proposes rural pilot for community‑based child‑welfare care after no bidders in West Texas regions

Senate Bill 513 was presented as a pilot program to adapt community‑based care (CBC) models for rural regions where the current single‑contractor CBC procurement has failed to attract bidders.

Sponsor testimony (Senator Sparks) explained that when the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) opened bidding for CBC in Regions 9 and 10 (West Texas), no providers applied. The sponsor said as a result many children are placed out of region due to service capacity limits — citing that roughly 60–62% of children from those catchment areas are placed outside the region — and that the pilot would let local nonprofits or government entities lead a regionally driven planning and phased implementation effort.

Invited witnesses from local organizations and coalitions — including Michael Redden (New Horizons Ranch and Center), Brandon Logan (One Accord for Kids / West Texas Together), and others — described multi‑year local planning efforts, the need to factor rural service costs and transportation into rate models, and the necessity of leveraging existing local nonprofits as backbone organizations. Witnesses said the pilot's design would start with regional planning and a phased approach focused on design and recruitment to reduce upfront fiscal exposure; the sponsor signaled a committee substitute to support phased implementation and rate adjustments.

The committee left SB 513 pending for public testimony later in the hearing. Supporters emphasized local control and provider recruitment; industry and rate design questions remain to be addressed in subsequent drafting and fiscal analysis.