SB 513 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to a rural community-based care pilot program.

SB 513 establishes a pilot program to expand community-based child welfare services in rural Texas counties meeting specific population criteria (at least two-thirds of counties in a region having 50,000 or fewer residents). The bill requires the state child welfare department to partner with a locally selected lead entity - either a community nonprofit with resident-led governance or a local government - to implement the program. Key provisions include prioritizing community engagement, improving child welfare outcomes through innovative service delivery, and developing a sustainable model for rural areas. The program became effective September 1, 2025, after passing both legislative chambers and receiving the Governor’s signature.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Nov 2024

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

May 2025

Introduced Nov 26, 2024 Signed May 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 4 edits · May 13, 2025

MODERATE

The bill transitioned from a draft version to its final enrolled form, with the primary substantive change being the addition of a new Section 264.185 establishing a Community Alliance for stakeholder engagement and governance. The text was also reformatted to remove draft markup symbols and standardize the layout while retaining all core policy provisions regarding rural community-based care pilot programs.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on establishing a rural community-based care pilot program under the Texas Family Code, with no changes to the program's fundamental purpose or target population.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 264.185 requiring the department and lead entity to establish a Community Alliance with local families, representatives from related sectors, and other stakeholders to provide a forum for community participation and governance.

TECHNICAL

Removed draft markup symbols and formatting artifacts from the text to produce a clean, final version suitable for official publication.

Added a note at the top indicating the digital content has been updated to align with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Standardized spacing and formatting throughout the document to match official enrolled bill conventions.

Introduced → Engrossed · 7 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten from its original draft to create a comprehensive rural community-based care pilot program. The new version adds detailed operational requirements, expands the scope of services, introduces new governance structures, and establishes specific timelines for implementation and reporting. These changes aim to create a more robust framework for delivering child welfare services in rural areas while ensuring accountability and community engagement.

Scope change

The bill's scope was significantly expanded from a basic pilot program framework to include detailed operational procedures, funding mechanisms, workforce development, data management, and comprehensive reporting requirements. The applicability remains focused on rural regions but with more specific eligibility criteria and implementation standards.

REQUIREMENT

Added new sections for community alliance governance, data management systems, workforce development plans, conflict resolution processes, and change order procedures to ensure program accountability and flexibility.

FISCAL

Modified funding requirements to include specific provisions for rural cost factors like transportation, staff recruitment, and network building, with options for capitated funding models and financial risk-sharing mechanisms.

TIMELINE

Added specific deadlines for program development report (January 1, 2027), annual implementation reports (December 1, 2028 and annually), program review (September 1, 2031), and program expiration (September 1, 2031).

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'community-based care' and modified the 'eligible rural region' definition to clarify the bid/no-bid criteria for rural areas.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions for independent post-implementation evaluation, confidentiality protections, privileged communications, and compliance with court orders to ensure program oversight and legal compliance.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified lead entity qualifications to include specific selection criteria focusing on community support, collaborative experience, and coordination capacity with local organizations.

TECHNICAL

Added detailed technical requirements for electronic case management systems, data sharing protocols, and security measures to support program operations.

Floor votes · House Apr 28, 2025

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 13, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor

executive

May 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed in the House

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed in the Senate

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

House passage reported

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report sent to Calendars

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report distributed

lower

Apr 28, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (143-1-1)

house

Apr 25, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Committee

Referred to Human Services

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Introduced

Received from the Senate

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee report printed and distributed

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably as substituted

upper

Mar 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Vote taken in committee

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

Left pending in committee

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

Testimony taken in committee

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Referred to Health & Human Services

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

upper

2 primary · 3 co-sponsors