SB1130 as engrossed West | et al. , Relating to the establishment of a task force on father engagement in this state.
LBB Fiscal Note Summary. No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Bill Summary and Analysis. The bill would amend Chapters 265 of the Family Code to establish a task force on father engagement with members appointed by the governor. The task force would receive reports and testimony on father engagement, study its social and economic impact, develop strategies related to improving father engagement, and produce a report on the task force’s findings and recommendations by September 1, 2020. The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) would be required to provide administrative support to the task force. DFPS, the Office of the Governor, and the Department of State Health Services determined that the provisions of the bill could be implemented using existing resources. The bill would take effect September 1, 2019. The task force would be abolished and the bill would expire September 1, 2021.
Representative Deshotel (for Representative Dutton) explained the bill. Research by the Child and Family Research Partnership at The University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs shows that involved fatherhood is linked to better outcomes on nearly every measure of child wellbeing. Children who grow up with involved fathers are 39 percent more likely to earn mostly A’s in school, 45 percent less likely to repeat a grade, 60 percent less likely to be suspended or expelled from school, twice as likely to attend college and find stable employment after high school, 75 percent less likely to have a teen birth, and 80 percent less likely to spend time in jail. Additionally, healthy father involvement can serve as a protective factor against maltreatment. Fathers who take on early important parenting responsibilities develop connections with their children that guard against potential maltreatment.
Unfortunately, research shows that fathers are all too often not present in a child’s life. In 2016, 40 percent of all births were to unmarried women. Unmarried parents together at the time of their baby’s birth often have high hopes for marriage, but these relationships are fragile and about half of parents who were unmarried and living together at their child’s birth have parted ways by the time their child is five years old. When unmarried parents split, half of fathers do not see their newborns. To better understand and promote the healthy family outcomes associated with involved fathers, S.B. 1130 creates a task force on father engagement.
The task force will be appointed by the governor, include members of the legislature and representatives of the judiciary, state agencies, and relevant policy fields, and will be charged to evaluate services and supports available to fathers in this state, study the impact of father engagement on children, families, and communities in this state, and develop a statewide plan for expanding services and supports available to fathers and other strategies to strengthen father engagement in this state. The task force will report to the legislature by September 1, 2020, and will be abolished on September 1, 2021.
C.S.S.B. 1130 amends current law relating to the establishment of a task force on father engagement in this state.
TESTIMONY.
Lee Nichols, TexProtects testified in support of the bill. He stated that they are particularly interested in the relationship between father engagement and child maltreatment. When fathers are involved, the risk of maltreatment is significantly decreased. If fathers are involved in the child’s life, they are twice as likely to go to college and find stable employment after high school, and are more likely to have good physical and emotional health. Reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors and resiliency through fatherhood can prevent early childhood trauma. Many fathers face barriers to parental engagement. These include economic instability, mental health and substance use, involvement in the criminal justice system in poor co-parenting relationships, etc. Men facing these challenges often have poor father figures themselves and are looking to break the cycles with their own children. This is a necessary step for strengthening Texas families.
Patricio Ortiz, Compadre y Compadre Program spoke in support of the bill. He stated that in their program, they work with fathers and male caregivers of children and youth in the area. A significant percentage of participating fathers have a CPS case. Another small percentage have elected to join voluntarily for personal reasons. It is a 15-week program which uses the Nurturing Fathers curriculum to inform caregivers on nonviolent discipline, appropriate boundaries, stress management, self-awareness, etc. It includes a “boot camp” to educate fathers on playing with their children, changing diapers, meal preparation, and more. They stress the importance of understanding the impact of child abuse and neglect. They use props and dolls to teach fathers how to hold children in a way that will protect their heads if they are crying. He stated that some fathers will get frustrated with the crying and they might shake the child, and this can cause infant deaths. They teach fathers how important it is to care for, and nurture, their children. They work with communities in schools to educate teen fathers. In working with the holistic family, we can work to address the root cause of child abuse and neglect.
The Chair stated that he would like to amend the bill to look at what the state does that pushes fathers out the door, financially speaking, and that he will be offering an amendment on the floor.
Representative Deshotel closed on the bill.
The bill was left pending on May 14th.
Find the full report on the meeting of the House Committee on Human Services here.
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