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The Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee has been given four specific issues to study during the Interim:
1. Examine the roles of an attorney ad litem and guardian ad litem in certain suits affecting the parent-child relationships. A guardian ad litem or attorney ad litem may be appointed by the Court to represent the interests of a child whose parents are locked in a contentious battle for custody, or to protect a child's interests in a lawsuit where there are allegations of child abuse. Sometimes they are called court-appointed special advocates (CASAs)
2. Review juvenile offense cases under the progressive sanctions' guidelines. Some counties across the State are adhering very closely to the guidelines on progressive sanctions while other counties are deviating from the guidelines. The Committee will be looking at both approaches to see whether recidivism (returning to prison after release) rates may have been affected. Progressive sanctions range from a Level One which is the least restrictive punishment up to a Level Seven, which would result in commitment in a Texas Youth Commission facility.
3. Examine the role of gestational agreements and their potential impact on Texas Family Law. Gestational agreements refer to any type of "assisted reproduction" such as artificial insemination, transfer of gametes (eggs or sperm), embryos and in-vitro fertilization. The Committee will study how changing technology in reproduction can affect Texas Family Law.
4. Review state and local school district efforts to deal with problems of truancy, dropouts, and disruptive behavior including in-school and out-of-school suspensions. The review will include examination of outcomes in alternative education, disciplinary alternative education and juvenile justice alternative education programs and the effects of these programs on the educational progress of students who are removed from the regular classroom.
The Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee will have its first meeting in April. I would appreciate your input on any of these issues. Your comments will be forwarded to the Committee. Please write my Capitol office at P. O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768.
State Representative Ron Clark
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
(903) 893-9426 * (512) 463-0474
(512) 475-3767 (fax)
ron.clark@house.state.tx.us
http://www.grayson.edu/district62/RonClark.html
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