KOLKHORST TO CHAIR SPECIAL SENATE COMMITTEE ON CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
(courtesy Office of Lois Kolkhorst)
On the heels of disturbing reports of abuse at a Residential Care Facility in Bastrop, Senator Lois Kolkhorst has been appointed by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to chair a Senate Special Committee on Child Protective Services.
The committee will examine all possible actions for immediate action, correction, and reform.
Kolkhorst, the current Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee said, “Systemic failures to protect the most vulnerable children such as this will not be tolerated in the state of Texas.”
Kolkhorst has been involved in residential treatment center reform legislation after her office received numerous inquiries.
The inquiries involved a residential treatment center in Wallis, and an incident in New Ulm, where a child under the care of staff with the Five Oaks Residential Treatment Center escaped and set fire to a nearby residence.
In 2019, Kolkhorst authored and passed Senate Bill 781 with bi-partisan support that changed how these treatment centers are licensed and operated across the state.
After a long battle, both facilities in Wallis and New Ulm had their licenses revoked, and their operations were ended.
In 2021, the Legislature passed comprehensive legislation working to reform the CPS system, but that work has not yet fully been implemented.
Kolkhorst added, “It is time to do a complete and decisive inward look into the operations of the Department of Family and Protective Services and its ability to ensure the safety of children in the state’s care.”