SEN. KOLKHORST’S RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER REFORM BILL CLEARS SENATE
Following the recent arrest of a youth from the Bluebonnet Haven youth treatment facility, State Senator Lois Kolkhorst has announced her treatment center reform bill has passed the Senate.
Senate Bill 781 passed the Senate last week on a unanimous vote, and now sits with the House where Representative Ben Leman (R-Anderson) will seek final passage. The bill intends to bring major reform to the process of how youth centers are licensed and operated across the state.
Kolkhorst said she wrote the bill to strengthen the requirements necessary to obtain a license to open any new facility. The legislation requires a facility to hold a public hearing so the community is fully informed and heard as the youth center seeks licensing. It also lists specific violations that will lead to license probation, suspension, and revocation.
Kolkhorst said all proposed centers will be required to create a community engagement plan, in order to avoid the challenges seen in Austin County with the now-defunct Five Oaks Achievement Center and the newly opened Bluebonnet Haven in Washington County.
The engagement plan must include both an operational plan and an educational plan that consider local community review and feedback, including impacts on local schools and law enforcement. Another change outlined requires collaboration between the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and state health officials before a center is licensed.
Last Thursday night, Brenham police were called to the 4000 block of Highway 36 South to a report of a runaway. According to police reports, the female juvenile suspect threatened Officer Andrea Norton with a pipe. The subject was arrested for Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant after an altercation occurred. Police were instructed to release the suspect back to the facility until her court appearance.
Kolkhorst said, as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, she is dedicated to the safety of all children in CPS and foster care. She said the state “must see that the system does not fail either our children or our communities”.
I know a lot of people are in an uproar about this new treatment facility. Let’s give it a chance.
There are other youth facilities in Washington Co. that have had runaways but it wasn’t in the news. One girl went to an elderly ladies home and said she was mistreated at one of the good facilities. She later said she was just making that up to run away further.
If we had kids or grandkids that needed a place to go when they were in trouble, wouldn’t we want them to have a place to go. I know they have some kids that cause trouble but let us try to support them rather than just get upset about things so quickly.
I do think this bill will be good as they need better regulation.
Give them a chance and support them before being so quick to judge.
Good news, thank you Senator Kolkhorst for trying to do something about this situation.