HBA-ATS S.C.R. 79 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.C.R. 79 By: Ratliff Juvenile Justice and Family Issues 5/25/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In the past 18 months, deadly shootings in public schools throughout the United States have occurred in Jonesboro, Arkansas, West Paducah, Kentucky, and Springfield, Oregon, and, most recently, in Littleton, Colorado. Although these shootings represent rare manifestations of violence, they point to an atmosphere of potential violence that exists in communities and schools. Failure to confront the issue of school violence and to examine its causes may lead to similar incidents in Texas schools. In fact, students in Texas schools have recently been found with plans to commit various acts of violence against students and teachers. Incidents of youth violence in school are occurring with alarming frequency. Violent youth are characterized by conditions such as disconnectedness from family and schoolmates, low self-esteem, depression, and uncontrollable anger and rage. Whether due to negative cultural influences exhibited through violent television programming, music, video games, and gangs and to the widespread accessibility to guns, violence has become an intimate and regular component of the lives of these troubled children. National attention has focused on strategies to reduce easy access to guns, control negative cultural influences, establish tighter school security, improve parenting skills, develop early intervention methods, and deliver mental health services. These strategies are designed to alleviate the conditions that characterize troubled youth, diminish violent cultural influences, and restrict access to weapons. However, a need to understand the root causes of violent behaviors and tendencies remains, as does a need to develop effective prevention strategies that will reduce youth violence. S.C.R. 79 directs the Texas Department of Health, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Human Services, the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the Criminal Justice Policy Council, and the attorney general, within their existing resources, to lead an inquiry into youth violence in this state, including the incidence and root causes of such violence and ways by which such violence can be prevented. The inquiry should include, at a minimum, participation of parents, children, classroom teachers, and school counselors. The agencies leading the inquiry are to submit a full report of their findings and recommendations to the 77th Legislature when it convenes in January, 2001. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this resolution does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS S.C.R. 79 directs the Texas Department of Health, in collaboration with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Human Services, the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the Criminal Justice Policy Council, and the attorney general, within their existing resources, to lead an inquiry into youth violence in this state, including the incidence and root causes of such violence and ways by which such violence can be prevented. Provides that this inquiry should include, at a minimum, participation of parents, children, classroom teachers, and school counselors. Provides that the agencies submit a full report of their findings and recommendations to the 77th Legislature when it convenes in January, 2001. Provides that the secretary of state forward an official copy of this resolution to the commissioner of health, the commissioner of education, the commissioner of the Texas Department of Human Services, the commissioner of mental health and mental retardation, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the director of the Department of Public Safety, the executive director of the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the executive director of the Criminal Justice Policy Council, and the attorney general.