By: Lopez H.B. No. 566       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to requiring trauma training for certain attorneys.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 107.004, Family Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (b-1) and adding Subsections (b-2), (b-3), and   (b-4) to read as follows:          (b-1)  An attorney who is on the list maintained by the court   as being qualified for appointment as an attorney ad litem for a   child in a child protection case must:                (1)  complete at least three hours of continuing legal   education relating to the representation of a child in a proceeding   under Subtitle E each year before the anniversary date of the   attorney's listing; and                (2)  provide proof that the attorney has completed a   training program regarding trauma-informed care and the effect of   trauma on children in the conservatorship of the Department of   Family and Protective Services.          (b-2)  The training described by Subsection (b-1)(2) may   satisfy the training requirement under Subsection (b-1)(1) in a   year in which an attorney completes the training.          (b-3)  An attorney described by Subsection (b-1) shall   complete the training required by Subsection (b-1)(2) as soon as   practicable after the attorney is placed on the list described by   Subsection (b-1).          (b-4)  The training required by Subsection (b-1)(2) must be   designed to educate an attorney regarding the attorney's duty under   Subsection (d-3) and include information regarding:                (1)  the symptoms of trauma and the impact that trauma   has on a child, including how trauma may affect a child's   development, emotions, memories, behavior, and decision-making;                (2)  attachment and how a lack of attachment may affect   a child;                (3)  the role that trauma-informed care and services   can have in a child's ability to build connections, feel safe, and   regulate the child's emotions to help the child build resiliency   and overcome the effects of trauma and adverse childhood   experiences;                (4)  the importance of screening children for trauma   and the risk of mislabeling and inappropriate treatment of children   without proper screening, including the risk associated with   increasing the use of psychotropic medication;                (5)  the potential for re-traumatization of children in   the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective   Services; and                (6)  the availability of:                      (A)  research-supported, trauma-informed,   non-pharmacological interventions; and                      (B)  trauma-informed advocacy to increase a   child's access, while the child is in the conservatorship of the   Department of Family and Protective Services, to:                            (i)  trauma-informed care; and                            (ii)  trauma-informed mental and behavioral   health services.          SECTION 2.  An attorney who is on the list maintained by a   court as being qualified for appointment as an attorney ad litem for   a child in a child protection case on the effective date of this Act   shall complete the training required by Section 107.004(b-1)(2),   Family Code, as added by this Act, not later than September 1, 2022.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021