A federal judge is fining Texas $100,000 daily until the state can prove it can properly handle allegations of abuse and neglect raised by children in the state’s foster care system.
The hefty fine comes as U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack has decided to hold the Texas Health and Human Services Agency in contempt of her orders to reform how the state investigates complaints. The daily fine will be lifted when Texas can show its inquiries can comply with the ruling.
In the ruling, the judge slammed the agency’s Provider Investigations unit for being unable to conduct thorough, accurate, and timely investigations of allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
“As demonstrated by the stories of the children and PI’s failure to take any action to remedy the egregious flaws identified by the Monitors, PI represents a significant, systemic
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