AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill that aims to increase the number of places new parents can safely surrender infants.
Back in 1999, Texas was the first state in the U.S. to pass a so-called "Safe Haven" law – sometimes referred to as a "Baby Moses Law" in other states – to allow new parents to legally give up an infant they don't feel prepared to care for. But Texas' law hasn't been updated since it was passed more than 20 years ago.
Senate Bill 780 seeks to expand the state's Baby Moses Law. New parents can currently surrender an infant at certain "Safe Haven" locations, including hospitals, free-standing emergency centers and emergency medical services stations. The bill would add fire and police departments to that list.
The bill would also allow these locations to install a "newborn safety device," often referred to as a "baby box," where the infant can be placed.
Under the bill, these climate-controlled devices would need to be located inside a facility that is staffed 24 hours a day and be placed in an area visible to employees. They would also need to contain an alarm that would sound when an infant is placed inside, and the facility would be required to regularly test the alarm to make sure it is working.
If Senate Bill 780 makes its way to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk and is signed into law, it will go into effect on Sept. 1.