Texas lawmakers forming panel to examine FLDS raid

LET THE INVESTIGATIONS BEGIN!

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705289880,00.html

The Texas State Legislature is forming a special subcommittee to take a second look at the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch.

At the start of a hearing of the Texas House Human Services Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, announced the formation of the subcommittee.

"The situation in Eldorado over the interim presented real challenges for the department and real challenges for the state," Rose said. "A lot of us have been talking about those issues during the interim."

Rose said the subcommittee will schedule hearings in the coming weeks and would present a final report to the legislative committee, but he did not say what its specific focus would be.

"Those of us who are on the committee … care deeply about what we can learn, what lessons learned from that experience are," he said.

Members of the Subcommittee on Investigations of Abuse and Neglect of Children and Interagency Cooperation will include Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin; Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston; and Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo.

"Although it is unlikely that we will see an investigation of this size and scope again, it is important that we hear from caseworkers, law enforcement officers and local elected officials to learn how each of these groups and relevant agencies can better cooperate in investigations of abuse and neglect," Naishtat said Tuesday. "It is important that the state learn from this experience to better protect Texas children."