Lawmakers from a central Texas county where a foster child's death drew calls for better care programs have been asked to provide state funding to make that happen.
Williamson County Commissioner Lisa Birkman asked state legislators at a Tuesday meeting to set aside funds for pilot programs to improve foster care.
She says the county attorney often can't get a file on a foster case until the day before a court hearing. State Rep. Tony Dale says Williamson County will be the first to participate in a pilot program that shares foster care information with county attorneys.
The Austin American-Statesman (http://bit.ly/11TT0tF ) reports Birkman also has established a task force to study foster care in Williamson County.
Last month, Sherill Small was sentenced to life in prison in the 2013 fatal beating of her 2-year-old foster daughter, Alexandria Hill.
