Texas House Bill HB2307

Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Caption

Relating to requiring entities that provide mental health services to veterans to provide military cultural competency training to personnel to accept a grant from a state agency.

Impact

The bill amends both the Government Code and the Health and Safety Code, establishing a clear guideline that prohibits state agencies from awarding grants to entities that fail to meet the new competency training requirement. This legislative action is intended to enhance the quality of mental health care provided to veterans by requiring that service personnel undergo specific training related to military culture. This change represents a broader commitment from the state to address veterans' mental health issues more effectively.

Summary

House Bill 2307 mandates that any entity providing mental health services to veterans must offer military cultural competency training to its personnel. This requirement is pivotal to ensuring that mental health providers are equipped to understand and appropriately serve the unique needs of veterans. The bill seeks to improve the effectiveness of mental health services by fostering better communication and understanding between providers and veteran clients.

Contention

A notable point of contention that may arise regarding HB2307 is the implementation of military cultural competency training. Stakeholders may debate the adequacy and scope of such training, raising questions about how the training will be developed, who will provide it, and its effectiveness in practice. Additionally, concerns could emerge about potential impacts on organizations that may struggle to comply with the new requirements due to resource limitations or lack of training infrastructure.