| 1 | 1 | | S.B. No. 1325 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to the creation of a mental health intervention program |
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| 6 | 6 | | for military veterans. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety |
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| 9 | 9 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 1001.076 to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | Sec. 1001.076. MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM FOR VETERANS. (a) In |
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| 11 | 11 | | this section, "veteran" means a person who: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (1) has served in: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (A) the army, navy, air force, coast guard, or |
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| 14 | 14 | | marine corps of the United States; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (B) the state military forces as defined by |
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| 16 | 16 | | Section 431.001, Government Code; or |
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| 17 | 17 | | (C) an auxiliary service of one of those branches |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the armed forces; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) has been honorably discharged from the branch of |
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| 20 | 20 | | the service in which the person served. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The department shall develop a mental health |
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| 22 | 22 | | intervention program for veterans. The program must provide for |
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| 23 | 23 | | peer-to-peer counseling. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) The department shall solicit and train volunteers to |
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| 25 | 25 | | provide the peer-to-peer counseling. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. The Department of State Health Services shall |
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| 27 | 27 | | develop the mental health intervention program for veterans as |
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| 28 | 28 | | required by Section 1001.076, Health and Safety Code, as added by |
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| 29 | 29 | | this Act, not later than January 1, 2010. |
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| 30 | 30 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 31 | 31 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 32 | 32 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 35 | 35 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 36 | 36 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 37 | 37 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1325 passed the Senate on |
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| 38 | 38 | | April 15, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. |
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| 39 | 39 | | ______________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1325 passed the House on |
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| 42 | 42 | | May 26, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 0, one |
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| 43 | 43 | | present not voting. |
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| 44 | 44 | | ______________________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 46 | 46 | | Approved: |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Date |
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| 49 | 49 | | ______________________________ |
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| 50 | 50 | | Governor |
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