Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB19 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: King of Taylor, Burkett H.B. No. 19
2		-	(Senate Sponsor - Campbell)
3		-	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 2015;
4		-	May 14, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Veteran
5		-	Affairs and Military Installations; May 21, 2015, reported
6		-	favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent
7		-	to printer.)
	1	+	H.B. No. 19
8	2
9	3
10		-	COMMITTEE VOTE
11		-	YeaNayAbsentPNV
12		-	CampbellX
13		-	BurtonX
14		-	BirdwellX
15		-	GarciaX
16		-	HallX
17		-	LucioX
18		-	RodríguezX
19		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
20	4		AN ACT
21	5		relating to a preventive services program and mental health
22	6		programs for veterans and military families.
23	7		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
24	8		SECTION 1. Subtitle E, Title 2, Human Resources Code, is
25	9		amended by adding Chapter 53 to read as follows:
26	10		CHAPTER 53. PREVENTIVE SERVICES FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES
27	11		Sec. 53.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
28	12		(1) "Department" means the Department of Family and
29	13		Protective Services.
30	14		(2) "Veteran" means a person who has served in:
31	15		(A) the army, navy, air force, coast guard, or
32	16		marine corps of the United States;
33	17		(B) the state military forces as defined by
34	18		Section 431.001, Government Code; or
35	19		(C) an auxiliary service of one of those branches
36	20		of the armed forces.
37	21		Sec. 53.002. VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES PREVENTIVE
38	22		SERVICES PROGRAM. (a) The department shall develop and implement a
39	23		preventive services program to serve veterans and military families
40	24		who have committed or experienced or who are at a high risk of:
41	25		(1) family violence; or
42	26		(2) abuse or neglect.
43	27		(b) The program must:
44	28		(1) be designed to coordinate with community-based
45	29		organizations to provide prevention services;
46	30		(2) include a prevention component and an early
47	31		intervention component;
48	32		(3) include collaboration with services for child
49	33		welfare, services for early childhood education, and other child
50	34		and family services programs; and
51	35		(4) coordinate with the community collaboration
52	36		initiative developed under Subchapter I, Chapter 434, Government
53	37		Code, and committees formed by local communities as part of that
54	38		initiative.
55	39		(c) The program must be established initially as a pilot
56	40		program in areas of the state in which the department considers the
57	41		implementation practicable. The department shall evaluate the
58	42		outcomes of the pilot program and ensure that the program is
59	43		producing positive results before implementing the program
60	44		throughout the state.
61	45		(d) The department shall evaluate the program and prepare an
62	46		annual report on the outcomes of the program. The department shall
63	47		publish the report on the department's Internet website.
64	48		SECTION 2. Chapter 434, Government Code, is amended by
65	49		adding Subchapters H and I to read as follows:
66	50		SUBCHAPTER H. STATEWIDE COORDINATION OF MENTAL HEALTH
67	51		PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
68	52		Sec. 434.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
69	53		(1) "Commission" means the Texas Veterans Commission.
70	54		(2) "Peer" means a person who is a veteran or a
71	55		veteran's family member.
72	56		(3) "Veteran" means a person who has served in:
73	57		(A) the army, navy, air force, coast guard, or
74	58		marine corps of the United States;
75	59		(B) the state military forces as defined by
76	60		Section 431.001; or
77	61		(C) an auxiliary service of one of those branches
78	62		of the armed forces.
79	63		(4) "Volunteer coordinator" means a person who
80	64		recruits and retains veterans, peers, and volunteers to participate
81	65		in the mental health program for veterans and related activities.
82	66		Sec. 434.352. DUTIES. (a) The commission and the
83	67		Department of State Health Services shall coordinate to administer
84	68		the mental health program for veterans developed under Chapter
85	69		1001, Health and Safety Code.
86	70		(b) For the mental health program for veterans, the
87	71		commission shall:
88	72		(1) provide training to volunteer coordinators and
89	73		peers in accordance with Section 434.353;
90	74		(2) provide technical assistance to volunteer
91	75		coordinators and peers;
92	76		(3) recruit, train, and communicate with
93	77		community-based therapists, community-based organizations, and
94	78		faith-based organizations; and
95	79		(4) coordinate services for justice involved
96	80		veterans.
97	81		(c) The executive director of the commission shall appoint a
98	82		program director to administer the mental health program for
99	83		veterans.
100	84		(d) The commission shall provide appropriate facilities in
101	85		support of the mental health program for veterans to the extent
102	86		funding is available for that purpose.
103	87		Sec. 434.353. TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION. (a) The
104	88		commission shall develop and implement methods for providing
105	89		volunteer coordinator certification training to volunteer
106	90		coordinators, including providing training for initial
107	91		certification and recertification and providing continuing
108	92		education.
109	93		(b) The commission shall manage and coordinate the peer
110	94		training program to include initial training, advanced training,
111	95		certification, and continuing education for peers associated with
112	96		the mental health program for veterans.
113	97		SUBCHAPTER I. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION INITIATIVE
114	98		Sec. 434.401. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION. (a) The commission
115	99		and the Department of State Health Services shall include as a part
116	100		of the mental health program for veterans described by Section
117	101		434.352(a) an initiative to encourage local communities to conduct
118	102		cross-sector collaboration to synchronize locally accessible
119	103		resources available for veterans and military service members.
120	104		(b) The initiative must be designed to encourage local
121	105		communities to form a committee that is tasked with developing a
122	106		plan to identify and support the needs of veterans and military
123	107		service members residing in their community. The commission may
124	108		designate general areas of focus for the initiative.
125	109		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
126	110		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
127	111		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
128	112		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
129	113		Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
130		-	* * * * *
	114	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	115	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	116	+	I certify that H.B. No. 19 was passed by the House on May 11,
	117	+	2015, by the following vote: Yeas 131, Nays 5, 1 present, not
	118	+	voting.
	119	+	______________________________
	120	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	121	+	I certify that H.B. No. 19 was passed by the Senate on May 24,
	122	+	2015, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 1.
	123	+	______________________________
	124	+	Secretary of the Senate
	125	+	APPROVED: _____________________
	126	+	Date
	127	+	_____________________
	128	+	Governor