85R34624 BPG-D
By: Price H.R. No. 2726
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Sandra Talton rendered outstanding service as the
committee director for the House Select Committee on Mental Health
during the 2016 interim and for the House Committee on Public Health
during the 85th Legislative Session; and
WHEREAS, While serving the select committee, Ms. Talton ably
assisted its chair, State Representative Four Price, and the
members of the committee; she helped them conduct eight
comprehensive days of hearings, which covered every aspect of the
mental health and substance use disorder issues that the committee
was assigned to study; the members heard testimony from the public
and expert witnesses from diverse professional fields, including
health care, law enforcement, and the judiciary, and Ms. Talton
provided crucial support in securing input from urban, suburban,
and rural areas alike; in carrying out its duties, the committee
examined a wide range of subjects, among them the early
identification of mental illness, insurance, and access to
treatment; moreover, she assisted in the committee's study of
specific populations, such as children, veterans, the homeless, and
persons incarcerated in the criminal justice system or confined to
state mental facilities; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Talton made on-site visits to several state,
county, and private mental health treatment facilities throughout
the state, and she conducted numerous meetings with stakeholders,
including county and law enforcement associations and mental health
advocacy organizations; in addition, she served as initial drafter
and editor of the comprehensive report that the committee produced
summarizing its findings and recommendations; the report contains
the signatures of all committee members, and it received widespread
acclaim from media and behavioral health stakeholders; and
WHEREAS, In her role as committee director of the House
Committee on Public Health, Ms. Talton ably assisted Chair Price
and the members in hearing 161 items of legislation, including more
than half of all filed sunset bills; the committee had a total of
329 bills and resolutions referred to it, the third-largest total
of legislative measures referred among all house committees; it has
jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to the protection of
public health, mental health, the development of programs, and the
prevention and treatment of mental illness, as well as oversight of
the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas
Department of State Health Services, and 22 other health or
health-related state agencies; and
WHEREAS, Prior to these committee director assignments,
Ms. Talton assisted Representative Price as lead staffer in his
work as chair of the Article II Subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee and in his work as co-chair of the Health
and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee,
which is monitoring the reorganization of the Texas Health and
Human Services Commission; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of Harding University, Ms. Talton was a
member of its honors American Studies Program, and she also holds a
master of business administration degree from Texas State
University; she is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society; and
WHEREAS, Throughout her service as committee director,
Sandra Talton demonstrated consummate professionalism and
consistent and stellar dedication to the public policy of Texas and
to the well-being of the state's citizens, and she is indeed
deserving of thanks and acknowledgment for her accomplishments;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby commend Sandra Talton for her exemplary service
as committee director for the House Select Committee on Mental
Health and for the House Committee on Public Health and extend to
her sincere appreciation for her contributions; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Talton as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.