86R4461 SRA-D
By: Neave H.B. No. 1045
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a women veterans suicide tracking system and required
reporting of women veteran suicides by certain persons.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 434, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 434.217 to read as follows:
Sec. 434.217. WOMEN VETERANS SUICIDE TRACKING SYSTEM;
REQUIRED REPORTING OF CERTAIN SUICIDES. (a) The program, in
collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs, shall develop and maintain a system for tracking the
number of suicides of women veterans in this state and determining
the number of those women veterans who received services from the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The tracking system
must include data:
(1) available from the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(2) reported to the program under Subsection (b).
(b) A person who knows that the cause of death for a woman
veteran is suicide shall report the suicide to the program and
provide any information the person may have that may assist the
program in determining whether the woman received services from the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
(c) The following persons shall provide to the program in
accordance with Subsection (b) any relevant information the person
obtains related to the suicide death of a woman veteran:
(1) a medical examiner or a justice of the peace who is
acting as a coroner;
(2) a health care facility licensed under Subtitle B,
Title 4, Health and Safety Code; or
(3) a mental health facility as defined by Section
571.003, Health and Safety Code.
(d) Information about the suicide of a woman veteran
obtained under this chapter is confidential and is not subject to
disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, is not subject to
subpoena, and may not otherwise be released or made public.
(e) Not later than December 31 of each year, the program
shall submit to the legislature a report that includes:
(1) the number of suicides of women veterans that were
reported to the program under this section during the preceding
year;
(2) the number of women described by Subdivision (1)
who received services from the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs;
(3) information on whether the suicide rate of women
veterans in this state is decreasing or increasing;
(4) an evaluation of the effectiveness of statewide
prevention and awareness campaigns in decreasing the number of
suicides by women veterans in this state; and
(5) recommendations for improving the effectiveness
of statewide prevention and awareness campaigns.
SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2019, the Texas Women
Veterans Program shall develop the tracking system required by
Section 434.217, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 3. Notwithstanding Section 434.217, Government
Code, as added by this Act:
(1) a person is not required to comply with Section
434.217(c) until January 1, 2020; and
(2) the Texas Women Veterans Program is not required
to submit a report required by Section 434.217(e) to the
legislature until December 31, 2020.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.