Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1580 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R6176 EAS-F
2	2	By: Rosenthal H.B. No. 1580
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of the office of community violence
8	8	intervention and prevention within the Department of State Health
9	9	Services and a grant program for violence intervention and
10	10	prevention services.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Community Violence
13	13	Intervention and Prevention Act.
14	14	SECTION 2. Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
15	15	amended by adding Chapter 53 to read as follows:
16	16	CHAPTER 53. OFFICE OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND
17	17	PREVENTION
18	18	SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
19	19	Sec. 53.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
20	20	(1) "Advisory committee" means the grant review
21	21	advisory committee established under Section 53.102.
22	22	(2) "Office" means the office of community violence
23	23	intervention and prevention established under Section 53.051.
24	24	Sec. 53.002. RULES. The executive commissioner shall adopt
25	25	rules as necessary to implement this chapter.
26	26	Sec. 53.003. FUNDING. The department shall solicit and
27	27	accept gifts, grants, and donations on behalf of the office to carry
28	28	out the office's duties under this chapter.
29	29	SUBCHAPTER B. OFFICE: ESTABLISHMENT, POWERS, AND DUTIES
30	30	Sec. 53.051. ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. The commissioner
31	31	shall establish within the department the office of community
32	32	violence intervention and prevention for the purposes of:
33	33	(1) coordinating and expanding violence intervention
34	34	and prevention activities;
35	35	(2) reducing the incidence of interpersonal violence
36	36	and homicide;
37	37	(3) providing leadership, coordination, and technical
38	38	assistance to promote effective state and local efforts on reducing
39	39	preventable injuries and deaths resulting from all forms of
40	40	physical violence;
41	41	(4) collaborating with governmental entities, law
42	42	enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, business
43	43	leaders, and other appropriate individuals in this state to develop
44	44	evidence-based policies, strategies, and interventions to reduce
45	45	the impacts of violence in this state; and
46	46	(5) awarding grants under Subchapter C.
47	47	Sec. 53.052. POWERS AND DUTIES. (a) The office shall
48	48	develop collaborative relationships with state agencies involved
49	49	in reducing interpersonal violence, including:
50	50	(1) child abuse;
51	51	(2) elder abuse;
52	52	(3) violence involving youth;
53	53	(4) family violence;
54	54	(5) intimate partner violence;
55	55	(6) gun violence;
56	56	(7) sexual assault; and
57	57	(8) violence against an individual based on the
58	58	individual's actual or perceived:
59	59	(A) sexual orientation;
60	60	(B) gender identity; or
61	61	(C) gender expression.
62	62	(b) To fulfill the purposes of this chapter, the office
63	63	shall:
64	64	(1) integrate violence intervention and prevention
65	65	education into state-funded substance use programs;
66	66	(2) support the development and implementation of
67	67	comprehensive, community-based violence intervention and
68	68	prevention initiatives throughout this state, including
69	69	initiatives focused on preventing the types of violence described
70	70	by Subsection (a);
71	71	(3) develop and recommend comprehensive wraparound
72	72	and other support services, including interpersonal violence and
73	73	suicide prevention programs, that are funded by local governmental
74	74	entities; and
75	75	(4) assist local organizations that provide violence
76	76	intervention and prevention services in seeking and applying for a
77	77	grant under Subchapter C.
78	78	(c) The office shall develop and implement a public health
79	79	strategy for implementing the purposes described by Section 53.051,
80	80	which must include:
81	81	(1) the use of culturally competent, community-wide
82	82	risk assessment tools;
83	83	(2) the use of methods to identify individuals in need
84	84	of intervention or prevention services who rely heavily on public
85	85	services;
86	86	(3) the provision of cognitive and family-based
87	87	counseling;
88	88	(4) the coordination of available services to prevent
89	89	incidents of violence; and
90	90	(5) as appropriate, technical assistance from
91	91	culturally competent organizations or individuals.
92	92	Sec. 53.053. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE;
93	93	DIRECTORY OF VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION SERVICES. (a)
94	94	The office shall conduct a statewide public health campaign on the
95	95	impact of violence, strategies to help stop violence from
96	96	occurring, and the use of alternative dispute resolution methods
97	97	for addressing incidents of violence.
98	98	(b) The office shall develop and post on the department's
99	99	Internet website a directory of violence intervention and
100	100	prevention services available in each county in this state.
101	101	SUBCHAPTER C. COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION GRANT
102	102	PROGRAM
103	103	Sec. 53.101. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF GRANT
104	104	PROGRAM. The office shall establish and administer a community
105	105	violence intervention and prevention grant program and award grants
106	106	under the program to improve public health and safety by supporting
107	107	effective violence reduction strategies in communities throughout
108	108	this state that are disproportionately impacted by a high incidence
109	109	of violence, including:
110	110	(1) gun violence;
111	111	(2) group violence;
112	112	(3) suicides;
113	113	(4) family violence;
114	114	(5) intimate partner violence; and
115	115	(6) violence based on an individual's gender.
116	116	Sec. 53.102. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The office shall
117	117	establish the grant review advisory committee to assist the office
118	118	in reviewing and selecting grant applications for a grant award.
119	119	The advisory committee must include:
120	120	(1) members who have been personally impacted by
121	121	violence;
122	122	(2) members who have been incarcerated; and
123	123	(3) members with hands-on experience implementing
124	124	evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that incorporate a
125	125	public health, community-based, or ecological system approach.
126	126	(b) The advisory committee shall select a presiding officer
127	127	from among the advisory committee members.
128	128	(c) An advisory committee member serves at the pleasure of
129	129	the office.
130	130	(d) Section 2110.008, Government Code, does not apply to the
131	131	advisory committee.
132	132	Sec. 53.103. ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. (a)
133	133	The office, with advice from the advisory committee, shall award
134	134	grants through a competitive process to counties and municipalities
135	135	that are disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of
136	136	violence and to community-based organizations that serve
137	137	communities disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of
138	138	violence.
139	139	(b) To be awarded a grant under this subchapter, a county,
140	140	municipality, or community-based organization shall submit to the
141	141	office, in the form and manner prescribed by the office, a complete
142	142	application that includes a statement describing:
143	143	(1) the community issues or concerns for which the
144	144	grant money is sought;
145	145	(2) the applicant's goals and objectives for use of the
146	146	grant money, including the applicant's plan for implementing an
147	147	evidence-based violence reduction initiative using the grant
148	148	money; and
149	149	(3) the applicant's plan to enhance local coordination
150	150	of existing violence intervention and prevention programs and
151	151	minimize the duplication of services.
152	152	(c) If appropriate to address regional problems or provide a
153	153	more comprehensive solution:
154	154	(1) a county or municipality may submit a joint
155	155	application with one or more other counties or municipalities; and
156	156	(2) a community-based organization may submit a joint
157	157	application with one or more other community-based organizations.
158	158	Sec. 53.104. REVIEW AND SELECTION OF GRANT APPLICANTS. (a)
159	159	The office, with assistance and advice from the advisory committee,
160	160	shall review grant applications submitted under this subchapter and
161	161	select the applicants for grant awards.
162	162	(b) In selecting applicants to be awarded a grant, the
163	163	office shall give preference to applicants whose proposals
164	164	demonstrate:
165	165	(1) the greatest likelihood for reducing violence in
166	166	the community served by the applicant without contributing to the
167	167	mass incarceration of individuals;
168	168	(2) for a joint application that includes at least one
169	169	community-based organization, a partnership with one or more
170	170	entities, including another community-based organization or a
171	171	public entity;
172	172	(3) leadership that reflects the demographics of the
173	173	community where the grant money will be used;
174	174	(4) experience with formerly incarcerated individuals
175	175	or individuals who are otherwise involved in the criminal justice
176	176	system; and
177	177	(5) experience with individuals who are experiencing
178	178	or have experienced interpersonal violence.
179	179	Sec. 53.105. REQUIRED USE OF GRANT MONEY. (a) A grant
180	180	recipient shall use a grant awarded under this subchapter to
181	181	support, expand, or replicate evidence-based violence reduction
182	182	initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
183	183	victimization, and retaliation to reduce the incidence of firearm
184	184	violence, including:
185	185	(1) hospital-based violence intervention programs;
186	186	(2) community outreach programs; and
187	187	(3) initiatives with focused deterrence strategies.
188	188	(b) The office may award a grant under this subchapter only
189	189	in accordance with a contract between the office and the grant
190	190	recipient. The contract must include provisions affording the
191	191	office sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of
192	192	supporting, expanding, or replicating evidence-based violence
193	193	reduction initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
194	194	victimization, and retaliation is accomplished and this state
195	195	receives the return benefit.
196	196	(c) Subject to Subsection (b), a county or municipal
197	197	recipient of a grant awarded under this subchapter must distribute
198	198	not less than 50 percent of the grant money in this state to one or
199	199	more of the following:
200	200	(1) a community-based organization;
201	201	(2) an Indian tribe or tribal organizations; or
202	202	(3) a public entity whose primary focus is community
203	203	safety or gun violence prevention.
204	204	Sec. 53.106. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Each grant recipient
205	205	shall report to the office, in a form and at intervals prescribed by
206	206	the office, the recipient's progress toward achieving the grant
207	207	objectives.
208	208	Sec. 53.107. EFFICACY EVALUATION OF GRANT PROGRAM. The
209	209	office may contract with an independent entity with expertise in
210	210	evaluating community-based, grant-funded programs to evaluate the
211	211	effectiveness of the grant program under this subchapter, provided
212	212	that, in conducting the evaluation, the entity uses:
213	213	(1) both qualitative and quantitative methods, as
214	214	appropriate; and
215	215	(2) participatory action research methods or other
216	216	research methods that incorporate subject engagement, to the extent
217	217	practicable.
218	218	SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2021:
219	219	(1) the commissioner of state health services shall
220	220	establish the office of community violence intervention and
221	221	prevention within the Department of State Health Services as
222	222	required by Chapter 53, Health and Safety Code, as added by this
223	223	Act; and
224	224	(2) the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
225	225	Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement
226	226	Chapter 53, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
227	227	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.