| 1 | 1 | | 87R3599 SRA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Neave H.B. No. 2356 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a veteran suicide tracking system and required |
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| 8 | 8 | | reporting of veteran suicides by certain persons. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 434.027 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 434.027. VETERAN SUICIDE TRACKING SYSTEM; REQUIRED |
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| 13 | 13 | | REPORTING OF CERTAIN SUICIDES. (a) The Texas Veterans Commission, |
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| 14 | 14 | | in collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans |
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| 15 | 15 | | Affairs, shall develop and maintain a system for tracking the |
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| 16 | 16 | | number of veteran suicides in this state and determining the number |
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| 17 | 17 | | of those veterans who received services from the United States |
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| 18 | 18 | | Department of Veterans Affairs. The tracking system must include |
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| 19 | 19 | | data: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) available from the United States Department of |
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| 21 | 21 | | Veterans Affairs; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) reported to the commission under Subsection (b). |
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| 23 | 23 | | (b) A person who knows that the cause of death for a veteran |
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| 24 | 24 | | is suicide shall report the suicide to the Texas Veterans |
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| 25 | 25 | | Commission and provide any information the person has that may |
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| 26 | 26 | | assist the commission in determining whether the veteran received |
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| 27 | 27 | | services from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) The following persons shall provide to the Texas |
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| 29 | 29 | | Veterans Commission in accordance with Subsection (b) any relevant |
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| 30 | 30 | | information the person obtains related to the suicide of a veteran: |
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| 31 | 31 | | (1) a medical examiner or a justice of the peace who is |
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| 32 | 32 | | acting as a coroner; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) a health care facility licensed under Subtitle B, |
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| 34 | 34 | | Title 4, Health and Safety Code; or |
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| 35 | 35 | | (3) a mental health facility, as defined by Section |
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| 36 | 36 | | 571.003, Health and Safety Code. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (d) Information about the suicide of a veteran obtained |
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| 38 | 38 | | under this chapter is confidential and is not subject to disclosure |
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| 39 | 39 | | under Chapter 552, Government Code, is not subject to subpoena, and |
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| 40 | 40 | | may not otherwise be released or made public. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) Not later than December 31 of each year, the Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Veterans Commission shall submit to the legislature a report that |
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| 43 | 43 | | includes: |
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| 44 | 44 | | (1) the number of veteran suicides that were reported |
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| 45 | 45 | | to the commission under this section during the preceding year; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) the number of veterans described by Subdivision |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) who received services from the United States Department of |
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| 48 | 48 | | Veterans Affairs; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) information on whether the rate of veteran |
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| 50 | 50 | | suicides in this state is decreasing or increasing; |
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| 51 | 51 | | (4) an evaluation of the effectiveness of statewide |
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| 52 | 52 | | prevention and awareness campaigns in decreasing the number of |
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| 53 | 53 | | veteran suicides in this state; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (5) recommendations for improving the effectiveness |
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| 55 | 55 | | of statewide prevention and awareness campaigns. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2021, the Texas |
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| 57 | 57 | | Veterans Commission shall develop the tracking system required by |
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| 58 | 58 | | Section 434.027, Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 3. Notwithstanding Section 434.027, Government |
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| 60 | 60 | | Code, as added by this Act: |
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| 61 | 61 | | (1) a person is not required to comply with Section |
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| 62 | 62 | | 434.027(c) until January 1, 2022; and |
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| 63 | 63 | | (2) the Texas Veterans Commission is not required to |
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| 64 | 64 | | submit a report required by Section 434.027(e) to the legislature |
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| 65 | 65 | | until December 31, 2022. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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