Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1849 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R12229 GCB-D
2	2	By: Powell S.B. No. 1849
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a model suicide prevention policy, the incorporation of
8	8	suicide prevention and intervention strategies in a crisis plan or
9	9	disaster plan of certain state agencies, access to suicide death
10	10	information maintained by the Department of State Health Services,
11	11	and the establishment of the Texas Violent Death Reporting System.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Sections 531.0927 and 531.0928 to read as
15	15	follows:
16	16	Sec. 531.0927. MODEL SUICIDE PREVENTION POLICY. (a) In
17	17	this section, "postvention" includes activities that promote
18	18	healing necessary to reduce the risk of suicide by a person affected
19	19	by the suicide of another.
20	20	(b) The commission shall develop and publish on the
21	21	commission's Internet website a model suicide prevention policy
22	22	that addresses information about suicide prevention, intervention,
23	23	and postvention, for implementation at state agencies, community
24	24	coalitions, and other public or private institutions or facilities
25	25	that serve populations at higher risk for suicide, including
26	26	veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons who live in rural
27	27	areas of the state.
28	28	(c) The policy must be designed to be implemented by persons
29	29	who may not be mental health professionals and provide information
30	30	related to:
31	31	(1) recognizing signs of suicidality in another; and
32	32	(2) resources, including local mental health
33	33	authorities, for persons at risk of suicide.
34	34	(d) The policy must address the development of community
35	35	coalitions to engage in suicide prevention, intervention, and
36	36	postvention activities, especially in high risk rural areas.
37	37	(e) In developing the policy under this section, the
38	38	executive commissioner:
39	39	(1) shall collaborate with the statewide behavioral
40	40	health coordinating council and the Texas Suicide Prevention
41	41	Collaborative; and
42	42	(2) may receive information or assistance from any
43	43	other interested statewide or local entities that are engaged in
44	44	suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention activities.
45	45	Sec. 531.0928. CRISIS AND DISASTER PLANS. (a) Not later
46	46	than August 31, 2022, the commission, in collaboration with the
47	47	Disaster Behavioral Health Consortium, shall:
48	48	(1) for the purpose of identifying opportunities to
49	49	incorporate suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
50	50	strategies:
51	51	(A) conduct a review of crisis plans and disaster
52	52	plans of state agency members of the consortium; and
53	53	(B) identify lessons learned from responses by
54	54	state agency members of the consortium made during prior crises or
55	55	disasters; and
56	56	(2) make recommendations based on the information
57	57	obtained under Subdivision (1) to each state agency member of the
58	58	consortium regarding the incorporation, in a crisis plan or
59	59	disaster plan, of suicide prevention, intervention, and
60	60	postvention strategies.
61	61	(b) Not later than August 1, 2023, each state agency member
62	62	of the disaster behavioral health consortium shall incorporate
63	63	recommendations made by the commission under Subsection (a) to the
64	64	agency's crisis plan or disaster plan.
65	65	(c) This section expires September 1, 2023.
66	66	SECTION 2. Section 191.002(b), Health and Safety Code, is
67	67	amended to read as follows:
68	68	(b) The department shall:
69	69	(1) establish a vital statistics unit in the
70	70	department with suitable offices that are properly equipped for the
71	71	preservation of its official records;
72	72	(2) establish a statewide system of vital statistics;
73	73	(3) provide instructions and prescribe forms for
74	74	collecting, recording, transcribing, compiling, and preserving
75	75	vital statistics;
76	76	(4) require the enforcement of this title and rules
77	77	adopted under this title;
78	78	(5) prepare, print, and supply to local registrars
79	79	forms for registering, recording, and preserving returns or
80	80	otherwise carrying out the purposes of this title; [and]
81	81	(6) propose legislation necessary for the purposes of
82	82	this title; and
83	83	(7) provide access to information regarding state
84	84	suicide deaths to the statewide suicide prevention coordinator of
85	85	the office of mental health coordination of the Health and Human
86	86	Services Commission.
87	87	SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety
88	88	Code, is amended by adding Section 1001.090 to read as follows:
89	89	Sec. 1001.090. TEXAS VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM. (a)
90	90	The department shall establish and operate the Texas Violent Death
91	91	Reporting System for the purpose of participating in the National
92	92	Violent Death Reporting System operated by the federal Centers for
93	93	Disease Control and Prevention.
94	94	(b) The department shall provide access to suicide data
95	95	obtained or maintained through the Texas Violent Death Reporting
96	96	System to the statewide suicide prevention coordinator of the
97	97	office of mental health coordination of the Health and Human
98	98	Services Commission.
99	99	(c) The executive commissioner may adopt rules necessary to
100	100	implement this section.
101	101	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
102	102	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
103	103	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
104	104	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
105	105	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.