Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2068 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R5965 GCB-D
2	2	By: Menéndez S.B. No. 2068
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a biennial state report on suicide rates, establishing
8	8	the Texas Violent Death Reporting System, and the sharing of
9	9	certain information under a memorandum of understanding on suicide
10	10	data.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 531.02112 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 531.02112. BIENNIAL STATE REPORT ON SUICIDE. (a) In
15	15	this section:
16	16	(1) "Council" means the Statewide Behavioral Health
17	17	Coordinating Council.
18	18	(2) "Postvention" includes activities that promote
19	19	healing necessary to reduce the risk of suicide by a person affected
20	20	by the suicide of another.
21	21	(b) The commission, in conjunction with the Department of
22	22	State Health Services, shall prepare a biennial report on the
23	23	prevalence of suicide in this state and state policies and programs
24	24	adopted across state systems and agencies to prevent suicides. The
25	25	report must:
26	26	(1) include available statewide and regional data on
27	27	the prevalence rates of suicide-related events, including suicidal
28	28	thoughts, suicide attempts, and deaths caused by suicide, that to
29	29	the extent practicable, is presented in a form that:
30	30	(A) is disaggregated by county and recognized
31	31	categories of risk; and
32	32	(B) is longitudinal to identify changes in
33	33	suicide prevalence rates since 2000;
34	34	(2) identify the highest categories of risk with
35	35	correlational data;
36	36	(3) list state statutes, agency rules, and policies
37	37	related to suicide and suicide prevention, intervention, and
38	38	postvention; and
39	39	(4) describe state agency initiatives since 2000 to
40	40	address suicide and include the following information relating to
41	41	each initiative:
42	42	(A) the administering state agency;
43	43	(B) the funding sources, including whether the
44	44	funding was provided by:
45	45	(i) a federal block grant;
46	46	(ii) a federal discretionary grant; or
47	47	(iii) state appropriations;
48	48	(C) the years of operation; and
49	49	(D) whether the initiative is an example of a
50	50	community-based effort to address suicide.
51	51	(c) Each state agency or institution of higher education
52	52	that is a member of the council shall provide to the commission the
53	53	information described by Subsection (b) of this section, to the
54	54	extent that information pertains to the respective work of each
55	55	agency or institution.
56	56	(d) Not later than November 1 of each even-numbered year,
57	57	the council shall submit a copy of the report to the governor, the
58	58	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
59	59	and each standing legislative committee with primary jurisdiction
60	60	over health and mental health.
61	61	SECTION 2. Section 193.011, Health and Safety Code, is
62	62	amended by amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection
63	63	(b-1) to read as follows:
64	64	(a) In this section, "authorized entity" means a medical
65	65	examiner, a local registrar, a local health authority, a local
66	66	mental health authority, a community mental health center, a mental
67	67	health center that acts as a collection agent for the suicide data
68	68	reported by community mental health centers, the department, the
69	69	Health and Human Services Commission, the Statewide Behavioral
70	70	Health Coordinating Council, or any other political subdivision of
71	71	this state.
72	72	(b-1) The department and the Health and Human Services
73	73	Commission shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to share,
74	74	as soon as practicable, suicide data collected by the vital
75	75	statistics unit to conduct timely fatality reviews and surveillance
76	76	for the purpose of preventing additional deaths.
77	77	(c) The suicide data an authorized entity receives or
78	78	provides under Subsection (b) or (b-1) is not confidential.
79	79	SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety
80	80	Code, is amended by adding Section 1001.090 to read as follows:
81	81	Sec. 1001.090. TEXAS VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM. (a)
82	82	The department shall establish and operate the Texas Violent Death
83	83	Reporting System for the purpose of participating in the National
84	84	Violent Death Reporting System operated by the federal Centers for
85	85	Disease Control and Prevention.
86	86	(b) The department shall provide suicide data obtained or
87	87	maintained through the Texas Violent Death Reporting System:
88	88	(1) in accordance with any memorandum of understanding
89	89	entered into by the department under Section 193.011; and
90	90	(2) to the commission, for the purpose of the biennial
91	91	state report on suicide required under Section 531.02112,
92	92	Government Code.
93	93	(c) The executive commissioner may adopt rules necessary to
94	94	implement this section.
95	95	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
96	96	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
97	97	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
98	98	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
99	99	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.