Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1463 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R8789 MPF-F
2	2	By: West S.B. No. 1463
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a grant program for a nonprofit organization or
8	8	political subdivision to establish or expand a behavioral health
9	9	crisis response program.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
12	12	amended by adding Section 531.09916 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 531.09916. GRANT PROGRAM FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS
14	14	RESPONSE PROGRAMS. (a) In this section:
15	15	(1) "Behavioral health crisis response program" means
16	16	a program operated under a grant awarded under this section.
17	17	(2) "Multidisciplinary response team" means a group
18	18	composed of three or more persons that includes at least one
19	19	paramedic, one law enforcement officer, and one behavioral health
20	20	professional, who together provide services to persons
21	21	experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
22	22	(3) "Nonprofit organization" means an organization
23	23	that is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(a),
24	24	Internal Revenue Code of 1986, by being listed as an exempt entity
25	25	under Section 501(c)(3) of that code.
26	26	(4) "Political subdivision" means a county or
27	27	municipality in this state.
28	28	(b) The executive commissioner shall establish and
29	29	administer a grant program to award money to nonprofit
30	30	organizations and political subdivisions for the purpose of
31	31	establishing or expanding a behavioral health crisis response
32	32	program to:
33	33	(1) operate one or more multidisciplinary response
34	34	teams in the region in which the nonprofit organization is located
35	35	or within the political subdivision, as applicable; and
36	36	(2) employ one or more behavioral health professionals
37	37	to:
38	38	(A) assist in screening telephone calls made to a
39	39	9-1-1 emergency call center dispatcher for law enforcement or
40	40	emergency medical assistance;
41	41	(B) assist in determining whether to dispatch a
42	42	multidisciplinary response team to service a call; and
43	43	(C) provide consultation and information to the
44	44	dispatched multidisciplinary response team.
45	45	(c) A behavioral health crisis response program that is
46	46	awarded a grant under this section must operate in accordance with
47	47	best practices for jail diversion and managing behavioral health
48	48	crises.
49	49	(d) A nonprofit organization that is awarded a grant under
50	50	this section must collaborate with one or more political
51	51	subdivisions to operate the behavioral health crisis response
52	52	program. A county that is awarded a grant under this section must
53	53	collaborate with one or more municipalities in the county to
54	54	operate the behavioral health crisis response program.
55	55	(e) A grant application from a nonprofit organization or
56	56	political subdivision must:
57	57	(1) be submitted on a form prescribed by the
58	58	commission;
59	59	(2) include, if the applicant is required to
60	60	collaborate with a political subdivision under Subsection (d), a
61	61	statement from the governing body of the political subdivision
62	62	providing information about the collaboration; and
63	63	(3) include, if the applicant is required to
64	64	collaborate with a political subdivision under Subsection (d), data
65	65	from each collaborating political subdivision on:
66	66	(A) the number of behavioral health-related
67	67	telephone calls for assistance received by the political
68	68	subdivision's 9-1-1 emergency call center;
69	69	(B) the number of paramedics and behavioral
70	70	health professionals available to serve on a political
71	71	subdivision's multidisciplinary response team; and
72	72	(C) the political subdivision's capacity to
73	73	accurately collect and report information concerning:
74	74	(i) the frequency and outcomes of
75	75	behavioral health-related calls for assistance; and
76	76	(ii) the number of telephone calls for
77	77	assistance primarily identified as involving a criminal offense
78	78	that also involved a demonstrated need for behavioral health
79	79	intervention services, crisis care referrals to community-based
80	80	providers, or de-escalation for the person making the call or for a
81	81	person who was the subject of a call made by another.
82	82	(f) In addition to funding received under a grant under this
83	83	section, a nonprofit organization or political subdivision grant
84	84	applicant, or a political subdivision collaborating with a grant
85	85	applicant under Subsection (d), may contribute local funds to the
86	86	operation of the behavioral health crisis response program.
87	87	(g) The commission may use any available state and federal
88	88	money and may accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source
89	89	for the purpose of awarding grants under this section.
90	90	(h) The executive commissioner shall adopt all rules
91	91	necessary for the establishment and governance of the grant program
92	92	under this section.
93	93	SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
94	94	of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
95	95	Services Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement
96	96	Section 531.09916, Government Code, as added by this Act.
97	97	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.