By: Alvarado, et al. S.B. No. 1966
(In the Senate - Filed March 8, 2023; March 21, 2023, read
first time and referred to Committee on Health & Human Services;
April 20, 2023, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6,
Nays 2; April 20, 2023, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a grant program for school-based health care
initiatives established to serve certain underserved students.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 531.0606 to read as follows:
Sec. 531.0606. SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CARE GRANT PROGRAM. (a)
In this section, "program" means the school-based health care grant
program established under this section.
(b) Using legislative appropriations available for that
purpose, the commission shall establish and administer a grant
program for health care organizations to implement, maintain, and
expand a school-based health care initiative for underserved
students and to provide those students with preventative, primary,
and behavioral health care, including:
(1) medical services;
(2) dental services;
(3) therapeutic services; and
(4) nonmedical services, such as nutritional
services.
(c) The commission shall establish grant application
procedures, criteria for evaluating applications and awarding
grants, and procedures for monitoring the use of grants awarded
under the program and ensuring compliance with any condition of a
grant awarded under the program.
(d) A grant recipient must use grant money to establish a
school-based health care initiative for a school district that has
a student population with at least 50 percent of its students who:
(1) are uninsured or underinsured; or
(2) receive free or reduced-price lunches.
(e) The commission may award a grant under the program only
in accordance with a contract between the commission and a grant
recipient. The contract must include provisions granting the
commission sufficient control over the money awarded to ensure the
public purpose of providing health care services to underserved
students is accomplished and this state receives the return
benefit.
SECTION 2. The Health and Human Services Commission is
required to implement a provision of this Act only if the
legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If
the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that
purpose, the commission may, but is not required to, implement a
provision of this Act using other appropriations available for that
purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
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