Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1747 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R6611 MPF-F
2	2	By: Campos H.B. No. 1747
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the administration of funding for the coordination of
10	10	mental health, substance use, and public health care services in
11	11	this state.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 403, Government Code, is amended by
14	14	adding Subchapter V to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER V. MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE, AND PUBLIC HEALTH
16	16	INITIATIVES
17	17	Sec. 403.701. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
18	18	(1) "Council" means the mental health, substance use,
19	19	and public health initiative council established by Section
20	20	403.702.
21	21	(2) "Fund" means the mental health, substance use, and
22	22	public health initiative trust fund established by Section 403.703.
23	23	Sec. 403.702. MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE, AND PUBLIC
24	24	HEALTH INITIATIVE COUNCIL. (a) The mental health, substance use,
25	25	and public health initiative council is established to ensure that
26	26	money allocated to the mental health, substance use, and public
27	27	health initiative trust fund is allocated fairly and spent to
28	28	improve the coordination between mental health, substance use, and
29	29	public health care services in this state.
30	30	(b) The council is composed of the following 14 members:
31	31	(1) one member appointed by the governor who is a
32	32	current or retired health care operations professional with 10 or
33	33	more years of experience in matters of mental health, substance
34	34	use, and public health;
35	35	(2) one member appointed by the lieutenant governor
36	36	who is a current or retired health care operations professional
37	37	with 10 or more years of experience in matters of mental health,
38	38	substance use, and public health;
39	39	(3) one member appointed by the speaker of the house of
40	40	representatives who is a current or retired health care operations
41	41	professional with 10 or more years of experience in matters of
42	42	mental health, substance use, and public health;
43	43	(4) three members appointed by the executive
44	44	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission who are
45	45	from academia or the medical profession and have significant
46	46	experience in matters of mental health, substance use, and public
47	47	health;
48	48	(5) seven members appointed by the executive
49	49	commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission as
50	50	follows:
51	51	(A) one member who is a current or former
52	52	employee of a rural hospital district;
53	53	(B) one member who is a current or former
54	54	employee of a local health authority;
55	55	(C) one member who is a current or former
56	56	employee of a local mental health authority, as defined by Section
57	57	531.002, Health and Safety Code;
58	58	(D) one member who is a current or former
59	59	employee of a federally qualified health center in this state;
60	60	(E) one member who has lived experience with a
61	61	mental health condition or substance abuse condition; and
62	62	(F) two members with at least 10 years of
63	63	experience working with a health philanthropy nonprofit
64	64	organization or foundation; and
65	65	(6) the comptroller or the comptroller's designee.
66	66	(c) The comptroller or the comptroller's designee serves as
67	67	the presiding officer of the council and is a nonvoting member.
68	68	(d) In making appointments under Subsection (b)(4), the
69	69	executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission
70	70	shall appoint members from lists provided by the governing bodies
71	71	of six rural counties and six rural municipalities selected by the
72	72	executive commissioner with each list naming two qualified
73	73	candidates with experience in substance use treatment, education,
74	74	and research.
75	75	(e) In making appointments under Subsection (b), the
76	76	governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of
77	77	representatives shall coordinate to ensure that the membership of
78	78	the council reflects, to the extent possible, the ethnic and
79	79	geographic diversity of this state.
80	80	(f) The council is administratively attached to the
81	81	Department of State Health Services. The Department of State Health
82	82	Services shall provide the staff and facilities necessary to assist
83	83	the council in performing its duties.
84	84	(g) A decision by the council to award a grant under Section
85	85	403.704 requires the unanimous approval of all members of the
86	86	council.
87	87	(h) The council is subject to Chapter 551.
88	88	Sec. 403.703. MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE, AND PUBLIC
89	89	HEALTH INITIATIVE TRUST FUND. (a) The mental health, substance
90	90	use, and public health initiative trust fund is a trust fund
91	91	established outside the state treasury for the purposes of this
92	92	subchapter. The fund is not a part of this state's general funds.
93	93	(b) The fund is administered by the Texas Treasury
94	94	Safekeeping Trust Company. The trust company may authorize money
95	95	from the fund to be invested with money from the state treasury.
96	96	The trust company may establish in the fund accounts to facilitate
97	97	the administration of money in the fund.
98	98	(c) The fund consists of:
99	99	(1) an initial appropriation of money by the
100	100	legislature to the fund as permanent principal for the fund;
101	101	(2) any additional legislative appropriations of
102	102	money for the purposes of the fund;
103	103	(3) interest or other earnings on money credited to or
104	104	allocable to the fund; and
105	105	(4) money from gifts, grants, or donations to the
106	106	fund.
107	107	(d) The money initially appropriated by the legislature as
108	108	permanent principal for the fund may not be used for any purpose
109	109	other than to gain interest or other investment earnings.
110	110	(e) Money in the fund gained as interest or other earnings
111	111	on the investment of the permanent principal of the fund may be used
112	112	only to:
113	113	(1) provide grants in accordance with Section 403.704;
114	114	and
115	115	(2) pay the necessary and reasonable expenses of
116	116	administering the fund.
117	117	(f) In making investments of money in the fund, the Texas
118	118	Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company shall exercise the judgment and
119	119	care under the circumstances then prevailing that a person of
120	120	ordinary prudence, discretion, and intelligence exercises in the
121	121	management of the person's own affairs.
122	122	(g) The Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company may
123	123	appoint one or more commercial banks, depository trust companies,
124	124	or other similar entities to serve as the custodian of the fund.
125	125	Sec. 403.704. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The
126	126	council shall establish a grant program to award grants for
127	127	programs that improve the coordination between mental health,
128	128	substance use, and public health care services in this state
129	129	providing services to individuals with co-occurring mental health
130	130	and substance use disorders.
131	131	(b) A program funded through a grant awarded under this
132	132	subchapter must improve the coordination between mental health,
133	133	substance use, and public health care services in this state
134	134	through:
135	135	(1) evidence-based preventative or therapeutic
136	136	measures, research, the implementation of new technology, data
137	137	collection, education programs, or capital improvements; and
138	138	(2) providing an efficient and cost-effective method
139	139	directed to support the coordination of personnel, capital
140	140	improvements, data interoperability, or long-term financial
141	141	sustainability of mental health care, substance use treatment, and
142	142	public health care providers.
143	143	(c) Annually, the council shall establish procedures for
144	144	submitting, accepting, and evaluating grant applications under
145	145	this subchapter.
146	146	(d) The council, in coordination with the statewide
147	147	behavioral health coordinating council established under
148	148	Subchapter D, Chapter 547, shall evaluate grant applications at
149	149	least biennially.
150	150	Sec. 403.705. REPORT. Not later than October 1 of each
151	151	year, the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company shall submit a
152	152	written report to the legislature detailing:
153	153	(1) all expenditures made by the council during the
154	154	preceding state fiscal year; and
155	155	(2) any amount of money greater than the initial
156	156	appropriation of permanent principal by the legislature that is
157	157	held in the fund.
158	158	Sec. 403.706. RULES. The council shall adopt rules to
159	159	implement this subchapter.
160	160	SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
161	161	of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
162	162	Services Commission, the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the
163	163	speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the members
164	164	of the mental health, substance use, and public health initiative
165	165	council as provided by Section 403.702, Government Code, as added
166	166	by this Act.
167	167	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
168	168	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
169	169	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
170	170	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
171	171	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.