Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1955 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R5724 RAL-D
2	2	By: Thompson H.B. No. 1955
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of an early childhood mental health
10	10	home visiting grant program.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Chapter 137, Human Resources Code, is amended by
13	13	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
14	14	SUBCHAPTER G. EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH HOME VISITING GRANT
15	15	PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 137.301. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF EARLY
17	17	CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH HOME VISITING GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The
18	18	commission shall establish and operate an early childhood mental
19	19	health home visiting grant program through which the commission
20	20	will award grants to implement, expand, and maintain early
21	21	childhood mental health home visiting services in this state to
22	22	support families with a high level of need, including a history of
23	23	trauma.
24	24	(b) To be eligible for a grant under this subchapter, an
25	25	applicant must:
26	26	(1) demonstrate a commitment to a family-centered,
27	27	system of care approach to providing comprehensive, coordinated
28	28	services to children and families; and
29	29	(2) have experience providing successful early
30	30	childhood mental health or prevention services for low-income,
31	31	high-risk families, as the executive commissioner determines by
32	32	rule.
33	33	(c) In awarding a grant under this subchapter, the
34	34	commission shall give preference to applicants with experience in
35	35	providing home-based services to children and families.
36	36	(d) The commission may award a grant under this subchapter
37	37	only in accordance with a contract between the commission and grant
38	38	recipient. The contract must include provisions under which the
39	39	commission is granted sufficient control to ensure the public
40	40	purpose of providing early childhood mental health home visiting
41	41	services is accomplished and this state receives the return
42	42	benefit.
43	43	Sec. 137.302. STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS. (a) The
44	44	executive commissioner by rule shall adopt standards for grant
45	45	recipients under this subchapter. In adopting the standards, the
46	46	executive commissioner shall take into consideration applicable
47	47	evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery
48	48	models.
49	49	(b) In addition to meeting the standards the executive
50	50	commissioner adopts under Subsection (a), a grant recipient under
51	51	this subchapter must:
52	52	(1) strictly adhere to an evidence-based early
53	53	childhood service delivery model the commission selects in
54	54	accordance with criteria set by the United States Department of
55	55	Health and Human Services for an early childhood home visiting
56	56	service delivery model; and
57	57	(2) require that a team consisting of a licensed
58	58	mental health professional and a care coordinator support families
59	59	through home-based services to:
60	60	(A) improve child and parent mental health;
61	61	(B) promote school readiness;
62	62	(C) decrease child abuse and neglect; and
63	63	(D) improve the immediate and long-term health
64	64	and well-being of families.
65	65	Sec. 137.303. FUNDING. The commission may solicit,
66	66	contract for, receive, accept, or administer gifts, grants, and
67	67	donations of money or property from any source to carry out this
68	68	subchapter.
69	69	Sec. 137.304. RULES. The executive commissioner may adopt
70	70	rules as necessary to implement this subchapter.
71	71	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.