89R14160 MPF-D
By: Walle H.B. No. 3989
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the supporting life pilot program
as part of the Thriving Texas Families Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 54, Health and Safety Code, as added by
Chapter 1033 (S.B. 24), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular
Session, 2023, is amended by adding Section 54.012 to read as
follows:
Sec. 54.012. SUPPORTING LIFE PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this
section:
(1) "Advisory board" means the supporting life pilot
program advisory board established under this section.
(2) "Pilot program" means the supporting life pilot
program established under this section.
(b) The commission shall establish the supporting life
pilot program to further the goals of the Thriving Texas Families
Program by contracting with service providers to provide care
coordination and support services to pregnant teenagers and by
establishing a centralized facility the commission owns and
operates for provision of services under the pilot program. The
commission shall operate the pilot program in a county with a
population of 4 million or more.
(c) The pilot program services must include:
(1) housing services;
(2) child care services for children 36 months of age
and younger;
(3) early childhood or prekindergarten educational
services;
(4) services provided by a community health worker, as
defined by Section 48.001;
(5) the provision of educational materials on
pregnancy and parenting;
(6) the provision of counseling and therapy services
for pregnant individuals and parents;
(7) the provision of parenting classes;
(8) services designed to support access to educational
opportunities for pregnant individuals and parents, including by
coordinating with counseling and planning services for trade or
vocational schools and institutions of higher education, as defined
by Section 61.003, Education Code; and
(9) the provision of group activities involving
community, educational, recreational, or social functions to
promote the health and well-being of families.
(d) The commission shall operate the pilot program in
consultation with the supporting life pilot program advisory board.
The advisory board is composed of five members appointed by the
executive commissioner.
(e) The commission, in consultation with the advisory
board, shall hire an executive director. The executive director
shall manage the pilot program, including hiring personnel and
managing a budget for the pilot program.
(f) The executive commissioner by rule shall establish
minimum qualifications for an individual serving as the executive
director under Subsection (e).
(g) To be eligible to participate in the pilot program, an
individual must:
(1) be 11 years of age or older but younger than 21
years of age;
(2) be expecting a child or be the parent of a child
who is 36 months of age or younger; and
(3) have resided in the county in which the pilot
program operates for at least one year before applying to
participate in the pilot program.
(h) In evaluating applications for participation in the
pilot program, the commission, in consultation with the advisory
board, shall prioritize unhoused individuals who meet the
eligibility requirements described by Subsection (g).
(i) Not later than December 1 of each year, the commission,
in consultation with the advisory board, shall prepare and submit
to the legislature a written report on:
(1) the outcomes of participants receiving services
under the pilot program;
(2) trends in the coordination of care and the use and
availability of support services with the implementation of the
pilot program; and
(3) any recommendations for legislative or other
action.
(j) The pilot program terminates, the advisory board is
abolished, and this section expires January 1, 2032.
SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2026, the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall
appoint the supporting life pilot program advisory board members as
required by Section 54.012(d), Health and Safety Code, as added by
this Act.
SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2027, the executive
commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall
establish the supporting life pilot program as required by Section
54.012, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, including by
adopting rules as necessary to implement that section.
SECTION 4. Notwithstanding Section 54.012(i), Health and
Safety Code, as added by this Act, the Health and Human Services
Commission and the supporting life pilot program advisory board
shall submit the first report required by that subsection not later
than December 1, 2027.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.