Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1725 Compare Versions

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1	1	89R473 MCF-F
2	2	By: Miles S.B. No. 1725
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the office of community violence
10	10	intervention and prevention within the Department of State Health
11	11	Services and a grant program for violence intervention and
12	12	prevention services.
13	13	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
14	14	SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Community Violence
15	15	Intervention and Prevention Act.
16	16	SECTION 2. Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
17	17	amended by adding Chapter 56 to read as follows:
18	18	CHAPTER 56. OFFICE OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND
19	19	PREVENTION
20	20	SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
21	21	Sec. 56.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
22	22	(1) "Advisory committee" means the grant review
23	23	advisory committee established under Section 56.102.
24	24	(2) "Office" means the office of community violence
25	25	intervention and prevention established under Section 56.051.
26	26	Sec. 56.002. RULES. The executive commissioner shall adopt
27	27	rules as necessary to implement this chapter.
28	28	Sec. 56.003. FUNDING. The department shall solicit and
29	29	accept gifts, grants, and donations on behalf of the office to carry
30	30	out the office's duties under this chapter.
31	31	SUBCHAPTER B. OFFICE: ESTABLISHMENT, POWERS, AND DUTIES
32	32	Sec. 56.051. ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. The commissioner
33	33	shall establish within the department the office of community
34	34	violence intervention and prevention for the purposes of:
35	35	(1) coordinating and expanding violence intervention
36	36	and prevention activities;
37	37	(2) reducing the incidence of interpersonal violence
38	38	and homicide;
39	39	(3) providing leadership, coordination, and technical
40	40	assistance to promote effective state and local efforts on reducing
41	41	preventable injuries and deaths resulting from all forms of
42	42	physical violence;
43	43	(4) collaborating with governmental entities, law
44	44	enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, business
45	45	leaders, and other appropriate individuals in this state to develop
46	46	evidence-based policies, strategies, and interventions to reduce
47	47	the impacts of violence in this state; and
48	48	(5) awarding grants under Subchapter C.
49	49	Sec. 56.052. POWERS AND DUTIES. (a) The office shall
50	50	develop collaborative relationships with state agencies involved
51	51	in reducing interpersonal violence, including:
52	52	(1) child abuse;
53	53	(2) elder abuse;
54	54	(3) violence involving youth;
55	55	(4) family violence;
56	56	(5) intimate partner violence;
57	57	(6) gun violence;
58	58	(7) sexual assault; and
59	59	(8) violence against an individual based on the
60	60	individual's actual or perceived:
61	61	(A) sexual orientation;
62	62	(B) gender identity; or
63	63	(C) gender expression.
64	64	(b) To fulfill the purposes of this chapter, the office
65	65	shall:
66	66	(1) integrate violence intervention and prevention
67	67	education into state-funded substance use programs;
68	68	(2) support the development and implementation of
69	69	comprehensive, community-based violence intervention and
70	70	prevention initiatives throughout this state, including
71	71	initiatives focused on preventing the types of violence described
72	72	by Subsection (a);
73	73	(3) develop and recommend comprehensive wraparound
74	74	and other support services, including interpersonal violence and
75	75	suicide prevention programs, to be funded by local governmental
76	76	entities; and
77	77	(4) assist local organizations that provide violence
78	78	intervention and prevention services in seeking and applying for a
79	79	grant under Subchapter C.
80	80	(c) The office shall develop and implement a public health
81	81	strategy for implementing the purposes described by Section 56.051.
82	82	The strategy must require:
83	83	(1) the use of culturally competent, community-wide
84	84	risk assessment tools;
85	85	(2) the use of methods to identify individuals in need
86	86	of intervention or prevention services who rely heavily on public
87	87	services;
88	88	(3) the provision of cognitive and family-based
89	89	counseling;
90	90	(4) the coordination of available services to prevent
91	91	incidents of violence; and
92	92	(5) as appropriate, technical assistance from
93	93	culturally competent organizations or individuals.
94	94	Sec. 56.053. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE;
95	95	DIRECTORY OF VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION SERVICES. (a)
96	96	The office shall conduct a statewide public health campaign on the
97	97	impact of violence, strategies to help prevent the occurrence of
98	98	violence, and the use of alternative dispute resolution methods for
99	99	addressing incidents of violence.
100	100	(b) The office shall develop and post on the department's
101	101	Internet website a directory of violence intervention and
102	102	prevention services available in each county in this state.
103	103	SUBCHAPTER C. COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION GRANT
104	104	PROGRAM
105	105	Sec. 56.101. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF GRANT
106	106	PROGRAM. The office shall establish and administer a community
107	107	violence intervention and prevention grant program and award grants
108	108	under the program to improve public health and safety by supporting
109	109	effective violence reduction strategies throughout this state in
110	110	communities disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of
111	111	violence, including:
112	112	(1) gun violence;
113	113	(2) group violence;
114	114	(3) suicides;
115	115	(4) family violence;
116	116	(5) intimate partner violence; and
117	117	(6) violence based on an individual's gender.
118	118	Sec. 56.102. ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The office shall
119	119	establish the grant review advisory committee to assist the office
120	120	in reviewing and selecting grant applications for a grant award
121	121	under this subchapter. The advisory committee must include:
122	122	(1) members who have been personally impacted by
123	123	violence;
124	124	(2) members who have been incarcerated; and
125	125	(3) members with hands-on experience implementing
126	126	evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that incorporate a
127	127	public health, community-based, or ecological system approach.
128	128	(b) The advisory committee shall select a presiding officer
129	129	from among the advisory committee members.
130	130	(c) An advisory committee member serves at the pleasure of
131	131	the office.
132	132	(d) Section 2110.008, Government Code, does not apply to the
133	133	advisory committee.
134	134	Sec. 56.103. ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. (a)
135	135	The office, with advice from the advisory committee, shall award
136	136	grants through a competitive process to counties and municipalities
137	137	disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of violence and to
138	138	community-based organizations serving communities
139	139	disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of violence.
140	140	(b) To be awarded a grant under this subchapter, a county,
141	141	municipality, or community-based organization shall submit to the
142	142	office, in the form and manner the office prescribes, a complete
143	143	application that includes a statement describing:
144	144	(1) the community issues or concerns the grant money
145	145	will address;
146	146	(2) the applicant's goals and objectives for use of the
147	147	grant money, which must include the applicant's plan for
148	148	implementing an evidence-based violence reduction initiative; and
149	149	(3) the applicant's plan to enhance local coordination
150	150	of existing violence intervention and prevention programs and
151	151	minimize the duplication of services.
152	152	(c) If appropriate to address regional problems or provide a
153	153	more comprehensive solution:
154	154	(1) a county or municipality may submit a joint
155	155	application with one or more other counties or municipalities; and
156	156	(2) a community-based organization may submit a joint
157	157	application with one or more other community-based organizations.
158	158	Sec. 56.104. REVIEW AND SELECTION OF GRANT APPLICANTS. (a)
159	159	The office, with assistance and advice from the advisory committee,
160	160	shall review grant applications submitted under this subchapter and
161	161	select applicants for grant awards.
162	162	(b) In selecting applicants for grant awards, the office
163	163	shall give preference to applicants whose proposals demonstrate:
164	164	(1) the greatest likelihood for reducing violence in
165	165	the community served by the applicant without contributing to the
166	166	mass incarceration of individuals;
167	167	(2) for a joint application that includes at least one
168	168	community-based organization, a partnership with one or more
169	169	entities, including another community-based organization or a
170	170	public entity;
171	171	(3) leadership that reflects the demographics of the
172	172	community served by the applicant;
173	173	(4) experience with formerly incarcerated individuals
174	174	or individuals who are otherwise involved in the criminal justice
175	175	system; and
176	176	(5) familiarity with individuals who are experiencing
177	177	or have experienced interpersonal violence.
178	178	Sec. 56.105. REQUIRED USE OF GRANT MONEY. (a) A grant
179	179	recipient shall use a grant awarded under this subchapter to
180	180	support, expand, or replicate evidence-based violence reduction
181	181	initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
182	182	victimization, and retaliation to reduce the incidence of firearm
183	183	violence, including:
184	184	(1) hospital-based violence intervention programs;
185	185	(2) community outreach programs; and
186	186	(3) initiatives with focused deterrence strategies.
187	187	(b) The office may award a grant under this subchapter only
188	188	in accordance with a contract between the office and the grant
189	189	recipient. The contract must include provisions affording the
190	190	office sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of
191	191	supporting, expanding, or replicating evidence-based violence
192	192	reduction initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
193	193	victimization, and retaliation is accomplished and this state
194	194	receives the return benefit.
195	195	(c) Subject to Subsection (b), a county or municipal
196	196	recipient of a grant awarded under this subchapter must distribute
197	197	not less than 50 percent of the grant money in this state to one or
198	198	more of the following:
199	199	(1) a community-based organization;
200	200	(2) an Indian tribe or tribal organization; or
201	201	(3) a public entity primarily focused on community
202	202	safety or gun violence prevention.
203	203	Sec. 56.106. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. Each grant recipient
204	204	shall report to the office, in a form and at intervals the office
205	205	prescribes, the recipient's progress toward achieving the grant
206	206	objectives.
207	207	Sec. 56.107. EFFICACY EVALUATION OF GRANT PROGRAM. The
208	208	office may contract with an independent entity with expertise in
209	209	evaluating community-based, grant-funded programs to evaluate the
210	210	effectiveness of the grant program under this subchapter, provided
211	211	the entity, in conducting the evaluation, uses:
212	212	(1) both qualitative and quantitative methods, as
213	213	appropriate; and
214	214	(2) participatory action research methods or other
215	215	research methods that incorporate subject engagement, to the extent
216	216	practicable.
217	217	SECTION 3. Not later than December 1, 2025:
218	218	(1) the commissioner of state health services shall
219	219	establish the office of community violence intervention and
220	220	prevention within the Department of State Health Services as
221	221	required by Chapter 56, Health and Safety Code, as added by this
222	222	Act; and
223	223	(2) the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
224	224	Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement
225	225	Chapter 56, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
226	226	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.