Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1849 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9783 AND-F
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1849
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to repayment of certain mental health professional
10	10	education loans.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 61.601, Education Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 61.601. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "mental
15	15	health professional" means:
16	16	(1) a licensed physician who is:
17	17	(A) a graduate of an accredited psychiatric
18	18	residency training program; or
19	19	(B) certified in psychiatry by:
20	20	(i) the American Board of Psychiatry and
21	21	Neurology; or
22	22	(ii) the American Osteopathic Board of
23	23	Neurology and Psychiatry;
24	24	(2) a psychologist, as defined by Section 501.002,
25	25	Occupations Code;
26	26	(3) a licensed professional counselor, as defined by
27	27	Section 503.002, Occupations Code;
28	28	(4) an advanced practice registered nurse, as defined
29	29	by Section 301.152, Occupations Code, who holds a nationally
30	30	recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental health
31	31	nursing;
32	32	(5) a licensed clinical social worker, as defined by
33	33	Section 505.002, Occupations Code;
34	34	(6) a licensed specialist in school psychology, as
35	35	defined by Section 501.002, Occupations Code;
36	36	(7) a school counselor certified under Subchapter B,
37	37	Chapter 21;
38	38	(8) a chemical dependency counselor, as defined by
39	39	Section 504.001, Occupations Code; and
40	40	(9) [(8)] a licensed marriage and family therapist, as
41	41	defined by Section 502.002, Occupations Code.
42	42	SECTION 2. Section 61.603, Education Code, as amended by
43	43	Chapters 678 (H.B. 1211), 705 (H.B. 2100), and 1069 (S.B. 532), Acts
44	44	of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, is reenacted and
45	45	amended to read as follows:
46	46	Sec. 61.603. ELIGIBILITY. (a) Except as provided by
47	47	Subsection (b), to be eligible to receive repayment assistance
48	48	under this subchapter, a mental health professional must:
49	49	(1) apply to the board;
50	50	(2) have completed one, two, or three consecutive
51	51	years of practice in a mental health professional shortage area
52	52	designated by the Department of State Health Services; and
53	53	(3) provide mental health services in this state to:
54	54	(A) recipients under the medical assistance
55	55	program authorized by Chapter 32, Human Resources Code;
56	56	(B) enrollees under the child health plan program
57	57	authorized by Chapter 62, Health and Safety Code; or
58	58	(C) persons committed to a secure correctional
59	59	facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile
60	60	Justice Department or persons confined in a secure correctional
61	61	facility operated by or under contract with any division of the
62	62	Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
63	63	(b) To be eligible to receive repayment assistance under
64	64	this subchapter, a mental health professional described by Section
65	65	61.601(6) or (7) must:
66	66	(1) apply to the board;
67	67	(2) be employed by:
68	68	(A) a school district all or part of which is
69	69	located in a federally designated mental health care health
70	70	professional shortage area;
71	71	(B) an open-enrollment charter school that is
72	72	located in a shortage area described by Paragraph (A); or
73	73	(C) a public school that receives federal funding
74	74	under Title I, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
75	75	U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.);
76	76	(3) provide mental health services to students
77	77	enrolled in that district or school, as applicable; and
78	78	(4) have completed one, two, or three consecutive
79	79	years of practice in this state as described by Subdivisions (2) and
80	80	(3).
81	81	SECTION 3. Sections 61.604(d) and (e), Education Code, are
82	82	amended to read as follows:
83	83	(d) The board may award a grant under this subchapter to a
84	84	mental health professional described by Section 61.601(9)
85	85	[61.601(8)] only in accordance with Subsection (e).
86	86	(e) If in a state fiscal year there are funds available for
87	87	purposes of the program after funding grants to all eligible mental
88	88	health professionals described by Sections 61.601(1)-(8)
89	89	[61.601(1)-(7)], the board may allocate any unused funds to award
90	90	repayment assistance grants to mental health professionals in any
91	91	of the professions listed in Section 61.601 except that priority
92	92	must be given to awarding grants to mental health professionals
93	93	described by Sections 61.601(1)-(8) [61.601(1)-(7)]. The
94	94	limitations prescribed by Subsections (b) and (c) do not apply to
95	95	grants awarded under this subsection.
96	96	SECTION 4. Section 61.607(b), Education Code, is amended to
97	97	read as follows:
98	98	(b) The total amount of repayment assistance received by a
99	99	mental health professional under this subchapter may not exceed:
100	100	(1) $160,000, for assistance from the state received
101	101	by a licensed physician;
102	102	(2) $80,000, for assistance from the state received
103	103	by:
104	104	(A) a psychologist;
105	105	(B) a licensed clinical social worker, if the
106	106	social worker has received a doctoral degree related to social
107	107	work;
108	108	(C) a licensed professional counselor or
109	109	certified school counselor described by Section 61.601(7), if the
110	110	counselor has received a doctoral degree related to counseling; or
111	111	(D) a licensed marriage and family therapist, if
112	112	the marriage and family therapist has received a doctoral degree
113	113	related to marriage and family therapy;
114	114	(3) $60,000, for assistance from the state received by
115	115	an advanced practice registered nurse;
116	116	(4) $40,000, for assistance from the state received
117	117	by:
118	118	(A) a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed
119	119	marriage and family therapist, [or] a licensed professional
120	120	counselor, or a certified school counselor described by Section
121	121	61.601(7) who is not described by Subdivision (2); or
122	122	(B) a licensed specialist in school psychology;
123	123	and
124	124	(5) $10,000, for assistance from the state received by
125	125	a licensed chemical dependency counselor, if the chemical
126	126	dependency counselor has received an associate degree related to
127	127	chemical dependency counseling or behavioral science.
128	128	SECTION 5. (a) The changes in law made by this Act to
129	129	Sections 61.603 and 61.607, Education Code, apply only to a person
130	130	who first establishes eligibility for loan repayment assistance
131	131	under Subchapter K, Chapter 61, Education Code, as amended by this
132	132	Act, on the basis of an application submitted on or after September
133	133	1, 2025. A person who first establishes eligibility on the basis of
134	134	an application submitted before September 1, 2025, is governed by
135	135	the law in effect at the time the application was submitted, and the
136	136	former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
137	137	(b) The changes in law made by this Act to Section 61.604,
138	138	Education Code, apply beginning with the state fiscal year
139	139	beginning September 1, 2025.
140	140	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.