Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2926 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R18621 TYPED
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 2926
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the transition of certain veterans' mental health
10	10	initiatives from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to
11	11	the Texas Veterans Commission.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Section 434.0172 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 434.0172. GRANT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR
16	16	VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES. (a) To the extent funds are
17	17	appropriated to the commission for that purpose, the commission
18	18	shall establish a grant program for the purpose of supporting
19	19	community mental health programs providing services and treatment
20	20	to veterans and their families.
21	21	(b) The commission shall ensure that each grant recipient
22	22	obtains or secures contributions to match awarded grants in amounts
23	23	of money or other consideration. The money or other consideration
24	24	obtained or secured by the commission may, as determined by the
25	25	executive director, include cash or in-kind contributions from
26	26	private contributors or local governments but may not include state
27	27	or federal funds.
28	28	(c) Money appropriated to, or obtained by, the commission
29	29	for the grant program must be disbursed directly to grant
30	30	recipients by the commission, as authorized by the executive
31	31	director.
32	32	(c-1) For services and treatment provided in a single
33	33	county, the commission shall condition each grant provided under
34	34	this section on a potential grant recipient providing funds from
35	35	non-state sources in a total amount at least equal to:
36	36	(1) 25 percent of the grant amount if the community
37	37	mental health program to be supported by the grant provides
38	38	services and treatment in a county with a population of less than
39	39	100,000;
40	40	(2) 50 percent of the grant amount if the community
41	41	mental health program to be supported by the grant provides
42	42	services and treatment in a county with a population of 100,000 or
43	43	more but less than 250,000; or
44	44	(3) 100 percent of the grant amount if the community
45	45	mental health program to be supported by the grant provides
46	46	services and treatment in a county with a population of 250,000 or
47	47	more.
48	48	(c-2) For a community mental health program that provides
49	49	services and treatment in more than one county, the commission
50	50	shall condition each grant provided under this section on a
51	51	potential grant recipient providing funds from non-state sources in
52	52	a total amount at least equal to:
53	53	(1) 25 percent of the grant amount if the county with
54	54	the largest population in which the community mental health program
55	55	to be supported by the grant provides services and treatment has a
56	56	population of less than 100,000;
57	57	(2) 50 percent of the grant amount if the county with
58	58	the largest population in which the community mental health program
59	59	to be supported by the grant provides services and treatment has a
60	60	population of 100,000 or more but less than 250,000; or
61	61	(3) 100 percent of the grant amount if the county with
62	62	the largest population in which the community mental health program
63	63	to be supported by the grant provides services and treatment has a
64	64	population of 250,000 or more.
65	65	(d) All grants awarded under the grant program must be used
66	66	for the sole purpose of supporting community programs that provide
67	67	mental health care services and treatment to veterans and their
68	68	families and that coordinate mental health care services for
69	69	veterans and their families with other transition support services.
70	70	(e) The commission shall select grant recipients based on
71	71	the submission of applications or proposals by nonprofit and
72	72	governmental entities. The executive director shall develop
73	73	criteria for the evaluation of those applications or proposals and
74	74	the selection of grant recipients. The selection criteria must:
75	75	(1) evaluate and score:
76	76	(A) fiscal controls for the project;
77	77	(B) project effectiveness;
78	78	(C) project cost; and
79	79	(D) an applicant's previous experience with
80	80	grants and contracts;
81	81	(2) address the possibility of and method for making
82	82	multiple awards; and
83	83	(3) include other factors that the executive director
84	84	considers relevant.
85	85	(f) A reasonable amount not to exceed five percent of the
86	86	money appropriated by the legislature for the purposes of this
87	87	section may be used by the commission to pay administrative costs of
88	88	implementing this section.
89	89	SECTION 2. Section 434.352, Government Code, is amended to
90	90	read as follows:
91	91	Sec. 434.352. GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES. (a) The
92	92	commission [and the Health and Human Services Commission] shall
93	93	[coordinate to] administer the mental health program for veterans
94	94	developed under this chapter [Chapter 1001, Health and Safety
95	95	Code].
96	96	(a-1) The mental health program for veterans must include:
97	97	(1) peer-to-peer counseling;
98	98	(2) access to licensed mental health professionals for
99	99	peer service coordinators and peers;
100	100	(3) training approved by the commission for peer
101	101	service coordinators, licensed mental health professionals, and
102	102	peers;
103	103	(4) technical assistance for peer service
104	104	coordinators, licensed mental health professionals, and peers;
105	105	(5) identification, retention, and screening of
106	106	community-based licensed mental health professionals;
107	107	(6) suicide prevention training for peer service
108	108	coordinators and peers;
109	109	(7) veteran jail diversion services, including
110	110	veterans treatment courts; and
111	111	(8) coordination of mental health first aid for
112	112	veterans training to veterans and immediate family members of
113	113	veterans.
114	114	(b) For the mental health program for veterans, the
115	115	commission shall:
116	116	(1) provide training to peer service coordinators and
117	117	peers in accordance with Section 434.353;
118	118	(2) provide technical assistance to peer service
119	119	coordinators and peers;
120	120	(3) identify, train, and communicate with
121	121	community-based licensed mental health professionals,
122	122	community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations;
123	123	(4) coordinate services for justice involved
124	124	veterans;
125	125	(5) coordinate local delivery to veterans and
126	126	immediate family members of veterans of mental health first aid for
127	127	veterans training; [and]
128	128	(6) employ and train mental health professionals to
129	129	administer [assist the Health and Human Services Commission in the
130	130	administration of] the program;
131	131	(7) develop a rural veterans mental health initiative
132	132	and a women veterans mental health initiative; and
133	133	(8) solicit and ensure that specialized training is
134	134	provided to persons who are peers and who want to provide
135	135	peer-to-peer counseling or other peer-to-peer services under the
136	136	program.
137	137	(c) Subject to Section 434.3525, the executive director of
138	138	the commission shall appoint a program director to administer the
139	139	mental health program for veterans.
140	140	(d) The commission shall provide appropriate facilities in
141	141	support of the mental health program for veterans to the extent
142	142	funding is available for that purpose.
143	143	(e) A state agency may not award a grant to an entity for the
144	144	provision of mental health services to veterans or veterans'
145	145	families unless the entity demonstrates the entity:
146	146	(1) has previously received and successfully executed
147	147	a grant from the state agency; or
148	148	(2) provides training on military informed care or
149	149	military cultural competency to entity personnel who provide mental
150	150	health services to veterans or veterans' families or requires those
151	151	personnel to complete military competency training provided by any
152	152	of the following:
153	153	(A) the commission;
154	154	(B) the Health and Human Services Commission;
155	155	(C) the Military Veteran Peer Network;
156	156	(D) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
157	157	Services Administration within the United States Department of
158	158	Health and Human Services;
159	159	(E) the United States Department of Defense;
160	160	(F) the United States Department of Veterans
161	161	Affairs; or
162	162	(G) a nonprofit organization that is exempt from
163	163	federal income taxation under Section 501(a), Internal Revenue Code
164	164	of 1986, by being listed as an exempt entity under Section 501(c)(3)
165	165	of that code, with experience in providing training or technical
166	166	assistance to entities that provide mental health services to
167	167	veterans or veterans' families.
168	168	(f) The commission and the Health and Human Services
169	169	Commission [Department of State Health Services] shall jointly
170	170	verify that each state agency authorized to award a grant subject to
171	171	the requirements of Subsection (e) has adopted policies to ensure
172	172	compliance with Subsection (e).
173	173	SECTION 3. Subchapter H, Chapter 434, Government Code, is
174	174	amended by adding Section 434.354 to read as follows:
175	175	Sec. 434.354. ANNUAL REPORT. Not later than December 1 of
176	176	each year, the commission shall submit a report to the governor and
177	177	the legislature that includes:
178	178	(1) the number of veterans who received services
179	179	through the mental health program for veterans;
180	180	(2) the number of peers and peer service coordinators
181	181	trained;
182	182	(3) an evaluation of the services provided under this
183	183	subchapter; and
184	184	(4) recommendations for program improvements.
185	185	SECTION 4. Chapter 434, Government Code, is amended by
186	186	adding Subchapter J to read as follows:
187	187	SUBCHAPTER J. VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN.
188	188	Sec. 434.501. VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN. (a)
189	189	The commission, in collaboration with the Texas Coordinating
190	190	Council for Veterans Services, the United States Department of
191	191	Veterans Affairs, the Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families
192	192	Technical Assistance Center Implementation Academy of the
193	193	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the
194	194	United States Department of Health and Human Services, veteran
195	195	advocacy groups, medical providers, and any other organization or
196	196	interested party the commission considers appropriate, shall
197	197	develop a comprehensive action plan to increase access to and
198	198	availability of professional veteran health services to prevent
199	199	veteran suicides.
200	200	(b) The action plan must:
201	201	(1) identify opportunities for raising awareness of
202	202	and providing resources for veteran suicide prevention;
203	203	(2) identify opportunities to increase access to
204	204	veteran mental health services;
205	205	(3) identify funding resources to provide accessible,
206	206	affordable veteran mental health services;
207	207	(4) provide measures to expand public-private
208	208	partnerships to ensure access to quality, timely mental health
209	209	services;
210	210	(5) provide for proactive outreach measures to reach
211	211	veterans needing care;
212	212	(6) provide for peer-to-peer service coordination,
213	213	including training, certification, recertification, and continuing
214	214	education for peer coordinators; and
215	215	(7) address suicide prevention awareness, measures,
216	216	and training regarding veterans involved in the justice system.
217	217	(c) The commission shall make specific short-term and
218	218	long-term statutory, administrative, and budget-related
219	219	recommendations to the legislature and the governor regarding the
220	220	policy initiatives and reforms necessary to implement the action
221	221	plan developed under this section. The initiatives and reforms
222	222	must be fully implemented by September 1, 2027.
223	223	(d) This subchapter expires September 1, 2027.
224	224	SECTION 5. The following provisions are repealed:
225	225	(1) Subchapter I, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety
226	226	Code; and
227	227	(2) Sections 531.0925 and 531.0992, Government Code.
228	228	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
229	229	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
230	230	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
231	231	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
232	232	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.