Bill Text: TX HB1941 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to peer support specialists for certain individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability and peer services for those individuals under Medicaid.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-17 - Filed [HB1941 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB1941-Introduced.html
| 89R6628 RAL-F | ||
| By: Campos | H.B. No. 1941 | |
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| relating to peer support specialists for certain individuals with | ||
| an intellectual or developmental disability and peer services for | ||
| those individuals under Medicaid. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 547, Government Code, as | ||
| effective April 1, 2025, is amended by adding Section 547.00031 to | ||
| read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 547.00031. PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS FOR CERTAIN | ||
| INDIVIDUALS WITH AN INTELLECTUAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY. (a) | ||
| With input from intellectual and developmental disability peer | ||
| support specialists and the stakeholder work group described by | ||
| Subsection (c), the commission shall develop and the executive | ||
| commissioner shall adopt: | ||
| (1) rules to establish accessible and validated | ||
| training requirements for peer support specialists who provide | ||
| services to individuals with an intellectual or developmental | ||
| disability; | ||
| (2) rules that establish certification and | ||
| supervision requirements for intellectual and developmental | ||
| disability peer support specialists to ensure compliance with this | ||
| section; | ||
| (3) rules that define the scope of services an | ||
| intellectual and developmental disability peer support specialist | ||
| may provide; | ||
| (4) rules that distinguish peer support services for | ||
| individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability from | ||
| other services that require the provider to hold a license or | ||
| certification; and | ||
| (5) any other rules necessary to protect the health | ||
| and safety of individuals receiving peer support services. | ||
| (b) The rules adopted under Subsection (a) do not apply to | ||
| the provision of peer support services to residents of a state | ||
| supported living center, as defined by Section 531.002, Health and | ||
| Safety Code. | ||
| (c) The commission shall establish a stakeholder work group | ||
| to provide input for the adoption of rules under Subsection (a). | ||
| The work group is composed of the following stakeholders appointed | ||
| by the executive commissioner: | ||
| (1) at least one mental health and substance use | ||
| disorder peer support specialist; | ||
| (2) at least one intellectual and developmental | ||
| disability peer support specialist; | ||
| (3) a representative of each of the following: | ||
| (A) the commission's Peer and Recovery Services | ||
| Programs, Planning, and Policy unit; | ||
| (B) the commission's Office of Disability | ||
| Services Coordination; | ||
| (C) the Texas Council for Developmental | ||
| Disabilities; | ||
| (D) Texas Parent to Parent; and | ||
| (E) Texas Advocates; and | ||
| (4) a person who is certified as a trainer by the | ||
| Learning Community for Person Centered Practices under the People | ||
| Planning Together program. | ||
| (d) The executive commissioner shall appoint one member of | ||
| the work group to serve as presiding officer. | ||
| (e) The work group shall meet once every month. | ||
| (f) The work group is automatically abolished on the | ||
| adoption of rules under Subsection (a). | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 32.024(kk), Human Resources Code, is | ||
| amended to read as follows: | ||
| (kk) The commission in its rules and standards governing the | ||
| scope of services provided under the medical assistance program | ||
| shall include peer services provided by certified peer specialists, | ||
| including peer support services provided to individuals with an | ||
| intellectual or developmental disability, to the extent permitted | ||
| by federal law. | ||
| SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human | ||
| Services Commission shall appoint the members of the stakeholder | ||
| work group established by Section 547.00031(c), Government Code, as | ||
| added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. If before implementing any provision of this Act | ||
| a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a | ||
| federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, | ||
| the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or | ||
| authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the | ||
| waiver or authorization is granted. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
