Bill Text: TX HB2619 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Comm Sub
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to grant programs to maintain peace officers' mental health and provide critical incident stress debriefing for certain officers.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB2619 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2619-Comm_Sub.html
Bill Title: Relating to grant programs to maintain peace officers' mental health and provide critical incident stress debriefing for certain officers.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective on 9/1/17 [HB2619 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-HB2619-Comm_Sub.html
85R21574 SMT-D | |||
By: Giddings | H.B. No. 2619 | ||
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2619: | |||
By: Guerra | C.S.H.B. No. 2619 |
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relating to a grant program administered by the governor's criminal | ||
justice division to implement programs, practices, and services to | ||
maintain peace officers' mental health. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 772, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 772.0073 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 772.0073. PEACE OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM. | ||
(a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Law enforcement agency" means an agency of the | ||
state or an agency of a political subdivision of the state | ||
authorized by law to employ peace officers. | ||
(2) "Criminal justice division" means the criminal | ||
justice division established under Section 772.006. | ||
(b) The criminal justice division shall establish and | ||
administer a grant program through which a law enforcement agency | ||
may apply for a grant to implement programs, practices, and | ||
services designed to address the direct or indirect emotional harm | ||
suffered by peace officers employed by the law enforcement agency | ||
in the course of the officers' duties or as the result of the | ||
commission of crimes by other persons. | ||
(c) Grant money awarded under this section may be used to | ||
pay for: | ||
(1) mental health counseling and other mental health | ||
care; | ||
(2) personnel costs incurred by the department as a | ||
result of providing direct services and supporting activities under | ||
an implemented program, practice, or service; | ||
(3) skills training for department personnel related | ||
to providing direct services under an implemented program, | ||
practice, or service; and | ||
(4) evaluation of an implemented program, practice, or | ||
service to determine its effectiveness. | ||
(d) Information obtained in the administration of a | ||
program, practice, or service funded by a grant made under this | ||
section is confidential and is not subject to disclosure under | ||
Chapter 552. | ||
(e) A law enforcement agency may not use against a peace | ||
officer in a departmental proceeding any information obtained in | ||
the administration of a program, practice, or service funded by a | ||
grant made under this section. | ||
(f) The criminal justice division shall establish: | ||
(1) eligibility criteria for grant applicants; | ||
(2) grant application procedures; | ||
(3) guidelines relating to grant amounts; | ||
(4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; and | ||
(5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant | ||
awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any | ||
conditions of a grant. | ||
(g) The criminal justice division shall evaluate and | ||
compare the programs, practices, and services implemented by each | ||
law enforcement agency that receives a grant under this section to | ||
determine the most successful programs, practices, and services for | ||
maintaining the mental health of peace officers. | ||
(h) The criminal justice division may contract with a third | ||
party to conduct the evaluations and comparison described by | ||
Subsection (g). | ||
(i) The criminal justice division shall include in the | ||
biennial report required by Section 772.006(a)(9) a detailed | ||
reporting of the results and performance of the grant program | ||
administered under this section. | ||
(j) The criminal justice division may use any available | ||
funds to implement this section. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |