Bill Text: TX SB578 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the creation by the Health and Human Services Commission of a veteran suicide prevention action plan.
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective immediately [SB578 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB578-Enrolled.html
| S.B. No. 578 | ||
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| relating to the creation by the Health and Human Services | ||
| Commission of a veteran suicide prevention action plan. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 531.0999 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 531.0999. VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ACTION PLAN. | ||
| (a) The commission, in collaboration with the Texas Coordinating | ||
| Council for Veterans Services, the United States Department of | ||
| Veterans Affairs, the Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families | ||
| Technical Assistance Center Implementation Academy of the | ||
| Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the | ||
| United States Department of Health and Human Services, veteran | ||
| advocacy groups, medical providers, and any other organization or | ||
| interested party the commission considers appropriate, shall | ||
| develop a comprehensive action plan to increase access to and | ||
| availability of professional veteran health services to prevent | ||
| veteran suicides. | ||
| (b) The action plan must: | ||
| (1) identify opportunities for raising awareness of | ||
| and providing resources for veteran suicide prevention; | ||
| (2) identify opportunities to increase access to | ||
| veteran mental health services; | ||
| (3) identify funding resources to provide accessible, | ||
| affordable veteran mental health services; | ||
| (4) provide measures to expand public-private | ||
| partnerships to ensure access to quality, timely mental health | ||
| services; | ||
| (5) provide for proactive outreach measures to reach | ||
| veterans needing care; | ||
| (6) provide for peer-to-peer service coordination, | ||
| including training, certification, recertification, and continuing | ||
| education for peer coordinators; and | ||
| (7) address suicide prevention awareness, measures, | ||
| and training regarding veterans involved in the justice system. | ||
| (c) The commission shall make specific short-term and | ||
| long-term statutory, administrative, and budget-related | ||
| recommendations to the legislature and the governor regarding the | ||
| policy initiatives and reforms necessary to implement the action | ||
| plan developed under this section. The short-term recommendations | ||
| must include a plan for state implementation beginning not later | ||
| than September 1, 2019. The initiatives and reforms in the | ||
| short-term plan must be fully implemented by September 1, 2021. The | ||
| long-term recommendations must include a plan for state | ||
| implementation beginning not later than September 1, 2021. The | ||
| initiatives and reforms in the long-term plan must be fully | ||
| implemented by September 1, 2027. | ||
| (d) The commission shall include in its strategic plan under | ||
| Chapter 2056 the plans for implementation of the short-term and | ||
| long-term recommendations under Subsection (c). | ||
| (e) This section expires September 1, 2027. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 578 passed the Senate on | ||
| March 28, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; | ||
| May 27, 2017, Senate refused to concur in House amendments and | ||
| requested appointment of Conference Committee; May 28, 2017, House | ||
| granted request of the Senate; May 28, 2017, Senate adopted | ||
| Conference Committee Report by the following vote: Yeas 31, | ||
| Nays 0. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that S.B. No. 578 passed the House, with | ||
| amendments, on May 23, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 146, | ||
| Nays 0, two present not voting; May 28, 2017, House granted request | ||
| of the Senate for appointment of Conference Committee; | ||
| May 28, 2017, House adopted Conference Committee Report by the | ||
| following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, one present not voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| Approved: | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
