BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 4074
87R11745 GCB-D	By: Hunter et al. (Men�ndez)
	Health & Human Services
	5/17/2021
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

According to a recent report to the legislature by the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (council), Texas has the second highest amount of suicide deaths of any state in the country. The state must do more to improve suicide prevention efforts. H.B. 4074 seeks to do so by requiring the council to create a subcommittee focused on suicide prevention through the use of relevant collected data and by including suicide prevention efforts among the required components of the council's behavioral health strategic plan.

 

H.B. 4074 amends the Government Code to require the council to include statewide suicide prevention efforts in its five-year statewide behavioral health strategic plan.

 

H.B. 4074 requires the council to create a suicide prevention subcommittee to focus on statewide suicide prevention efforts using information collected by the council from available sources of suicide data reports. The subcommittee must establish guidelines for the frequent use of those reports in carrying out the council's purpose regarding suicide prevention and must establish a method for identifying how suicide data reports are used to make policy. The bill authorizes public or private entities that collect information regarding suicide and suicide prevention to provide suicide data reports to Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) staff designated by the executive commissioner of HHSC to receive those reports.

 

H.B. 4074 amends current law relating to the collection and use of suicide data by the statewide behavioral health coordinating council.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 531.476, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 531.476.  POWERS AND DUTIES.� (a) Creates this subsection from existing text and makes no further changes.

(b)  Requires the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (council) to include statewide suicide prevention efforts in its five-year statewide behavioral health strategic plan under Subsection (a) (relating to requiring a five-year statewide behavioral health strategic plan).

SECTION 2.  Amends Subchapter M-1, Chapter 531, Government Code, by adding Section 531.477, as follows:

Sec. 531.477.  SUICIDE PREVENTION SUBCOMMITTEE; SUICIDE DATA REPORTS. (a) Requires the council to create a suicide prevention subcommittee (subcommittee) to focus on statewide suicide prevention efforts using information collected by the council from available sources of suicide data reports. Requires the suicide prevention subcommittee to establish guidelines for the frequent use of those reports in carrying out the council's purpose under Subchapter M-1 (Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council).

(b)  Requires the subcommittee created under this section to establish a method for identifying how suicide data reports are used to make policy.

(c)  Authorizes public or private entities that collect information regarding suicide and suicide prevention to provide suicide data reports to Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) staff designated by the executive commissioner of HHSC to receive those reports.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2021.