75R10019 JJT-D                           

         By Solis                                              H.B. No. 3315

         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3315:

         By Delisi                                         C.S.H.B. No. 3315

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to equalization of facilities and funding for mental

 1-3     health  treatment and services.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  (a) The Texas Department of Mental Health and

 1-6     Mental Retardation shall prepare a plan for presentation to and

 1-7     consideration by the legislature that provides in all necessary

 1-8     detail a mechanism for, and the related costs of, providing state

 1-9     mental health treatment and services equally in all regions of the

1-10     state.

1-11           (b)  The plan must include specific recommendations for:

1-12                 (1)  necessary amendments to state law;

1-13                 (2)  changes to the Texas Department of Mental Health

1-14     and Mental Retardation's budget and for appropriations to

1-15     accomplish the plan; and

1-16                 (3)  acquiring or disposing of facilities as needed to

1-17     achieve the per capita services goals provided by Subsection (c)(1)

1-18     of this section.

1-19           (c)  The plan must provide for:

1-20                 (1)  each region of the state to have available a

1-21     similar amount or level of services per capita, including providing

1-22     each region with the same number of state hospital beds per capita;

1-23     and

1-24                 (2)  equalized funding for services provided in each

 2-1     region of the state, adjusted for the population density and

 2-2     relative prosperity or poverty of the region, including providing

 2-3     equal funding for each state-funded bed for inpatient mental health

 2-4     services or treatment.

 2-5           (d)  The plan may provide for dividing the state into service

 2-6     regions as are best suited to accomplish the goals of Subsection

 2-7     (c) of this section while enhancing the public's access to services

 2-8     in sparsely populated or economically disadvantaged areas.  The

 2-9     service regions may be of unequal size.

2-10           SECTION 2.  The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental

2-11     Retardation shall begin developing the plan as soon after the

2-12     effective date of this Act as practicable.  In developing the plan,

2-13     the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation may

2-14     consult with any state agency as convenient to accomplish that

2-15     task.  The plan must be completed not later than September 30,

2-16     1998.  On or before that date, the Texas Department of Mental

2-17     Health and Mental Retardation shall present the plan to the

2-18     governor,  the speaker of the house of representatives, the

2-19     lieutenant governor,  and the presiding officer of:

2-20                 (1)  the House Appropriations Committee;

2-21                 (2)  the Senate Finance Committee; and

2-22                 (3)  the committees of the senate and the house of

2-23     representatives that have jurisdiction over the Texas Department of

2-24     Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

2-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 3-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-4     passage, and it is so enacted.