HBA-MPM S.B. 1234 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1234
By: Nelson
Public Health
4/26/1999
Engrossed


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the comptroller, according to the Texas Performance  Review,
recommends that state law should be amended to increase local control of
spending for children's mental health services. The Health and Human
Services Commission (HHSC) estimates that two-thirds of Texas children with
severe emotional and behavioral problems do not receive the appropriate and
comprehensive help they need.  This is due in part to the fact that such
children often need a variety of services, yet services are fragmented
among a number of different agencies, programs, and funding sources, each
with different regulations and eligibility requirements.  S.B. 1234 creates
a mechanism to allow the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative to award
grants to community-based projects for mental health services and allow
HHSC to establish awards criteria and an evaluation system in order to
facilitate more grants being awarded at the local level. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly granted to the Health and Human Services Commission
in SECTION 1 (Section 531.251, Health and Safety Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 531, Government Code, by adding Subchapter G, as
follows:  

SUBCHAPTER G. DEVELOPING LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH 
CARE SYSTEMS FOR CERTAIN CHILDREN 

Sec. 531.251.  MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR YOUTH GRANTS.  Requires the
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to expand the Texas Integrated
Funding Initiative pilot project (TIFI) to enable TIFI to award grants for
community projects for mental health services for youth on or before
September 1, 2001.  Requires HHSC, by rule, to develop criteria for
awarding grants under this section to encourage certain community goals.
Authorizes the grants to be paid from the fund developed for TIFI, and
authorizes HHSC to establish and identify money for related projects.  

Sec. 531.252.  TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR GRANT PROJECTS.  Authorizes HHSC to
provide technical assistance to a community that receives a grant under
Section 531.251.  

Sec. 531.253.   STATEWIDE EVALUATION SYSTEM.  Requires HHSC to develop an
evaluation system to measure outcomes of projects for services associated
with TIFI.  

SECTION 2.  Requires the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services,
Texas Education Agency, Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
Retardation, Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Texas Youth
Commission, and Texas Juvenile Probation Commission to each transfer to
HHSC $30,000 in fiscal year 2000 and $70,000 in fiscal year 2001, to
finance TIFI. Requires HHSC to promote the participation of new communities
in and projects for TIFI to attract matching funds and local participation.

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.