SRC-SLL, DPW S.B. 1234 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterS.B. 1234 By: Nelson Human Services 6/29/1999 Enrolled DIGEST 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. This bill will create a mechanism to allow the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative to award grants to community based projects for mental health services, and allow the HHSC to establish awards criteria and an evaluation system in order to facilitate more grants being awarded at the local level. PURPOSE As enrolled, S.B. 1234 requires the expansion and funding of the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative of the Health and Human Services Commission. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY Rulemaking authority is granted to Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 (Sections 531.252(a) and 531.256(b), Chapter 531G, Government 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. PILOT PROJECT CONSORTIUM; EXPANSION PLAN. Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to form a consortium, required to consist of representatives of listed state governmental bodies and an equal number of family advocates, to develop criteria for and implement the expansion of the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative pilot project (TIFI) and to develop local mental health care systems in communities for minors who are receiving residential mental health services or who are at risk of residential placement to receive mental health services. Requires the HHSC and the consortium to develop a model and guidelines for the delivery of mental health services and support to a minor, establish a plan to allow TIFI to operate in up to six communities, and identify appropriate sources of state and federal funding to finance mental health services under TIFI from a central fund for expansion communities. Sec. 531.252. PROPOSALS FOR EXPANSION COMMUNITIES. Requires HHSC, by rule, to establish a request-for-proposal process to select expansion communities to participate in TIFI. Requires HHSC and the consortium to develop criteria to evaluate proposals for selecting expansion communities to participate in the expanded TIFI. Sets forth requirements for the criteria. Requires populations to be served to include youth at risk of residential placement, incarceration, or reincarceration because of emotional disturbance. Requires outcome criteria, required to be included in the criteria to evaluate proposals, to be consistent with outcome measures used in evaluation of individualized children's services projects in other states. Sec. 531.253. SELECTION OF EXPANSION COMMUNITIES. Requires HHSC and the consortium to review proposals for expansion communities and select not more than six communities that best meet the criteria developed under Section 531.252. Sec. 531.254. SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT COLLABORATION. Requires HHSC, the consortium, and the expansion communities to collaborate to develop and share technical assistance and training resources to aid communities in developing local systems for delivering mental health services to minors. Sec. 531.255. EVALUATION. Requires HHSC and the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation to jointly monitor the progress of the expansion communities. Requires HHSC, the consortium, and the expansion communities to collaborate to develop a system to evaluate the success of the expansion communities in achieving outcome goals for the minors the communities serve, and to include information on cost avoidance and net savings. Requires each expansion community to identify the baseline information to compare with the information on outcomes in evaluating the achievements of the community, and to report the outcome information to HHSC. Requires an expansion community to use instruments to measure outcomes that have known reliability and validity and that allow comparisons with similar projects in other states and with national evaluation efforts. Sec. 531.256. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR YOUTH GRANTS. Requires the HHSC to expand the TIFI to enable TIFI to award certain grants on or before September 1, 2001. Requires HHSC, by rule, to develop criteria for awarding grants under this section to encourage certain action. Authorizes the grants to be paid from a fund developed for TIFI, and authorizes HHSC to establish and identify money for related projects. Sec. 531.257. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR GRANT PROJECTS. Authorizes HHSC to provide technical assistance to a community that receives a grant under Section 531.251. Sec. 531.258. STATEWIDE EVALUATION SYSTEM. Requires HHSC to develop an evaluation system to measure outcomes of TIFI. SECTION 2. Requires certain departments, agencies, and commissions, including the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 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. .