76R11462 JJT-F
By Naishtat H.B. No. 3341
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3341:
By Chavez C.S.H.B. No. 3341
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to housing, rehabilitation, and support needs of
1-3 individuals with mental illnesses who reside in certain personal
1-4 care facilities.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. (a) The Texas Department of Mental Health and
1-7 Mental Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and
1-8 Community Affairs shall implement a program to demonstrate the
1-9 effectiveness of interagency cooperation for providing supported
1-10 housing services to individuals with mental illness who reside in
1-11 personal care facilities.
1-12 (b) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
1-13 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community
1-14 Affairs shall design the supported housing services to give
1-15 individualized assistance to persons to acquire and retain living
1-16 arrangements that are:
1-17 (1) typical of the general population in the area in
1-18 which the services are provided; and
1-19 (2) located among residences of individuals who are
1-20 not receiving the services.
1-21 (c) The supported housing services under the program must be
1-22 provided in accordance with rules of the Texas Department of Mental
1-23 Health and Mental Retardation and may include:
1-24 (1) rental assistance for an individual who:
2-1 (A) meets income guidelines of the Texas
2-2 Department of Housing and Community Affairs; and
2-3 (B) is not receiving housing assistance from the
2-4 federal government;
2-5 (2) consumer rehabilitation services; and
2-6 (3) support services.
2-7 (d) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
2-8 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community
2-9 Affairs shall work with the Texas Department of Human Services to
2-10 allocate resources for the demonstration program so that priority
2-11 is given to communities that:
2-12 (1) have the greatest number of personal care
2-13 facilities and facilities that do not comply with licensing rules
2-14 for personal care facilities; and
2-15 (2) have supported housing plans that the Texas
2-16 Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Texas
2-17 Department of Housing and Community Affairs have found to be
2-18 consistent with the purposes of the demonstration program.
2-19 (e) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
2-20 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community
2-21 Affairs shall establish an application process for communities that
2-22 seek to participate in the demonstration program.
2-23 (f) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
2-24 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community
2-25 Affairs shall establish a committee to supervise the design and
2-26 implementation of the demonstration program. The committee must
2-27 include representatives of:
3-1 (1) the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental
3-2 Retardation;
3-3 (2) the Texas Department of Housing and Community
3-4 Affairs;
3-5 (3) the Texas Department of Human Services;
3-6 (4) consumers of mental health services; and
3-7 (5) advocates of persons with mental illness.
3-8 (g) A community may not be selected to participate in the
3-9 demonstration program unless the person that applies for the
3-10 community's participation demonstrates collaboration between the
3-11 local mental health authority and a public housing authority,
3-12 community housing development organization, community development
3-13 corporation, or other housing organization.
3-14 (h) An individual is not eligible for assistance under the
3-15 demonstration program if the individual:
3-16 (1) does not have a mental illness;
3-17 (2) does not reside in a licensed or unlicensed
3-18 personal care facility at the time the individual is first offered
3-19 services under the demonstration program; or
3-20 (3) was placed in a licensed or unlicensed personal
3-21 care facility for the sole purpose of becoming eligible for the
3-22 demonstration program.
3-23 SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Department of Mental Health and
3-24 Mental Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and
3-25 Community Affairs shall implement the demonstration program
3-26 required by Section 1 of this Act as soon as possible after the
3-27 effective date of this Act and not later than January 1, 2000.
4-1 (b) On or before January 15, 2001, the Texas Department of
4-2 Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Texas Department of
4-3 Housing and Community Affairs shall make a joint report to the
4-4 governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
4-5 representatives. The report must include an evaluation of the
4-6 demonstration program's benefits for individuals who received
4-7 services and recommendations on the continuation or termination of
4-8 the project or commencement of a similar project.
4-9 SECTION 3. This Act expires August 31, 2001.
4-10 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
4-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-15 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-16 passage, and it is so enacted.