By Naishtat H.B. No. 3341 76R6383 JJT-F 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 1-22 be provided in accordance with rules of the Texas Department of 1-23 Mental 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 allocate resources for the demonstration program so 2-10 that priority is given to communities that: 2-11 (1) have the greatest number of individuals with 2-12 mental illnesses who reside in personal care facilities; 2-13 (2) have supported housing plans that the Texas 2-14 Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Texas 2-15 Department of Housing and Community Affairs have found to be 2-16 consistent with the purposes of the demonstration program; and 2-17 (3) serve primarily individuals with mental illnesses 2-18 who reside in a facility the Texas Department of Human Services has 2-19 identified as a facility that does not comply with licensing rules 2-20 for personal care facilities. 2-21 (e) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental 2-22 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community 2-23 Affairs by rule shall establish an application process for an 2-24 organization to provide services under the demonstration project. 2-25 (f) The Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental 2-26 Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community 2-27 Affairs shall establish a committee to supervise the design and 3-1 implementation of the demonstration project. The committee must 3-2 include representatives of: 3-3 (1) the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental 3-4 Retardation; 3-5 (2) the Texas Department of Housing and Community 3-6 Affairs; 3-7 (3) the Texas Department of Human Services; 3-8 (4) consumers of mental health services; and 3-9 (5) advocates of persons with mental illness. 3-10 (g) An organization may not be selected to provide services 3-11 under the demonstration project unless the organization 3-12 demonstrates collaboration between the organization and a public 3-13 housing authority, community housing development organization, 3-14 community development corporation, or other housing organization. 3-15 Organizations eligible to provide services under the demonstration 3-16 project include: 3-17 (1) a local mental health authority; 3-18 (2) an organization of consumers, or family members of 3-19 consumers, or both; or 3-20 (3) a nonprofit organization. 3-21 (h) An individual is not eligible for assistance under the 3-22 demonstration project if the individual: 3-23 (1) does not have a mental illness; 3-24 (2) does not reside in a licensed or unlicensed 3-25 personal care facility at the time the individual is first offered 3-26 services under the demonstration project; or 3-27 (3) was placed in a licensed or unlicensed personal 4-1 care facility for the sole purpose of becoming eligible for the 4-2 demonstration project. 4-3 SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Department of Mental Health and 4-4 Mental Retardation and the Texas Department of Housing and 4-5 Community Affairs shall implement the demonstration project 4-6 required by Section 1 of this Act as soon as possible after the 4-7 effective date of this Act and not later than January 1, 2000. 4-8 (b) On or before January 15, 2001, the Texas Department of 4-9 Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Texas Department of 4-10 Housing and Community Affairs shall make a joint report to the 4-11 governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of 4-12 representatives. The report must include an evaluation of the 4-13 demonstration project's benefits for individuals who received 4-14 services and recommendations on the continuation or termination of 4-15 the project or commencement of a similar project. 4-16 SECTION 3. This Act expires August 31, 2001. 4-17 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 4-18 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 4-19 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 4-20 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 4-21 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 4-22 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 4-23 passage, and it is so enacted.