By West S.B. No. 1454 76R5336 KKA-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to student health centers on public school campuses. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Chapter 38, Education Code, is amended by adding 1-5 Section 38.011 to read as follows: 1-6 Sec. 38.011. SCHOOL-BASED STUDENT HEALTH CENTERS. (a) A 1-7 school district, after consultation with the appropriate 1-8 campus-level planning and decision-making committees established 1-9 under Subchapter F, Chapter 11, may establish a school-based 1-10 student health center at one or more campuses in the district to 1-11 meet the health care needs of students without other access to 1-12 health care. A school-based student health center may provide 1-13 services in any of the following categories: 1-14 (1) mental health care; 1-15 (2) physical health care, including immunizations; 1-16 (3) family and home support; 1-17 (4) health education; or 1-18 (5) social services. 1-19 (b) A school-based student health center may provide 1-20 services to a student only if the district obtains the written 1-21 consent of the student's parent, guardian, or other person having 1-22 legal control of the student on a consent form developed by the 1-23 district. The consent form must list each category of service 1-24 available at the school-based student health center in a format 2-1 that allows a person to consent to one or more categories of 2-2 service. 2-3 (c) The staff of a school-based student health center and 2-4 the person whose consent is obtained under Subsection (b) shall 2-5 jointly identify any health-related concerns of the student that 2-6 may be interfering with the student's ability to succeed in school 2-7 and jointly accept responsibility for addressing those concerns. 2-8 (d) A school district may seek assistance in establishing 2-9 and operating a school-based student health center from any public 2-10 health agency located in the community. On request, a public 2-11 health agency shall cooperate and provide assistance to a school 2-12 district to the extent possible considering the resources available 2-13 to the public health agency. A school district and a public health 2-14 agency may, by agreement, jointly establish, operate, and fund a 2-15 school-based student health center. 2-16 (e) A school district shall seek all available sources of 2-17 funding available to compensate the district for the cost of 2-18 services provided by a student health center, including money 2-19 available under the state Medicaid program or private health 2-20 insurance or health benefits plans. 2-21 (f) Subject to available appropriations, the agency shall 2-22 award grants to assist school districts with the costs of operating 2-23 school-based student health centers in accordance with this 2-24 section. The State Board of Education, after consultation with the 2-25 Health and Human Services Commission, by rule shall establish 2-26 procedures for awarding grants under this subsection. The 2-27 procedures must include a statewide competitive process under which 3-1 the agency evaluates proposals submitted by school districts 3-2 according to guidelines and objectives adopted by the State Board 3-3 of Education with assistance from the Health and Human Services 3-4 Commission. The agency may not award more than $250,000 per 3-5 school-based health center location. 3-6 (g) To be eligible to receive a grant under Subsection (f), 3-7 a school district must furnish local matching funds at least equal 3-8 to the amount of money received under the grant. The matching 3-9 funds may be obtained from any source available to the district, 3-10 including community or foundation donations, individual 3-11 contributions, and local governmental agency operating funds. 3-12 SECTION 2. The Texas Education Agency, with assistance from 3-13 the Health and Human Services Commission, shall: 3-14 (1) evaluate the impact of school-based student health 3-15 centers operating in this state on student health and student 3-16 readiness to learn and succeed in school; and 3-17 (2) not later than January 15, 2001, submit to the 3-18 legislature a report on the evaluation required under Subdivision 3-19 (1) of this section that includes recommendations for state funding 3-20 of school-based student health centers. 3-21 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-26 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-27 passage, and it is so enacted.