78R15682 SMJ-D
By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 60
Substitute the following for S.B. No. 60:
By: Wohlgemuth C.S.S.B. No. 60
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the provision of public mental health and related
services for certain children with severe emotional disturbances.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter K to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER K. PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR CERTAIN CHILDREN
WITH MULTIAGENCY NEEDS
Sec. 531.401. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Children with severe emotional disturbances"
includes:
(A) children who are at risk of incarceration or
placement in a residential mental health facility;
(B) children for whom a court may appoint the
Department of Protective and Regulatory Services as managing
conservator;
(C) children who are students in a special
education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Education Code;
and
(D) children who have a substance abuse disorder
or a developmental disability.
(2) "Community resource coordination group" means a
coordination group established under a memorandum of understanding
adopted under Section 531.055, as added by Chapter 114, Acts of the
77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001.
(3) "Consortium" means the consortium that oversees
the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative under Subchapter G, Chapter
531, as added by Chapter 446, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular
Session, 1999.
(4) "Systems of care services" means a comprehensive
state system of mental health services and other necessary and
related services that is organized as a coordinated network to meet
the multiple and changing needs of children with severe emotional
disturbances and their families.
Sec. 531.402. EVALUATIONS BY COMMUNITY RESOURCE
COORDINATION GROUPS. (a) Each community resource coordination
group shall evaluate the provision of systems of care services in
the community that the group serves. Each evaluation must:
(1) describe and prioritize services needed by
children with severe emotional disturbances in the community;
(2) review and assess the systems of care services
that are available in the community to meet those needs;
(3) assess the integration of the provision of those
services; and
(4) identify any barriers to the effective provision
of those services.
(b) Each community resource coordination group shall create
a report that includes the evaluation in Subsection (a) and makes
related recommendations, including:
(1) suggested policy and statutory changes at agencies
that provide systems of care services; and
(2) recommendations for overcoming barriers to the
provision of systems of care services and improving the integration
of those services.
(c) Each community resource coordination group shall submit
the report described by Subsection (b) to the consortium. The
consortium shall provide a deadline to each group for submitting
the reports. The time frame for completing the reports must be
coordinated with any regional reviews by the commission of the
delivery of related services.
Sec. 531.403. SUMMARY REPORT BY TEXAS INTEGRATED FUNDING
INITIATIVE CONSORTIUM. (a) The consortium shall create a summary
report based on the evaluations in the reports submitted to the
consortium by community resource coordination groups under Section
531.402. The consortium's report must include recommendations for
policy and statutory changes at each agency that is involved in the
provision of systems of care services and the outcome expected from
implementing each recommendation.
(b) The consortium shall coordinate, where appropriate, the
recommendations in the report created under this section with
recommendations in the assessment developed under S.B. No. 491,
Acts of the 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, and with the
continuum of care developed under S.B. No. 490, Acts of the 78th
Legislature, Regular Session, 2003.
(c) The consortium may include in the report created under
this section recommendations for the statewide expansion of sites
participating in the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative under
Subchapter G, Chapter 531, as added by Chapter 446, Acts of the 76th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, and the integration of services
provided at those sites with services provided by community
resource coordination groups.
(d) The consortium shall provide a copy of the report
created under this section to each agency for which the report makes
a recommendation and to other agencies as appropriate.
Sec. 531.404. AGENCY IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS. An
agency described by Section 531.403(a) shall, as appropriate, adopt
rules, policy changes, and memoranda of understanding with other
agencies to implement the recommendations in the report created
under Section 531.403.
SECTION 2. The consortium that oversees the Texas
Integrated Funding Initiative under Subchapter G, Chapter 531,
Government Code, as added by Chapter 446, Acts of the 76th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, in cooperation with the Health
and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of Health,
shall report to the governor and the 79th Legislature not later than
January 11, 2005, on:
(1) recommendations in the report under Section
531.403, Government Code, as added by this Act, including
recommendations for statutory changes; and
(2) agency implementation of recommendations under
Section 531.404, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.