Amend HB 2572 (House engrossment) as follows: (1) Strike SECTION 7 and SECTION 8 of the bill (page 10, line 23, through page 14, line 4). (2) Add the following SECTIONS to the bill, appropriately numbered, and renumber subsequent SECTIONS accordingly: SECTION __. Subchapter B, Chapter 533, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 533.0357 to read as follows: Sec. 533.0357. LOCAL AUTHORITY PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. (a) The department shall encourage local authorities to develop partnerships and greater coordination of services to persons who have a physical illness as well as mental illness or chemical dependency. (b) At the request of a local authority, the department shall approve a request for the development of an integrated physical health and behavioral health service delivery model that is developed in partnership with a public hospital, county health department, or other governmental entity and that furthers the following goals: (1) establishing a health care services delivery system that integrates primary health care services and behavioral health care services delivery; (2) involving consumers, families, and stakeholders fully in the development of a system that is oriented toward resiliency and recovery; (3) protecting and enhancing the rights of people with mental illness or substance abuse problems; (4) enhancing the implementation of the resiliency and disease management model for mental health services; and (5) screening for co-occurring physical, mental, and substance abuse disorders and treating persons with integrated treatment strategies. (c) A public hospital, county health department, or other governmental entity acting under a contract with the Department of State Health Services under this section may provide primary health care services and behavioral health care services as necessary to enhance the integration of physical and behavioral health care services delivery in the separate service delivery area. (d) A contract developed under this section must be a performance-based contract that provides flexibility in the design of the behavioral health care services delivery system while assuring that the local authority will achieve improved performance outcomes. SECTION __. Subchapter B, Chapter 533, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 533.0405 to read as follows: Sec. 533.0405. RESOURCES FOR EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN AND YOUTH. (a) The department shall ensure that local authorities design systems of care resources for children with serious emotional disturbances that recognize: (1) the unique needs of those children; (2) the various programs in this state through which a child may be directed to the authority for services; and (3) the various programs available to the child, the child's family, and the authority through which the child and the child's family may receive behavioral health services or other services. (b) A local authority shall develop formal partnerships and coordinate with entities to ensure that a child with a serious emotional disturbance receives the most appropriate and effective care and services, to the extent possible. (c) As appropriate, the authority shall use teams composed of representatives of public and private service providers and members of the child's family to develop individual and family service plans that encompass, to the extent possible, appropriate services and direct interagency and provider cooperation as necessary to further the plans. (d) This section does not affect a requirement of state or federal law for informed parental consent before a child receives or is assessed or is screened for health or mental health services. SECTION __. (a) The legislature shall establish a joint interim committee to study the local mental health and mental retardation services delivery system and to develop recommendations for improving the provision of services and increasing the accountability for funds management in the system. (b) The committee should consider whether the current local system meets the following goals: (1) improving the integration of services to persons who have physical illness as well as mental illness or chemical dependency and developing a continuum of services to all persons who are aging or who have physical or cognitive disabilities; and (2) allowing the appropriate level of flexibility needed to meet unique community needs, while addressing state requirements and ensuring an appropriate level of budget certainty for the state. (c) In developing recommendations for the improvement of services delivery the committee should consider: (1) the role of a community center and whether a community center should be designated as a provider of public safety net services for jail diversion services, crisis services, certain community-oriented services, community hospital services, or other services necessary to ensure the statewide availability of services; and (2) the findings and recommendations of the mental health services task force as reported to the Senate Health and Human Services interim committee of the 77th Legislature in March 2002 and the House Bill 1734 committee report from the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997. (d) Not later than January 1, 2007, the committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives. (e) The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives shall determine the composition of the committee. The committee must be composed of five members of the senate and five members of the house of representatives. The presiding officer of the committee must be a member designated from the senate. (f) This section expires September 1, 2007.