By: Van de Putte, Zaffirini S.B. No. 1646
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of the Council on Children and Families and
  the Children's Behavioral Health Council.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter L, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 531.425 to read as follows:
         Sec. 531.425.  CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COUNCIL.
  (a)  The Children's Behavioral Health Council is established to
  provide a coordinated, comprehensive, interagency approach to the
  development and delivery of behavioral health services to children.
         (b)  The council is composed of:
               (1)  one representative with decision-making authority
  from each of the following state agencies, appointed by the chief
  administrative officer of the respective agency:
                     (A)  the Health and Human Services Commission;
                     (B)  the Department of State Health Services;
                     (C)  the Department of Family and Protective
  Services;
                     (D)  the Department of Assistive and
  Rehabilitative Services;
                     (E)  the Department of Aging and Disability
  Services;
                     (F)  the Texas Education Agency;
                     (G)  the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders
  with Medical or Mental Impairments;
                     (H)  the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission; and
                     (I)  the Texas Youth Commission; and
               (2)  an equal number of representatives of the public
  appointed by the executive commissioner, including:
                     (A)  representatives of:
                           (i)  children's mental health advocacy
  groups;
                           (ii)  organizations with expertise in
  behavioral health issues involving children;
                           (iii)  health benefit plan issuers in this
  state; and
                           (iv)  providers of community-based
  children's mental health services, including local mental health
  authorities; and
                     (B)  at least five representatives who are family
  members of a child with a mental health disorder.
         (c)  The members of the council annually shall elect one
  agency representative and one public representative to serve as
  co-chairs.
         (d)  The council shall:
               (1)  develop and implement coordinated state policies
  to improve the behavioral health of children;
               (2)  develop a coordinated system for planning and
  budgeting that establishes priorities and strategies for the
  coordinated delivery of behavioral health services to children;
               (3)  develop a coordinated system to track and report
  spending on behavioral health services for children by agencies
  represented by a member of the council;
               (4)  oversee the administration of state grants for
  development of local systems of care services by the consortium
  established under Subchapter G-1;
               (5)  develop a plan to support the statewide expansion
  of local systems of care services;
               (6)  ensure a central role for the local mental health
  authority in the expansion and operation of the local systems of
  care;
               (7)  provide technical assistance and training to local
  providers of systems of care services;
               (8)  design an integrated funding structure for the
  provision of behavioral health services for children;
               (9)  assess the provision of behavioral health services
  to children to eliminate duplication of efforts and identify
  opportunities to consolidate those efforts;
               (10)  oversee the work of community resource
  coordination groups under this subchapter, including through the
  consideration of reports created by those groups under this
  subchapter;
               (11)  assist the Texas Mental Health Transformation
  Workgroup in fulfilling the workgroup's responsibilities regarding
  children's mental health services and coordinate the council's
  activities with the workgroup; and
               (12)  assist the Council on Children and Families in
  fulfilling that council's duties and coordinate activities with
  that council.
         (e)  The council shall meet at least every other month to
  fulfill the council's duties under this subchapter and other law.
         (f)  The council is administratively attached to the
  commission.  The commission, through the commission's Office of
  Program Coordination for Children and Youth, shall provide
  administrative support and resources to the council as necessary to
  enable the council to perform its duties.
         (g)  The council is not subject to Chapter 2110.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter T to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER T. COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
         Sec. 531.801.  DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "council"
  means the Council on Children and Families.
         Sec. 531.802.  COUNCIL ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. (a)  The
  Council on Children and Families is established to:
               (1)  coordinate the state's health, education, and
  human services systems to ensure that all children and families
  have access to needed services;
               (2)  improve coordination and efficiency in state
  agencies, advisory councils on issues affecting children, and local
  levels of service;
               (3)  prioritize and mobilize resources for children;
  and
               (4)  facilitate an integrated approach to providing
  services for children and youth.
         (b)  The council shall:
               (1)  promote a common vision of desired outcomes for
  children and youth and of family and community supports;
               (2)  promote shared accountability for outcomes for
  children and youth; and
               (3)  align allocations of resources with policies for
  children and youth.
         (c)  Subject to Subsection (d), the council is composed of
  the following:
               (1)  the executive commissioner;
               (2)  the commissioner of state health services;
               (3)  the commissioner of the Department of Family and
  Protective Services;
               (4)  the commissioner of aging and disability services;
               (5)  the commissioner of assistive and rehabilitative
  services;
               (6)  the commissioner of education;
               (7)  the executive director of the Texas Juvenile
  Probation Commission;
               (8)  the executive commissioner of the Texas Youth
  Commission;
               (9)  the executive director of the Texas Workforce
  Commission;
               (10)  the director of the Texas Correctional Office on
  Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments;
               (11)  two public representatives who are parents of
  children who have received services from an agency represented on
  the council, appointed by the executive commissioner; and
               (12)  two representatives who are young adults or
  adolescents who have received services from an agency represented
  on the council, appointed by the executive commissioner.
         (d)  An individual listed in Subsections (c)(1)-(10) may
  designate another individual as having authority to act on behalf
  of the individual at council meetings and with respect to council
  functions.
         (e)  The members of the council annually shall elect one
  member to serve as the presiding officer.
         (f)  Council meetings are held at the call of the presiding
  officer.
         (g)  The council is administratively attached to the
  commission but is independent of direction by the commission or the
  executive commissioner. The commission, through the commission's
  Office of Program Coordination for Children and Youth, shall
  provide administrative support and resources to the council as
  necessary to enable the council to perform its duties.
         (h)  The agencies represented on the council shall provide
  periodic staff support of specialists as needed to the council.
         (i)  The council is not subject to Chapter 2110.
         Sec. 531.803.  DUTIES.  (a)  The council shall:
               (1)  analyze the biennial legislative appropriations
  requests of members of the council for services provided to
  children and their families and identify appropriations that,
  through the coordination of members of the council, could be
  modified in the next legislative appropriation request to eliminate
  waste or increase available services and, not later than May 1 of
  each even-numbered year, prepare a report recommending those
  modifications for consideration during the development of the next
  biennial legislative appropriations request;
               (2)  investigate opportunities to increase flexible
  funding for health, education, and human services provided to
  children and their families;
               (3)  identify methods to remove barriers to local
  coordination of health, education, and human services provided to
  children and their families;
               (4)  identify methods to ensure that all children and
  youth receive appropriate assessment, diagnoses, and intervention
  services;
               (5)  develop methods to prevent unnecessary parental
  relinquishment of custody of children;
               (6)  prioritize assisting children in family settings
  rather than institutional settings; and
               (7)  make recommendations about family involvement in
  the provision and planning of health, education, and human services
  for a child, including family partner and liaison models.
         (b)  The state agency members of the council may, as
  appropriate, enter into memoranda of understanding with other
  agencies to implement any method, process, policy, or
  recommendation identified or developed under Subsection (a).  
  Before a method, process, policy, or recommendation is implemented,
  the council shall:
               (1)  identify:
                     (A)  the timeline and proposed outcome of
  implementing the method, process, policy, or recommendation; and
                     (B)  benchmarks that may be used to measure the
  success of the implementation of the method, process, policy, or
  recommendation; and
               (2)  assign to the appropriate members of the council
  responsibility for implementing the method, process, policy, or
  recommendation.
         (c)  The council may collect data necessary to conduct the
  council's duties or implement the council's recommendations and
  shall use any reports or information produced by other entities
  related to children, youth, and families to inform the council.
         Sec. 531.804.  REPORT BY COUNCIL REGARDING CHILD WELFARE.  
  Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the council
  shall submit a report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker
  of the house of representatives, and members of the legislature
  that contains:
               (1)  the requests, plans, and recommendations of the
  council, including recommendations of any legislation that is
  needed to further develop and maintain a statewide system of
  quality health, education, and human services for children and
  families; and
               (2)  information regarding the implementation by the
  members of the council of any method, process, policy, or
  recommendation, including information regarding whether the
  implementation has proceeded in accordance with the timeline,
  outcome, and benchmarks identified by the council.
         Sec. 531.805.  SUNSET PROVISION. The Council on Children
  and Families is subject to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless
  continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the council is
  abolished and this subchapter expires September 1, 2019.
         SECTION 3.  (a)  Not later than October 1, 2009, the chief
  administrative officer of each agency listed in Subsection (b),
  Section 531.425, Government Code, as added by this Act, shall
  appoint the agency's representative to the Children's Behavioral
  Health Council established by that section.
         (b)  Not later than October 1, 2009, the executive
  commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall
  appoint the public members of the Children's Behavioral Health
  Council established by Section 531.425, Government Code, as added
  by this Act.
         (c)  The Council on Children and Families established by
  Section 531.802, Government Code, as added by this Act, shall
  convene its initial meeting not later than October 1, 2009.
         SECTION 4.  This Act does not make an appropriation.  A
  provision in this Act that creates a new governmental program,
  creates a new entitlement, or imposes a new duty on a governmental
  entity is not mandatory during a fiscal period for which the
  legislature has not made a specific appropriation to implement the
  provision.
         SECTION 5.  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, 2009.