| TO: | Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB620 by Davis, John (Relating to behavioral health services for children and establishment of the Children's Behavioral Health Council.), As Introduced |
This bill would implement recommendations in the report, "Create a Coordinated State Infrastructure to Support Children's Behavioral Health Services," in the LBB Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report submitted to the Eightieth Texas Legislature, 2007.
The bill would amend the Government Code related to behavioral health services for children. The
bill provides that a Children's Behavioral Health Council (council), administratively attached to the
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), is established to provide a coordinated,
comprehensive, interagency approach to the development and delivery of behavioral health services to
children. The council is composed of one representative from nine identified state agencies. The
council is required to engage in specific activities related to children’s behavioral health services.
The bill requires HHSC to establish the Children’s Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, composed
of representatives from advocacy groups and organizations with expertise in behavioral health issues
involving children, and from other family advocates, to assist the council in its duties. The bill requires the council to design an integrated cross-agency funding structure for the provision of behavioral health services to children, authorizes the council to hire a consultant to assist with
designing the funding structure, and requires the council to submit a report on the designed funding
structure to the governor and the Legislative Budget Board no later than June 1, 2010.
The bill requires HHSC to maximize funding for home and community-based services for children
with severe emotional disturbances by providing those services, to the greatest extent possible,
through a Section 1915(c) waiver program or other Medicaid program. HHSC is required to identify
each service it anticipates could be delivered cost-effectively through a Section 1915 (c) waiver
program or other Medicaid program using existing resources and to seek federal approval as needed
no later than September 1, 2010.
The bill amends current statute to align with the new requirements. The bill repeals Section 531.421
(3), Government Code, relating to the definition of the "consortium" that oversees the Texas
Integrated Funding Initiative. The council is required to develop criteria for and implement the
expansion of the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative pilot project and develop local mental health care
systems rather than the consortium. HHSC and the council, rather than HHSC and the consortium, are
required to engage in activities related to the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative pilot project.
This bill would take effect September 1, 2009.
It is assumed that any cost to implement the provisions of the bill would be minimal and can be absorbed within available resources. Creating a coordinated state infrastructure to support local systems of care for children's behavioral health services has the potential to increase the efficient use of existing funds, reduce fragmentation, improve access to and availability of cost-effective community-based services, and reduce long-term spending on institutional care.
| Source Agencies: | 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 539 Aging and Disability Services, Department of
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, CL, JI, DM
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