AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Recent legislation has increased and improved the opportunities for faith-based and community-based organizations, and it has been met favorably. A task force was created to recommend how to better facilitate collaboration between nonprofit entities and state organizations. This bill addresses the recommendations that the task force made in order to facilitate these groups' cooperation with state agencies.
Currently, faith-based and community-based entities have opportunities under the law. They are allowed to provide services, and there is a liaison designated to facilitate collaborations with state agencies. However, the provisions are limited and in need of some additions and reorganization that will increase the organizations' effectiveness. This bill adds more agencies that must have a liaison for faith-based and community-based organizations such as the office of the governor and the Department of Public Safety. The commissioner of higher education must designate someone from an institution of higher education to be a liaison. The liaison from the State Commission on National and Community Service is designated as the presiding officer of the interagency coordinating group. The interagency coordinating group is required to send a report that details the activities, goals, and progress of the group, but no longer has to provide reports to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission or report annually to the governor's office of faith-based and community-based initiatives. An interagency coordinating group task force is established in order to help direct the interagency coordinating group carry out its duties. A member from each of a variety of groups such as local governments and experts in grant writing must be appointed to this task force. The task force must collaborate with the interagency coordinating group in order to develop a plan for improving contracting relationships, develop the best cooperation practices, and address duplications or gaps in their service. This bill also requires that a report be written that details the actions taken in order to fulfill these provisions and include any recommendations for improving service and collaboration.
H.B. 1965 amends current law relating to the expansion of faith- and community-based health and human services initiatives.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 535.051, Government Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c), as follows:
(b) Requires the chief administrative officer of each of certain state agencies, in consultation with the governor, to designate one employee from the agency to serve as a liaison for faith- and community-based organizations, including the Texas Department of Rural Affairs, rather than the Office of Rural Community Affairs; the office of the governor; the Department of Public Safety; the Texas Department of Insurance; the Public Utility Commission of Texas; the office of the attorney general; the Department of Agriculture; the office of the comptroller of public accounts; the Department of Information Resources; the Office of State-Federal Relations; and the office of the secretary of state. Makes nonsubstantive changes.
(c) Requires the commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the presiding officer of the interagency coordinating group, to designate one employee from an institution of higher education, as that term is defined under Section 61.003 (Definitions), Education Code, to serve as a liaison for faith- and community-based organizations.
SECTION 2. Amends Sections 535.053(a) and (b), Government Code, as follows:
(a) Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to provide administrative support to the interagency coordinating group.
(b) Provides that the liaison from the State Commission on National and Community Service, rather than the HHSC employee designated as a liaison under Section 535.051 (Designation of Faith- and Community- Based Liaisons), is the presiding officer of the interagency coordinating group. Provides that, if the State Commission on National and Community Service is abolished, the liaison from the governor's office is the presiding officer of the interagency coordinating group.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 535.054, Government Code, as follows:
Sec. 535.054. New
heading: REPORT. (a) Requires the interagency coordinating group, not later
than December 1 of each year, to submit a report to the legislature that
describes in detail the activities, goals, and progress of the interagency
coordinating group. Deletes existing text requiring a liaison designated under
Section 535.051 to provide periodic reports to the executive commissioner of
HHSC (executive commissioner) or other chief executive officer who designated
the liaison, as applicable, on a schedule determined by the person who
designated the liaison, and report annually to the governor's office of faith-
and community-based initiatives and as necessary to the State Commission on
National and Community Service regarding the liaison's efforts to comply with
the duties imposed under Sections 535.052 (General Duties of Liaisons) and
535.053 (Interagency Coordinating Group).
(b) Requires that the report made under Subsection (a), rather than each report made under Subsection (a)(2), be made available to the public through posting on the office of the governor's Internet website. Deletes existing text authorizing the reports to be aggregated into a single report for that purpose.
SECTION 4. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 535, Government Code, by adding Section 535.055, as follows:
Sec. 535.055. TASK FORCE ON IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH NONPROFITS. (a) Provides that the interagency coordinating group task force (task force) is established to help direct the interagency coordinating group in carrying out the group's duties under this section. Requires HHSC to provide administrative support to the task force.
(b) Requires the executive commissioner, in consultation with the presiding officer of the interagency coordinating group, to appoint as members of the task force one representative from each of the following groups and entities:
(1) a statewide nonprofit organization;
(2) local governments;
(3) faith-based groups;
(4) community-based groups;
(5) consultants to nonprofit corporations;
(6) experts in grant writing; and
(7) a statewide association of nonprofit organizations.
(c) Requires the interagency coordinating group, in addition to the interagency coordinating group's other duties, in coordination with the task force, to:
(1) develop and implement a plan for improving contracting relationships between state agencies and faith- and community-based organizations;
(2) develop best practices for cooperating and collaborating with faith- and community-based organizations;
(3) identify and address duplication of services provided by the state and faith- and community-based organizations; and
(4) identify and address gaps in state services that faith- and community-based organizations could fill.
(d) Requires the task force to prepare a report describing actions taken or not taken by the interagency coordinating group under this section and include in the report any recommendations relating to legislation necessary to address an issue identified by the group under this section. Requires the task force to present the report to the House Committee on Human Services or its successor, the House Committee on Public Health or its successor, and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee or its successor not later than September 1, 2012.
(e) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2013.
SECTION 5. Requires the executive commissioner, not later than October 1, 2011, to appoint members to the interagency coordinating group task force in accordance with Section 535.055, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 6. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2011.