BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 1191 |
By: Burkett |
Technology |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Using recent census data, the Department of State Health Services has estimated that there are nearly half a million adults and more than 150,000 children living with a mental illness in Texas. Interested parties note that, while the mission of the Texas Information and Referral Network Internet site is to assist Texas citizens in obtaining necessary health and human services, the site does not provide information about housing for persons with mental illness. C.S.H.B. 1191 seeks to address this issue.
|
||||||
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
|
||||||
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 1191 amends the Government Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission to make available through the Texas Information and Referral Network Internet site information regarding housing options for persons with mental illness provided by public or private entities throughout the state to serve as a single point of access through which a person may be directed on how or where to apply for housing for persons with mental illness in the person's community. The bill requires the site, to the extent resources are available, to be geographically indexed and designed to inform a person about the housing options for persons with mental illness provided in the area where the person lives. The bill requires the site to contain a searchable listing of available housing options for persons with mental illness by type, with a definition for each type of housing and an explanation of the populations of persons with mental illness generally served by that type of housing. The bill sets out the types of housing for persons with mental illness that must be contained in the list, at a minimum.
C.S.H.B. 1191 requires the Internet site to indicate whether the provider that operates a housing facility named in the listing is licensed by the state and to display a disclaimer that the information provided is for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement or recommendation of any type of housing or any housing facility. The bill requires each entity providing housing specifically for persons with mental illness in Texas, including the Department of State Health Services, municipalities, counties, other political subdivisions of this state, and private entities, to cooperate with the Texas Information and Referral Network as necessary in the administration of the bill's provisions.
|
||||||
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.
|
||||||
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 1191 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
|
||||||
|