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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the establishment and expansion of community |
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collaboratives by entities to provide services to and coordinate |
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the care of persons who are homeless, persons with mental illness, |
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and persons with substance abuse problems. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subtitle I, Title 4, Government Code, is amended |
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by adding Chapter 539 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 539. COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES |
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Sec. 539.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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(1) "Department" means the Department of State Health |
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Services. |
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(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive |
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commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. |
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Sec. 539.002. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND EXPANSION OF |
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COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES. (a) To the extent funds are |
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appropriated to the department for that purpose, the department |
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shall make grants to entities, including local governmental |
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entities, nonprofit community organizations, and faith-based |
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community organizations, to establish or expand community |
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collaboratives that bring the public and private sectors together |
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to provide services to and coordinate the care of persons who are |
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homeless, persons with mental illness, and persons with substance |
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abuse problems. |
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(b) The amount of a grant made to an entity by the department |
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under this section may not exceed $7.5 million and, up to that |
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amount, shall be equal to the amount of money provided to the entity |
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from private funding sources for the establishment or expansion of |
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a community collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.003. ACCEPTABLE USES OF GRANT MONEY. An entity |
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shall use money received from a grant made by the department and |
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private funding sources for the establishment or expansion of a |
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community collaborative, provided that the collaborative must be |
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self-sustaining within seven years. Acceptable uses for the money |
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include: |
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(1) the development of the infrastructure of the |
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collaborative and the start-up costs of the collaborative; |
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(2) the establishment, operation, or maintenance of |
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other community service providers in the community served by the |
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collaborative, including intake centers, detoxification units, |
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sheltering centers for food, workforce training centers, |
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microbusinesses, and educational centers; |
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(3) the provision of clothing, hygiene products, and |
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medical services to and the arrangement of transitional and |
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permanent residential housing for persons served by the |
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collaborative; |
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(4) the provision of mental health services and |
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substance abuse treatment not readily available in the community |
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served by the collaborative; |
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(5) the provision of information, tools, and resource |
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referrals to assist persons served by the collaborative in |
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addressing the needs of their children; and |
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(6) the establishment and operation of coordinated |
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intake processes, including triage procedures, to protect the |
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public safety in the community served by the collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.004. ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES. (a) |
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If appropriate, an entity shall incorporate into the community |
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collaborative operated by the entity the use of the |
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department-operated Texas Electronic Registrar, transportation |
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plans, and case managers. An entity shall also consider |
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incorporating into a collaborative mentoring and volunteering |
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opportunities, strategies to assist homeless youth and homeless |
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families with children, strategies to reintegrate persons who were |
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recently incarcerated into the community, services for veterans, |
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and strategies for persons served by the collaborative to |
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participate in the planning, governance, and oversight of the |
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collaborative. |
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(b) The focus of a community collaborative shall be the |
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eventual successful transition of persons from receiving services |
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from the collaborative to becoming integrated into the community |
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served by the collaborative through community relationships and |
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family supports. |
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Sec. 539.005. OUTCOME MEASURES FOR COMMUNITY |
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COLLABORATIVES. Each entity that receives a grant from the |
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department to establish or expand a community collaborative shall |
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select at least four of the following outcome measures that the |
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entity will focus on meeting through the implementation and |
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operation of the collaborative: |
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(1) persons served by the collaborative will find |
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employment that results in those persons having incomes that are at |
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or above 100 percent of the federal poverty level; |
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(2) persons served by the collaborative will find |
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permanent housing; |
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(3) persons served by the collaborative will complete |
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alcohol or substance abuse programs; |
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(4) the collaborative will help start social |
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businesses in the community or engage in job creation, job |
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training, or other workforce development activities; |
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(5) there will be a decrease in the use of jail beds by |
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persons served by the collaborative; |
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(6) there will be a decrease in the need for emergency |
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care by persons served by the collaborative; |
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(7) there will be a decrease in the number of children |
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whose families lack adequate housing referred to the Department of |
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Family and Protective Services or a local entity responsible for |
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child welfare; and |
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(8) any other appropriate outcome measure that |
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measures whether a collaborative is meeting a specific need of the |
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community served by the collaborative and that is approved by the |
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department. |
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Sec. 539.006. ANNUAL REVIEW OF OUTCOME MEASURES. The |
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department shall contract with an independent third party to verify |
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annually whether a community collaborative is meeting the outcome |
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measures under Section 539.005 selected by the entity that operates |
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the collaborative. |
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Sec. 539.007. REDUCTION AND CESSATION OF FUNDING. The |
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department shall establish processes by which the department may |
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reduce or cease providing funding to an entity if the community |
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collaborative operated by the entity does not meet the outcome |
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measures selected by the entity for the collaborative under Section |
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539.005 or is not self-sustaining after seven years. The |
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department shall redistribute any funds withheld from an entity |
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under this section to other entities operating high-performing |
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collaboratives on a competitive basis. |
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Sec. 539.008. RULES. The executive commissioner shall |
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adopt any rules necessary to implement the community collaborative |
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grant program established under this chapter, including rules to |
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establish the requirements for an entity to be eligible to receive a |
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grant, the required elements of a community collaborative operated |
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by an entity, and permissible and prohibited uses of money received |
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by an entity from a grant made by the department under this chapter. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |