83(R) SB 955 - House Committee Report version

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


May 18, 2013

TO:	Honorable Lois W. Kolkhorst, Chair, House Committee on Public Health

FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	SB955 by Schwertner (Relating to the training of certain persons in mental health first aid and assistance, the funding of mental health first aid and assistance training, and the liability of certain persons providing assistance to persons experiencing a mental health crisis.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB955, Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($4,989,615) through the biennium ending August 31, 2015.

The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2014	($2,303,204)
2015	($2,686,411)
2016	($2,686,411)
2017	($2,686,411)
2018	($2,686,411)

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year	Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2014	($2,303,204)
2015	($2,686,411)
2016	($2,686,411)
2017	($2,686,411)
2018	($2,686,411)

The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code and the Education Code as it relates to the training of certain persons in mental health first aid and assistance, the funding of mental health first aid and assistance training, and the liability of certain persons providing assistance to persons experiencing a mental health crisis.

The bill would require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to establish a request for proposal process to select providers and award funds to those providers to train individuals as mental health first aid and assistance trainers. Under the provisions of the bill, if funds are appropriated, DSHS shall award each provider whose proposal is selected to provide training in a single local mental health authority's local service area in an amount equal to $1,000 for each employee of the provider whose training as mental health first aid trainers will be paid with the funds. The bill allows providers to collaborate together and share resources to provide training.

Under the provisions of the bill, DSHS shall award each provider whose proposal is selected to provide training in an amount not to exceed the lesser of $40,000 or three percent of the funds appropriated for this purpose at a rate of $100 for each educator who successfully completes the training program. The bill requires the providers to submit a plan to DSHS for mental health first aid training programs no later than October 1 of each fiscal year. The bill requires the providers to submit annually a list of employees trained and a list of educators trained by that provider. The bill requires DSHS to provide this information in a report to the legislature.

The bill requires the State Board of Educator Certification to adopt rules to allow an educator to fulfill up to twelve hours of continuing education by participating in the mental health training program created by the bill.

It is assumed that the cost to fund the training of the providers' employees would be $30,000 per year for each provider selected in the 37 local mental health authority service areas. Additionally, it is assumed that DSHS would be required to provide $100 per educator trained, to be limited at $40,000 per year to each provider selected. It is assumed that the training of the educators will begin during the second quarter of fiscal year 2014. The cost would be $2,220,000 in fiscal year 2014 and $2,590,000 in fiscal year 2015 and each year thereafter. It is assumed for both training programs that there will be high turnover and a refresher requirement every two or three years, therefore the funding need would be level from fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2018. Should actual training costs be less, the cost of implementing the provisions of the bill would be less in each fiscal year.

DSHS anticipates the agency cost to administer the funds would require one FTE at a total cost of $83,204 in fiscal year 2014 and $96,441 in fiscal year 2015. The agency can absorb the additional FTE authority within its existing FTE cap.

The bill has no direct fiscal implications for the Foundation School Program (FSP) or the operations of the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. School districts could experience some administrative costs if educators took part in mental health first aid training during normal classroom time if the districts were required to hire substitute teachers. These costs would be dependent on when the training program was offered and how many staff took part in the training.