BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2141

By: King, Susan

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that the Texas Legislature established the Texas Coordinating Council for Veterans Services to coordinate the activities of state agencies that assist veterans, service members, and their families. The council facilitates collaborative relationships and coordinates outreach efforts to ensure that veterans, service members, and their families are made aware of available services. Current law provides for the establishment by the council of coordinating workgroups, and among those workgroups there is one that focuses on health and mental health. These parties assert that having a distinct workgroup for each of those issues would more effectively coordinate outreach efforts for both issues, particularly mental health issues. H.B. 2141 provides for the establishment of those separate workgroups.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 2141 amends the Government Code to remove the specification authorizing the Texas Coordinating Council for Veterans Services to establish a coordinating workgroup that focuses on either health issues or mental health issues and instead specifies that separate coordinating workgroups may be established for each of those issues.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.