By: Schwertner, Zaffirini S.B. No. 133

(In the Senate - Filed November 10, 2014; January 27, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human Services; March 2, 2015, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; March 2, 2015, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 133 By: Rodriguez

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to mental health first aid training for school district employees and school resource officers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 1001.201, Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended by adding Subdivisions (4) and (5) to read as follows:

(4) "School district employee" means a person employed by a school district who regularly interacts with students through the course of the person's duties, including an educator, a secretary, a school bus driver, or a cafeteria worker.

(5) "School resource officer" has the meaning assigned by Section 1701.601, Occupations Code.

SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended by adding Section 1001.2015 to read as follows:

Sec. 1001.2015. LIMITATION ON GRANTS. For each state fiscal year, the department may give to a local mental health authority in the form of grants under Sections 1001.202 and 1001.203 an amount that may not exceed the lesser of:

(1) three percent of the total amount appropriated to the department for making grants under those sections; or

(2) $70,000.

SECTION 3. Section 1001.202(b), Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended to read as follows:

(b) The [Except as provided by Subsection (c), the] department shall make each grant to a local mental health authority under this section in an amount equal to $1,000 times the number of employees or contractors of the authority whose training as mental health first aid trainers will be paid by the grant.

SECTION 4. Sections 1001.203(a) and (c), Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, are amended to read as follows:

(a) To the extent funds are appropriated to the department for that purpose, the department shall make grants to local mental health authorities to provide an approved mental health first aid training program, administered by mental health first aid trainers, at no cost to school district employees and school resource officers [educators].

(c) The [Subject to the limit provided by Subsection (b), out of the funds appropriated to the department for making grants under this section, the] department shall grant $100 to a local mental health authority for each school district employee or school resource officer [educator] who successfully completes a mental health first aid training program provided by the authority under this section.

SECTION 5. Subchapter H, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended by adding Section 1001.2031 to read as follows:

Sec. 1001.2031. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS FOR TRAINING CERTAIN EDUCATORS IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID. For each state fiscal year, the department may allocate any unobligated money appropriated for making grants under Sections 1001.202 and 1001.203 for supplemental grants. The department may give a supplemental grant to a local mental health authority that submits to the department a revised plan as provided under Section 1001.204 that demonstrates how the additional grant money would be used if made available to the authority.

SECTION 6. Section 1001.204(a), Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Not later than July [October] 1 of each state fiscal year for which a local mental health authority will seek a grant from the department under Section 1001.203, the authority shall submit to the department a plan demonstrating the manner in which grants made to the authority under that section will be used:

(1) to train individuals in mental health first aid throughout the authority's local service area to maximize the number of children who have direct contact with an individual who has successfully completed a mental health first aid training program provided by the authority;

(2) to meet the greatest needs of the authority's local service area, as identified by the authority; and

(3) to complement existing resources and not duplicate established mental health first aid training efforts.

SECTION 7. Section 1001.205, Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 1001.205. REPORTS. (a) Not later than September 30 [July 1] of each year, a local mental health authority shall provide to the department the number of:

(1) employees and contractors of the authority who were trained as mental health first aid trainers under Section 1001.202 during the preceding fiscal year;

(2) educators, school district employees other than educators, and school resource officers who completed a mental health first aid training program offered by the authority under Section 1001.203 during the preceding fiscal [calendar] year; and

(3) individuals who are not school district employees or school resource officers [educators] who completed a mental health first aid training program offered by the authority during the preceding fiscal [calendar] year.

(b) Not later than December 1 [August 1] of each year, the department shall compile the information submitted by local mental health authorities as required by Subsection (a) and submit a report to the legislature containing the number of:

(1) authority employees and contractors trained as mental health first aid trainers during the preceding fiscal year;

(2) educators, school district employees other than educators, and school resource officers who completed a mental health first aid training program provided by an authority during the preceding fiscal [calendar] year; and

(3) individuals who are not school district employees or school resource officers [educators] who completed a mental health first aid training program provided by an authority during the preceding fiscal [calendar] year.

SECTION 8. The following are repealed:

(1) Section 1001.202(c), Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013; and

(2) Section 1001.203(b), Health and Safety Code, as added by Chapter 1306 (H.B. 3793), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013.

SECTION 9. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.

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