BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 13
	By: Price et al. (Schwertner)
	Health & Human Services
	5/8/2017
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Interested parties have expressed a significant need for community-based mental health services across Texas. H.B. 13 seeks to encourage local stakeholders to create locally driven solutions to mental health challenges within their respective communities by providing for a matching grant program to support community mental health programs providing services and treatment to individuals experiencing mental illness.

 

H.B. 13 amends current law relating to the creation of a matching grant program to support community mental health programs for individuals experiencing mental illness.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 (Section 531.0999, Government Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, by adding Section 531.0999, as follows:

 

Sec. 531.0999. GRANT PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. (a) Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), to the extent money is appropriated to HHSC for that purpose, to establish a matching grant program for the purpose of supporting community mental health programs providing services and treatment to individuals experiencing mental illness.

 

(b) Requires HHSC to enter into an agreement with a qualified nonprofit or other private entity to serve as the administrator of the matching grant program (administrator). Requires that the duties of the administrator include assisting, supporting, and advising HHSC in fulfilling HHSC's responsibilities with respect to the program. Authorizes the administrator to advise HHSC on certain topics.

 

(c) Requires the administrator to ensure that each grant recipient obtains or secures contributions to match awarded grants in amounts of money or other consideration as required by Subsection (j). Authorizes the money or other consideration obtained or secured by the recipient, as determined by the executive commissioner of HHSC (executive commissioner), to include cash or in-kind contributions from any person but prohibits it from including money from state or federal funds.

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(d) Requires money appropriated to or obtained by HHSC for the matching grant program to be disbursed directly to grant recipients by HHSC, as authorized by the executive commissioner. Requires money or other consideration obtained or secured by the administrator to be disbursed or provided directly to grant recipients by the administrator, private contributors, or local governments, as authorized by the executive commissioner.

 

(e) Requires a grant awarded under the matching grant program and matching amounts to be used for the sole purpose of supporting community programs that provide mental health care services and treatment to individuals with a mental illness and that coordinate mental health care services for individuals with a mental illness with other transition support services.

 

(f) Requires the administrator to obtain HHSC's approval of the eligibility requirements for grant recipients, the types of services and deliveries eligible for grants, and the requirements for reporting as developed by the administrator before HSHC awards a grant under the matching grant program.

 

(g) Requires HHSC to select grant recipients based on the submission of applications or proposals by nonprofit and governmental entities. Requires the executive commissioner to develop criteria for the evaluation of those applications or proposals and the selection of grant recipients. Requires that the selection criteria evaluate and score certain criteria, address the possibility of and method for making multiple awards, and include other factors that the executive commissioner considers relevant.

 

(h) Requires a nonprofit or governmental entity that applies for a grant under this section to notify each local mental health authority with a local service area that is covered wholly or partly by the entity's proposed community mental health program and to provide in the entity's application a letter of support from each local mental health authority with a local service area that is covered wholly or partly by the entity's proposed community mental health program. Requires HHSC and the administrator to consider a local mental health authority's written input before awarding a grant under this section and authorizes them to take any recommendations made by the authority.

 

(i) Requires HHSC to condition each grant awarded to a recipient under the program on the administrator ensuring that the recipient has obtained or secured matching funds from non-state sources in amounts of money or other consideration as required by Subsection (j).

 

(j) Provides that a community that receives a grant under this section is required to leverage funds in a certain amount.

 

(k) Requires HHSC, except as provided by Subsection (l), from money appropriated to HHSC for each fiscal year to implement this section, to reserve 25 percent of that total to be awarded only as grants to a community mental health program located in a county with a population not greater than 250,000 and five percent of that total to be awarded only as grants to a community mental health program located in a county with a population not greater than 125,000.

 

(l) Requires HHSC, to the extent money appropriated to HHSC to implement this section for a fiscal year remains available to HHSC after HHSC selects grant recipients for the fiscal year, to make grants available using the money remaining for the fiscal year through a competitive request for proposal process, without regard to the limitation provided by Subsection (k).

 

(m) Requires the executive commissioner, not later than December 1 of each calendar year, to submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and each member of the legislature a report evaluating the success of the matching grant program created by this section.

 

(n) Requires the executive commissioner to adopt any rules necessary to implement the matching grant program under this section.

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SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2017.