BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 13

By: Price

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

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.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 13 amends the Government Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to establish a matching grant program for the purpose of supporting community mental health programs providing services and treatment to individuals experiencing mental illness to the extent money is appropriated to HHSC for that purpose. The bill 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 and requires the duties of the administrator to include assisting, supporting, and advising HHSC in fulfilling HHSC's responsibilities with respect to the program. The bill sets out topics relating to the program on which the administrator may advise HHSC and 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 the bill. The bill authorizes the money or other consideration obtained or secured by a grant recipient, as determined by the executive commissioner of HHSC, to include cash or in-kind contributions from any person but prohibits the money or other consideration from including money from state or federal funds.

H.B. 13 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, and 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. The bill 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. The bill requires the administrator to obtain HHSC 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 HHSC awards a grant under the matching grant program.

H.B. 13 requires HHSC to select grant recipients based on the submission of applications or proposals by nonprofit and governmental entities. The bill requires the executive commissioner to develop criteria for the evaluation of those applications or proposals and the selection of grant recipients and provides requirements for the selection criteria. The bill requires HHSC to notify the local mental health authority that encompasses a community mental health program of the proposed mental health services that will be funded by the grant before awarding a grant to a recipient to serve the community mental health program. The bill authorizes the local mental health authority to submit written input to HHSC regarding whether the authority believes the proposed mental health services are necessary, whether the proposed services undermine or strengthen mental health services available in the community, and whether the proposed services are likely to be effective at improving local mental health. The bill requires HHSC and the administrator to consider the authority's written input before awarding a grant and authorizes HHSC and the administrator to take any recommendations made by the authority.

H.B. 13 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 the bill and sets the amount of funds a community that receives a grant under the program is required to leverage based on the population of the county in which the community mental health program is located. The bill requires HHSC to reserve, from the money appropriated to HHSC to implement the matching grant program, 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.

H.B. 13 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. The bill requires the executive commissioner to adopt any rules necessary to implement the matching grant program.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.