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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 2941

By: Guillen

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

It has been suggested that the rate of suicide among military veterans is staggering and is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Currently, the pathways to information about suicide prevention assistance for veterans are insufficient to allow easy access. C.S.H.B. 2941 seeks to address this issue by requiring each state agency to post certain information regarding the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Veterans Crisis Line on the agency's website.

 

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

 

C.S.H.B. 2941 amends the Government Code to require each state agency to prominently post  the following information on the agency's website:

·       the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or any successor website; and

·       the phone number for the Veterans Crisis Line and a link to the Veterans Crisis Line website or any successor website.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2019.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 2941 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

The substitute includes the requirement for each state agency to post on the agency's website the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or any successor website.