BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4147

By: Bell, Cecil

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

First responders and law enforcement officers provide critical services to the community and during their service are often exposed to complex, stressful, and chronic trauma-inducing situations. It has been noted that these responders and officers may experience negative mental health symptoms as a result of that exposure and may benefit from mental health awareness training. C.S.H.B. 4147 seeks to require first responder and certain law enforcement training programs to include training on mental health awareness.

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. 4147 amends the Health and Safety Code to require a person who provides to first responders and first responder trainees a first responder training program to include as part of the program at least six hours of training on mental health awareness that covers prescribed information and to require first responders and first responder trainees to complete that training as part of the training program. The bill requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to develop or adopt a curriculum for the first responder mental health awareness training and requires a person to use that curriculum in providing the training. The bill requires HHSC to collaborate with agencies that license or certify first responders in the development or adoption of the curriculum.

C.S.H.B. 4147 requires each state agency that licenses or certifies first responders to ensure that the applicable first responder training programs use the curriculum developed or adopted by HHSC and that each first responder and first responder trainee completes the required training.

C.S.H.B. 4147 amends the Occupations Code to require the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), as part of the minimum curriculum requirements for law enforcement officer training schools, to require a peace officer or reserve law enforcement officer to complete the mental health awareness curriculum developed or adopted by HHSC. The bill requires such an officer who holds a license issued by TCOLE on or before January 1, 2020, to complete the curriculum not later than January 1, 2022.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4147 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 a requirement for TCOLE, as part of the minimum curriculum requirements, to require an applicable law enforcement officer to complete the curriculum developed by HHSC. The substitute includes a requirement for such an officer who holds a licensed issued by TCOLE on or before January 1, 2020, to complete the curriculum not later than January 1, 2022.