BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4183

By: Parker

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that can disrupt neurodevelopment and increase the likelihood of negative health, behavioral, educational, and economic outcomes. H.B. 4183 seeks to facilitate a cross-system collaboration to better understand the prevalence and impact of these experiences on children in Texas and create a five-year plan to empower systems and communities to better prevent and address the effects of early adverse experiences and implement best practices to build resiliency in children and families.

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

H.B. 4183 amends the Government Code to require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), in collaboration with specified state entities, to take the following actions in order to reduce exposure of children in Texas to adverse childhood experiences and to address the impacts of those experiences:

· analyze specified data related to the causes and effects of those experiences;

· evaluate prevention needs and gaps in services and support regarding awareness, assessments, and interventions addressing those experiences;

· identify methods to incorporate best practices for preventing and treating those experiences into existing services and support programs offered for children and families; and

· develop, not later than December 31, 2020, and implement a five-year strategic plan to prevent and address those experiences.

The bill prohibits the inclusion of sex education in a program, service, or support established under the bill's provisions.

H.B. 4183 sets out provisions relating to the strategic plan's contents and the representatives with whom HHSC may collaborate in developing the plan. The bill requires the state entities with which HHSC must collaborate in addressing adverse childhood experiences to develop a community awareness approach to implement the strategies and recommendations in the strategic plan and requires the entities to publish the plan on their respective websites.

H.B. 4183 requires HHSC, not later than March 1, 2020, to develop a progress report to include data, best practices, and implementable changes within its current capacity and to submit not later than December 31, 2020, a report to the specified committees of the senate and the house of representatives regarding its strategies for preventing and treating adverse childhood experiences and any plan to incorporate those strategies into existing services and support programs for children and families.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.