BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3914

By: Ortega

Transportation

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that some municipal transportation providers are inconsistently granting access for persons with disabilities to their reduced-fare program. Reduced-fare programs allow disabled individuals to have a method of transportation when they otherwise may not be able to drive for their day-to-day responsibilities. Individuals with mental health illnesses are not always included in these programs and, therefore, are at a disadvantage. There have been calls to require public transportation providers who offer a reduced-fare program to also offer that rate to persons with mental illness. H.B. 3914 seeks to address this issue by providing for the inclusion of adults with mental illness in reduced-fare programs of public transportation providers.

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. 3914 amends the Transportation Code to require a public transportation provider that offers reduced fares for people with disabilities to offer the same reduced fares for adults who have severe and persistent mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, delusional disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, or other severely disabling mental disorders that require crisis resolution or ongoing and long-term support and treatment.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.