MINUTES
SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERAN AFFAIRS
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
1:00 PM
Capitol Extension, Room E1.012
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Pursuant
to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule 11.10 and 11.18, a public
hearing of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs was held on Tuesday, May 3,
2022, in the Capitol Extension, Room E1.012, at Austin, Texas.
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MEMBERS
PRESENT:
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MEMBERS
ABSENT:
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Senator
Kelly Hancock, Chair
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Senator
Larry Taylor
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Senator
Bob Hall, Vice Chair
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Senator
César Blanco
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Senator
Sarah Eckhardt
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Senator
Roland Gutierrez
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Senator
Kel Seliger
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The
chair called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM. There being a quorum present, the
following business was transacted:
The
Committee heard invited testimony on the following Interim Charges:
- State
Veteran Cemeteries: Evaluate the current
oversight of the Texas State Veteran Cemeteries to ensure that these
sacred and essential grounds are being maintained, repaired, and treated
with respect. Ensure that the needs of our veterans are being met by
reviewing the number, location, and funding of the cemeteries. Examine and
make recommendations for the financing mechanism for the Texas State
Veterans Cemeteries to ensure sustainability.
- Veteran
Benefits: Explore and report on options
to remove barriers for companies offering veteran benefits and consider
policies that could leverage additional public-private-partnerships.
Identify opportunities to connect veterans to existing business resources
and available state services. Recommend ways to increase matching federal
funding for veteran benefits. Review current law for consistency in
eligibility for state veteran benefits and recommend any necessary
changes.
- Veteran
Mental Health: Review the currently accepted
forms of treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and consider
the creation of a program which would require completion of a
multi-modality treatment plan including traditional talk therapy, limbic
system therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and emotionally
focused individual therapy (EFIT).
- Veteran
Mental Health: Identify the training and
resources available to urban and rural first responders when assisting
veterans experiencing a mental health crisis. Make recommendations for how
to best support first responders in these crisis situations.
All
witnesses are shown on the attached list.
There being no further business, at 3:43 PM, Senator Hancock moved that the
Committee stand recessed subject to the call of the chair. Without objection,
it was so ordered.
__________________________________________
Senator
Kelly Hancock, Chair
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Kennedy
Calvo, Clerk