SENATE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

COMMITTEE:     Veteran Affairs 

TIME & DATE:   1:00 PM, Tuesday, May 3, 2022 

PLACE:         E1.012 (Hearing Room) 
CHAIR:         Senator Kelly Hancock 

The Committee will hear invited testimony only 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.

NOTICE OF ASSISTANCE AT PUBLIC MEETINGS

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES WHO PLAN TO ATTEND THIS MEETING AND WHO MAY NEED ASSISTANCE, SUCH AS A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER OR PERSONAL ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES, ARE REQUESTED TO CONTACT THE SENATE COMMITTEE COORDINATOR AT 512/463-0070, 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING SO APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE MADE.

.