BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4923

By: Lopez, Ray

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Certain grant programs that provide funding to community mental health programs for veterans and their families, including the Texas Veterans + Family Alliance Grant Program (TV+FA), currently require a funding match from non-state sources. Currently, TV+FA requires varying levels of match based on the population size of the county in which the community mental health program is providing services. However, these rates are not sustainable, requiring additional state appropriation and placing a burden on philanthropic sources. C.S.H.B. 4923 seeks to address this issue by lowering the match rate for grant programs to support community mental health programs for veterans and their 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

C.S.H.B. 4923 amends Government Code provisions relating to the Health and Human Services Commission's grant program to support community mental health programs for veterans and their families to reduce the amount of matching funds a potential grant recipient that intends to support a community mental health program that provides services in a county with a population of 250,000 or more must provide from non-state sources to qualify for a grant from 100 percent of the grant amount to 50 percent of the grant amount. The bill applies only to a grant awarded on or after the bill's effective date. Implementation of a provision of this bill by HHSC is mandatory only if a specific appropriation is made for that purpose in an amount greater than the amount appropriated to HHSC for that purpose for the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2023.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4923 may differ from the introduced 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 provision not in the introduced that makes the requirement for HHSC to implement a provision of the bill contingent on appropriation made for that purpose in an amount greater than the amount appropriated to HHSC for that purpose for the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2023.