BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.S.B. 2069
89R23278 RAL-D	By: Zaffirini
	Health & Human Services
	4/15/2025
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Persons experiencing a psychiatric emergency often turn to hospital emergency departments for help. If a hospital does not have a psychiatric unit, staff search for an open bed at another facility. With a low supply of psychiatric beds in Texas, finding an opening has become difficult, leading to longer wait times in emergency departments that often are not equipped to manage such patients. Currently, 17 states have established psychiatric bed registries. These registries have been reported to improve access to locating available psychiatric beds and reduced wait times.

S.B. 2069 would require the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to establish a workgroup to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of creating a statewide or regional registry of available acute psychiatric beds at inpatient mental health facilities. The workgroup would be comprised of multidisciplinary experts in public health, mental health, technology, substance use, hospital administration, and industry associations. S.B. 2069 would help health care providers quickly locate open beds and ensure timely treatment for persons in crisis.

Committee Substitute 

• Deletes (1:19-24) to remove necessity for state leadership to appoint persons to the workgroup.
• Amends (3:6) from September 1, 2026, to November 1, 2027.
• Amends (3:23) from September 1, 2027, to September 1, 2028.

C.S.S.B. 2069 amends current law relating to the establishment of a work group to conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing an acute psychiatric bed registry.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. (a) Defines "commission," "executive commissioner," and "inpatient mental health facility."

(b) Requires the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to establish a work group to conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing a statewide or regional acute psychiatric bed registry to list available beds at inpatient mental health facilities for the inpatient psychiatric treatment of certain individuals.

(c) Provides that the work group consists of certain members appointed by the executive commissioner of HHSC.

(d) Requires the work group to elect from among the membership a presiding officer.

(e) Requires the work group to meet periodically and at the call of the presiding officer.

(f) Requires HHSC, not later than November 1, 2027, to prepare and submit to each standing committee of the senate and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over mental health a written report that summarizes the results of the study conducted under this section. Requires that the report include certain information.

(g) Provides that the work group is abolished and this section expires November 1, 2028.

SECTION 2. Requires the applicable appointing authorities, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to appoint the members to the work group established by this Act.

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2025.