Honorable Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB114 by Cortez (Relating to the transfer of functions relating to certain veteran mental health programs and plans to the Texas Veterans Commission.), As Passed 2nd House
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would transfer the Mental Health Program for Veterans and the Texas Veterans Family Alliance Grant Program administered by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC). It is assumed the transfer of funding and resources from HHSC to TVC would have no net cost to General Revenue. The bill would also align the matching grant conditions with respect to the percentage of funds from non-state sources that a potential grant recipient must provide with those established by Senate Bill 897, or another Act of the Eighty-ninth Legislature relating to the administration of a grant program to support community mental health programs assisting veterans and their families.
This analysis assumes that $27,912,000 in General Revenue appropriated for HHSC for the affected programs in Senate Bill 1 would transfer to the TVC. It is assumed the transfer from HHSC to TVC would take place beginning in fiscal year 2026, and include $3,956,000 in General Revenue for the Mental Health Program for Veterans and $10,000,000 in General Revenue for the Grant Program for Mental Health Services for Veterans and their Families in each fiscal year of the 2026-27 biennium.
This analysis assumes HHSC can implement all other functions of the bill with existing resources.
This analysis assumes costs associated with system changes to Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) to track veterans in transferring programs would be absorbed within existing resources.
The ongoing costs to TVC for this program would be $13,956,000 per fiscal year.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
403 Veterans Commission, 529 Health and Human Services Commission