AT THE CAPITOL
News from the 88th legislative session
QUOTE OF NOTE
Senate puts $2B toward mental health care expansion
“MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS HOUSE HAVE SENT AN UNEQUIVOCAL MESSAGE THAT THEY HEAR THE CONCERNS DELIVERING LASTING PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AND ADDRESSING SKYROCKETING APPRAISAL VALUES.” DADE PHELAN, HOUSE SPEAKER, ON THE PASSAGE OF HOUSE BILL 2, THE CHAMBER’S $17 BILLION PLAN TO CUT PROPERTY TAXES FROM FELLOW TEXANS ABOUT
BY HANNAH NORTON
BUILDING MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES The Texas Senate’s $2.3 billion plan includes the construc- tion of new mental health facilities and upgrading existing facilities to increase capacity in Austin, San Antonio, North Texas, Montgomery County, El Paso and Tyler.
The Texas Senate has proposed a $2.3 billion investment in the state’s mental health care system, including upgrades to and construction of several state mental health facilities. Money will be allocated to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission by Senate Bill 30, a supple- mental funding bill. The Senate unanimously passed SB 26 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, RBrenham, on April 13. The bill would create a $15 billion “innovation grant” program to help local mental health centers provide early intervention and treatment for children and their families. At an April 13 news conference, Kolkhorst said mental health needs have increased signicantly in Texas since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said roughly 1,000 Texans were on waitlists for forensic hospital beds, which are used for people in the criminal justice system who have mental illnesses, before the pandemic. Since then, Kolkhorst said the waitlist has “exploded to nearly 2,500.” Many state hospitals, state-supported living centers and local mental health facilities are also facing stang issues. The Senate passed SB 25, a nursing education bill, with a unanimous vote March 30. The bill would create scholarships, grants and a loan repayment program for nursing students.
New construction/ upgrades
North Texas State hospital
Terrell State hospital UT Tyler
Amarillo State hospital
Lubbock State hospital Sunrise Canyon
El Paso psychiatric center
UPDATES FROM LOCAL LEGISLATORS
Uvalde behavioral health center
San Antonio State hospital
Montgomery County mental health
SEN. PETE FLORES District 24 Republican Elected: 2022
Victoria County
Rio Grande State center
SOURCES: TEXAS SENATE, TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION COMMUNITY IMPACT
Senate Bill 1852 This bill, which was passed by the Texas Senate April 17, would require peace ocers to complete a 16-hour active-shooter training program developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University.
Narcan to be distributed across the state
Bill would send state funds to private schools
BY HANNAH NORTON
RELEVANT BILLS During his State of the State address in February, Gov. Greg Abbott des-
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on April 6 that the opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan will be provided to law enforcement in every county in Texas. Over 2,000 Texans died from fentanyl poisoning in 2022, Abbott said. An initial 20,000 units of Narcan, which helps people over- dosing on opioids keep breathing, are available immediately. Counties can apply for an allotment from the Texas Division of Emergency Management, according to the governor’s oce. Abbott also announced the launch of a $10 million multimedia campaign to educate Texans about the dangers of fentanyl, as well as how to prevent, recognize and reverse overdoses. The campaign is an extension of Abbott’s existing “One Pill Kills” initiative. Funding for the plans comes from multiple settlements that Texas is receiving from opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, ocials said.
BY HANNAH NORTON
REP. TERRY WILSON District 20 Republican Elected: 2016
The Texas Senate approved on April 6 a proposal to use state money to help parents pay for enrollment in private schools. Senate Bill 8, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, RConroe, would create an education savings account pro- gram, commonly known as private school vouchers. Parents who pull their children out of public schools could receive $8,000 per student to help send them to private schools. The money, which would come from taxes paid to the state, could be used to cover private school tuition or other educational expenses, such as textbooks or transportation. Current public school students and those enrolling in kindergar- ten or prekindergarten for the rst time could apply for ESAs. Creighton announced that about 62,500 low-income students who are already enrolled in private schools would also be eligible for the program.
ignated combating the fentanyl crisis as one of his top priorities for the current legislative session. Texas lawmakers have passed bills related to the crisis, including: Senate Bill 645 Goal: enable murder charges for lacing drugs with fentanyl, a deadly opioid Action: establish a rst-degree felony for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl that leads to someone’s death House Bill 362 Goal: help Texans safely test other drugs for fentanyl Action: legalize manufacturing and possession of fentanyl test strips, which are used to check if other drugs contain the deadly opioid
Sign up for our newsletter at communityimpact.com for daily updates throughout the session. SUBSCRIBE TODAY requires school districts to provide at least 10 hours of research-based instruction on fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students in sixth-12th grades. House Bill 3843 This bill— which was passed out of the House Transportation Committee April 19—would require the Texas Department of Transportation to conduct a study comparing the practices and operations of toll project entities throughout the state, including customer complaints and billing practices. If passed, the report must be completed no later than Dec. 1, 2024. House Bill 3908 Recommended by the House Public Education Committee April 20, this bill
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNOR COMMUNITY IMPACT
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