Bill

SB 292

85(R) - 2017
Senate Health & Human Services
House Public Health
Senate Health & Human Services
House Public Health
Health & Human Services

Vote Recommendation

Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Joan Huffman

Co-Author(s)

Jane Nelson
Charles Schwertner
Kirk Watson

Sponsor(s)

Four Price

Co-Sponsor(s)

Garnet F. Coleman

Bill Caption

Relating to the creation of a grant program to reduce recidivism, arrest, and incarceration of individuals with mental illness.

Fiscal Notes

From the LBB: Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB 292, Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($18,801,600) through the biennium ending August 31, 2019. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.

Bill Analysis

This bill would create a new grant program with the purpose of reducing recidivism, arrest, and incarceration among individuals with mental illness by providing grants to county-based community collaboratives. Under this bill a collaborative "may petition the commission for a grant under the program only if the collaborative includes a county, a local mental health authority that operates in the county, and each hospital district, if any, located in the county. A community collaborative may include other local entities designated by the collaborative ’s members."

Vote Recommendation Notes

The cost of mental health treatment often ends up being picked up by the taxpayers because the mentally ill often become incarcerated, institutionalized, or homeless. It is foreseeable that funding county-level programs that can intervene and treat people at an earlier stage may lead to better outcomes for individuals and lower costs to taxpayers in the long run. At the same time we note that these savings are somewhat speculative and we are wary of new programs to spend more state money. For these reasons we remain neutral.