Public Policy Director www.mhadallas.org Public Policy 85 R Legislative News Janie Metzinger Public Policy Director Joey Campain Public Policy Intern

Restored to North Texas Behavioral Health Authority: www.mhadallas.org Amount Notes $8.1 M Restored to North Texas Behavioral Health Authority: Continuation of services to Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, and Rockwall Counties. 5,735 would have lost care if not passed. $62.6 M Waiting list reduction for community-based services $30 M Matching grants for community-based healthcare H.B. 13 $667 k Grant to address violence in the healthcare workplace H.B. 280, funded with license fee increase $3.5 M Peer-to-Peer services authorized in H.B. 1486 $9.4 M Matching grants to reduce recidivism, arrest, and incarceration of patients with mental illness S.B. 292 $2 M Rehabilitative services for children in foster care $7.8 M Mental health treatment for children in Child Protective Services $38 M Maintain current state hospital capacity Budget 2018-2019 – S.B. 1

Budget 2018-2019 – S.B. 1 Amount Notes $10.3 M www.mhadallas.org Amount Notes $10.3 M Increase maximum security state hospital bed capacity $300 M State hospital construction and planning $20.7 M Additional psychiatric hospital beds in local communities $160 M Deferred maintenance at state hospitals and state-supported living centers $1.74 M Clubhouses $55 M Substance abuse treatment Budget 2018-2019 – S.B. 1

www.mhadallas.org H.B. 10 – Price Expands Texas Department of Insurance’s (TDI) authority to include parity protections for all fully insured plans. Includes limitations on: Number of visits an injured person is allowed Pre-authorization requirements Restrictive formularies Determinations of usual, reasonable, and customary charges Fail first policies Step therapy protocols Authorizes Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to appoint an ombudsman for behavioral health access to care Creates a mental health and substance use disorder stakeholder work group Requires HHSC and TDI to gather data regarding the denial rate of mental health services to better understand parity issues Parity

www.mhadallas.org H.B. 13 – Price Creates a matching grant for community-based mental healthcare. $30 Million H.B. 280 – Howard Provides for grants to hospitals and other health facilities to foster innovation in reducing the severity and frequency of workplace violence. Grants would be funded using existing revenue from nursing license and renewal applications Grants

Reducing Recidivism H.B. 377 – Collier www.mhadallas.org H.B. 377 – Collier Prevents loss of Medicaid eligibility due to incarceration in a county jail regardless of conviction. Provides a mechanism to suspend Medicaid coverage, instead of termination. Coverage can be reinstated within 48 hours of being released from county jail, as long as the individual remains eligible. S.B. 292 – Huffman Creates a grant program to reduce recidivism, incarceration, and frequency of arrests among people with mental illness. Reduce waiting times for commitment to a state hospital Collaborations must include: county, local mental health authority, and hospital district $9.4 Million in grants to 20 most populous counties via formula funding based on mental illnesses among people 200% of poverty Counties that do not meet criteria must apply to receive funding Reducing Recidivism

Public Safety S.B. 1849 – Whitmire www.mhadallas.org S.B. 1849 – Whitmire Shortens deadlines by which a sheriff must provide a notice to the magistrate of any case of mental illness from 72 hours to 12 hours Amends Government code to include persons with substance abuse issues to receive help from Department of State Health and Human Services Gives consideration to grant awards to collaborations between counties of 100,000 people or less Requires that prisoners have access to tele-mental health care services 24 hours a day. If not available, external access required Outlines cell camera use standards Establishes standards regarding prescriptions used upon arrest Establishes a fund to make improvements for prisons <96 prisoners Requires TCOLE to approve an examination for a jail administrator Requires provisions for law enforcement officer training curriculum Public Safety

Public Safety S.B. 1849 – Continued www.mhadallas.org S.B. 1849 – Continued Amends Code of Criminal Procedure to revise requirements for a law enforcement agency’s written policy on racial profiling Requires analysis of review of traffic stops for possible policy changes Requires analysis of the feasibility of equipping officers with body cameras Expands funding for video equipment for use as body cameras S.B. 344 – West Allows local governments to establish memorandums of understanding to allow emergency medical services to transport persons in a mental health crisis if deemed a appropriate by a peace officer Allows transport in an ambulance instead of a police car Facilitates a pilot project in Dallas to create a mental health response team Public Safety

Insurance/Access to Care www.mhadallas.org S.B. 1600 – S. Thompson Expands the number of allowable mental health screenings for youth from 12-18 years old from one screening during the six years to one screening per year Allows reconsideration of a screen if results are not being seen after a year H.B. 2466 – S. Davis Promotes increased screening for Postpartum depression by creating a screening benefit for mothers of current Children’s Health Insurance Plan and Medicaid enrolles H.B. 1486 – Price Requires HHSC to adopt rules pertaining to peer specialists and peer services, establish a related work group, and submit a report to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and others if rules are not adopted Insurance/Access to Care

Substance Abuse S.B. 584 – West www.mhadallas.org S.B. 584 – West Amends Occupations Code to require the Texas Medical Board to adopt guidelines for prescription of opioid antagonists to patients with current prescriptions and are at risk of overdose Exempts a physician who acts in good faith and with reasonable care, regardless of whether they followed the guidelines, from criminal or civil liability or professional disciplinary action for prescribing or failing to prescribe an opioid antagonist or any eventual outcomes of prescription Substance Abuse

Crafted by the Public Policy Team of MHA Dallas www.mhadallas.org Crafted by the Public Policy Team of MHA Dallas