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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a women veterans suicide tracking system and required |
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reporting of women veteran suicides by certain persons. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 434, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 434.217 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 434.217. WOMEN VETERANS SUICIDE TRACKING SYSTEM; |
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REQUIRED REPORTING OF CERTAIN SUICIDES. (a) The program, in |
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collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans |
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Affairs, shall develop and maintain a system for tracking the |
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number of suicides of women veterans in this state and determining |
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the number of those women veterans who received services from the |
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United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The tracking system |
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must include data: |
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(1) available from the United States Department of |
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Veterans Affairs; and |
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(2) reported to the program under Subsection (b). |
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(b) A person who knows that the cause of death for a woman |
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veteran is suicide shall report the suicide to the program and |
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provide any information the person may have that may assist the |
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program in determining whether the woman received services from the |
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United States Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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(c) The following persons shall provide to the program in |
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accordance with Subsection (b) any relevant information the person |
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obtains related to the suicide death of a woman veteran: |
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(1) a medical examiner or a justice of the peace who is |
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acting as a coroner; |
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(2) a health care facility licensed under Subtitle B, |
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Title 4, Health and Safety Code; or |
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(3) a mental health facility as defined by Section |
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571.003, Health and Safety Code. |
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(d) Information about the suicide of a woman veteran |
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obtained under this chapter is confidential and is not subject to |
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disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code, is not subject to |
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subpoena, and may not otherwise be released or made public. |
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(e) Not later than December 31 of each year, the program |
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shall submit to the legislature a report that includes: |
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(1) the number of suicides of women veterans that were |
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reported to the program under this section during the preceding |
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year; |
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(2) the number of women described by Subdivision (1) |
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who received services from the United States Department of Veterans |
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Affairs; |
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(3) information on whether the suicide rate of women |
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veterans in this state is decreasing or increasing; |
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(4) an evaluation of the effectiveness of statewide |
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prevention and awareness campaigns in decreasing the number of |
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suicides by women veterans in this state; and |
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(5) recommendations for improving the effectiveness |
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of statewide prevention and awareness campaigns. |
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SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2019, the Texas Women |
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Veterans Program shall develop the tracking system required by |
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Section 434.217, Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 3. Notwithstanding Section 434.217, Government |
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Code, as added by this Act: |
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(1) a person is not required to comply with Section |
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434.217(c) until January 1, 2020; and |
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(2) the Texas Women Veterans Program is not required |
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to submit a report required by Section 434.217(e) to the |
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legislature until December 31, 2020. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |