Bill Text: TX HB1045 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to a veteran suicide tracking system and required reporting of veteran suicides by certain persons.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-09 - Placed on General State Calendar [HB1045 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB1045-Comm_Sub.html
| 86R28494 SRA-D | |||
| By: Neave, Lopez, Reynolds | H.B. No. 1045 | ||
| Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1045: | |||
| By: Flynn | C.S.H.B. No. 1045 | ||
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| relating to a veteran suicide tracking system and required | ||
| reporting of veteran suicides by certain persons. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 434.026 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 434.026. VETERAN SUICIDE TRACKING SYSTEM; REQUIRED | ||
| REPORTING OF CERTAIN SUICIDES. (a) The Texas Veterans Commission, | ||
| in collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans | ||
| Affairs, shall develop and maintain a system for tracking the | ||
| number of veteran suicides in this state and determining the number | ||
| of those veterans who received services from the United States | ||
| Department of Veterans Affairs. The tracking system must include | ||
| data: | ||
| (1) available from the United States Department of | ||
| Veterans Affairs; and | ||
| (2) reported to the commission under Subsection (b). | ||
| (b) A person who knows that the cause of death for a veteran | ||
| is suicide shall report the suicide to the Texas Veterans | ||
| Commission and provide any information the person has that may | ||
| assist the commission in determining whether the veteran received | ||
| services from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. | ||
| (c) The following persons shall provide to the Texas | ||
| Veterans Commission in accordance with Subsection (b) any relevant | ||
| information the person obtains related to the suicide of a veteran: | ||
| (1) a medical examiner or a justice of the peace who is | ||
| acting as a coroner; | ||
| (2) a health care facility licensed under Subtitle B, | ||
| Title 4, Health and Safety Code; or | ||
| (3) a mental health facility as defined by Section | ||
| 571.003, Health and Safety Code. | ||
| (d) Information about the suicide of a veteran obtained | ||
| under this chapter is confidential and is not subject to disclosure | ||
| under Chapter 552, Government Code, is not subject to subpoena, and | ||
| may not otherwise be released or made public. | ||
| (e) Not later than December 31 of each year, the Texas | ||
| Veterans Commission shall submit to the legislature a report that | ||
| includes: | ||
| (1) the number of veteran suicides that were reported | ||
| to the commission under this section during the preceding year; | ||
| (2) the number of veterans described by Subdivision | ||
| (1) who received services from the United States Department of | ||
| Veterans Affairs; | ||
| (3) information on whether the rate of veteran | ||
| suicides in this state is decreasing or increasing; | ||
| (4) an evaluation of the effectiveness of statewide | ||
| prevention and awareness campaigns in decreasing the number of | ||
| veteran suicides in this state; and | ||
| (5) recommendations for improving the effectiveness | ||
| of statewide prevention and awareness campaigns. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2019, the Texas | ||
| Veterans Commission shall develop the tracking system required by | ||
| Section 434.026, Government Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. Notwithstanding Section 434.026, Government | ||
| Code, as added by this Act: | ||
| (1) a person is not required to comply with Section | ||
| 434.026(c) until January 1, 2020; and | ||
| (2) the Texas Veterans Commission is not required to | ||
| submit a report required by Section 434.026(e) to the legislature | ||
| until December 31, 2020. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. | ||
