Bill Text: TX HB1955 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an early childhood mental health home visiting grant program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-17 - Filed [HB1955 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB1955-Introduced.html
| 89R5724 RAL-D | ||
| By: Thompson | H.B. No. 1955 | |
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| relating to the establishment of an early childhood mental health | ||
| home visiting grant program. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 137, Human Resources Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter G to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER G. EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH HOME VISITING GRANT | ||
| PROGRAM | ||
| Sec. 137.301. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF EARLY | ||
| CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH HOME VISITING GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The | ||
| commission shall establish and operate an early childhood mental | ||
| health home visiting grant program through which the commission | ||
| will award grants to implement, expand, and maintain early | ||
| childhood mental health home visiting services in this state to | ||
| support families with a high level of need, including a history of | ||
| trauma. | ||
| (b) To be eligible for a grant under this subchapter, an | ||
| applicant must: | ||
| (1) demonstrate a commitment to a family-centered, | ||
| system of care approach to providing comprehensive, coordinated | ||
| services to children and families; and | ||
| (2) have experience providing successful early | ||
| childhood mental health or prevention services for low-income, | ||
| high-risk families, as the executive commissioner determines by | ||
| rule. | ||
| (c) In awarding a grant under this subchapter, the | ||
| commission shall give preference to applicants with experience in | ||
| providing home-based services to children and families. | ||
| (d) The commission may award a grant under this subchapter | ||
| only in accordance with a contract between the commission and grant | ||
| recipient. The contract must include provisions under which the | ||
| commission is granted sufficient control to ensure the public | ||
| purpose of providing early childhood mental health home visiting | ||
| services is accomplished and this state receives the return | ||
| benefit. | ||
| Sec. 137.302. STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS. (a) The | ||
| executive commissioner by rule shall adopt standards for grant | ||
| recipients under this subchapter. In adopting the standards, the | ||
| executive commissioner shall take into consideration applicable | ||
| evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery | ||
| models. | ||
| (b) In addition to meeting the standards the executive | ||
| commissioner adopts under Subsection (a), a grant recipient under | ||
| this subchapter must: | ||
| (1) strictly adhere to an evidence-based early | ||
| childhood service delivery model the commission selects in | ||
| accordance with criteria set by the United States Department of | ||
| Health and Human Services for an early childhood home visiting | ||
| service delivery model; and | ||
| (2) require that a team consisting of a licensed | ||
| mental health professional and a care coordinator support families | ||
| through home-based services to: | ||
| (A) improve child and parent mental health; | ||
| (B) promote school readiness; | ||
| (C) decrease child abuse and neglect; and | ||
| (D) improve the immediate and long-term health | ||
| and well-being of families. | ||
| Sec. 137.303. FUNDING. The commission may solicit, | ||
| contract for, receive, accept, or administer gifts, grants, and | ||
| donations of money or property from any source to carry out this | ||
| subchapter. | ||
| Sec. 137.304. RULES. The executive commissioner may adopt | ||
| rules as necessary to implement this subchapter. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
