Bill Text: TX SB193 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a model suicide prevention policy, suicide prevention and intervention strategies incorporated into a state agency crisis or disaster plan, suicide death information maintained by the Department of State Health Services, and the Texas Violent Death Reporting System.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-12 - Filed [SB193 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB193-Introduced.html
89R3313 EAS-D | ||
By: Menéndez | S.B. No. 193 |
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relating to a model suicide prevention policy, suicide prevention | ||
and intervention strategies incorporated into a state agency crisis | ||
or disaster plan, suicide death information maintained by the | ||
Department of State Health Services, and the Texas Violent Death | ||
Reporting System. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 547, Government Code, as effective April | ||
1, 2025, is amended by adding Subchapter J to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER J. SUICIDE PREVENTION | ||
Sec. 547.0451. MODEL SUICIDE PREVENTION POLICY. (a) In | ||
this section, "postvention" includes activities that promote | ||
healing necessary to reduce the risk of suicide by an individual | ||
affected by the suicide of another individual. | ||
(b) The commission shall develop and publish on the | ||
commission's Internet website a model suicide prevention policy to | ||
be implemented at state agencies, community coalitions, and other | ||
public or private institutions or facilities that serve populations | ||
at higher risk for suicide, including veterans, individuals with | ||
disabilities, and individuals who live in rural areas of this | ||
state. The policy must be designed for implementation by | ||
individuals who may not be mental health professionals. | ||
(c) The policy must include: | ||
(1) information on suicide prevention, intervention, | ||
and postvention; | ||
(2) information on recognizing warning signs of | ||
suicide; and | ||
(3) resources, including local mental health | ||
authorities, for individuals at risk of suicide. | ||
(d) The policy must address the development of community | ||
coalitions to engage in suicide prevention, intervention, and | ||
postvention activities, especially in high-risk rural areas of this | ||
state. | ||
(e) In developing the policy under this section, the | ||
commission: | ||
(1) shall collaborate with the statewide behavioral | ||
health coordinating council established under Subchapter D and the | ||
Texas Suicide Prevention Collaborative; and | ||
(2) may receive information or assistance from any | ||
other interested statewide or local entities engaged in suicide | ||
prevention, intervention, and postvention. | ||
Sec. 547.0452. CRISIS AND DISASTER PLANS. (a) Not later | ||
than August 31, 2026, the commission, in collaboration with the | ||
Disaster Behavioral Health Consortium, shall: | ||
(1) for the purpose of identifying opportunities to | ||
incorporate suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention | ||
strategies: | ||
(A) conduct a review of crisis plans and disaster | ||
plans of state agency consortium members; and | ||
(B) identify lessons learned from responses by | ||
state agency consortium members during prior crises or disasters; | ||
and | ||
(2) based on the information obtained under | ||
Subdivision (1), recommend to each state agency consortium member | ||
incorporating suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention | ||
strategies into a crisis plan or disaster plan. | ||
(b) Not later than August 1, 2027, each state agency member | ||
of the Disaster Behavioral Health Consortium shall incorporate | ||
recommendations the commission made under Subsection (a) into the | ||
agency's crisis plan or disaster plan. | ||
(c) This section expires September 1, 2027. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 191.002(b), Health and Safety Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) The department shall: | ||
(1) establish a vital statistics unit in the | ||
department with suitable offices that are properly equipped for the | ||
preservation of its official records; | ||
(2) establish a statewide system of vital statistics; | ||
(3) provide instructions and prescribe forms for | ||
collecting, recording, transcribing, compiling, and preserving | ||
vital statistics; | ||
(4) require the enforcement of this title and rules | ||
adopted under this title; | ||
(5) prepare, print, and supply to local registrars | ||
forms for registering, recording, and preserving returns or | ||
otherwise carrying out the purposes of this title; [ |
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(6) propose legislation necessary for the purposes of | ||
this title; and | ||
(7) provide access to information regarding suicides | ||
in this state to the statewide suicide prevention coordinator of | ||
the Health and Human Services Commission's office of mental health | ||
coordination. | ||
SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 1001, Health and Safety | ||
Code, is amended by adding Section 1001.090 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 1001.090. TEXAS VIOLENT DEATH REPORTING SYSTEM. (a) | ||
The department shall establish and operate the Texas Violent Death | ||
Reporting System for the purpose of participating in the National | ||
Violent Death Reporting System operated by the Centers for Disease | ||
Control and Prevention. | ||
(b) The department shall provide access to suicide data | ||
obtained or maintained through the Texas Violent Death Reporting | ||
System to the statewide suicide prevention coordinator of the | ||
commission's office of mental health coordination. | ||
(c) The executive commissioner may adopt rules necessary to | ||
implement this section. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |