TITLE: Relating to the establishment of a grant program to enhance community-based suicide prevention efforts.

SUMMARY: Relating to the establishment of a grant program to enhance community-based suicide prevention efforts.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the establishment of a grant program to enhance community-based suicide prevention efforts. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 531.09991 to read as follows: Sec. 531.09991. GRANT PROGRAM FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS. (a) To the extent money is available to the commission for that purpose, the commission shall establish a program to provide grants to quasi-governmental or nonprofit entities for the purpose of establishing and enhancing community-based suicide prevention efforts. (b) Grant money awarded under this section may be used only to: (1) support the implementation, administration, and coordination of the 2018 Texas State Plan for Suicide Prevention adopted by the Texas Suicide Prevention Council; (2) support the operations of the quasi-governmental and nonprofit entities receiving grant money to expand local community-based suicide prevention efforts; (3) support suicide prevention efforts in certain communities of practice, including veterans, primary and secondary education students, higher education students, persons who reside in rural areas, and persons working in health care; (4) facilitate statewide partnerships and collaborations; (5) expand the capacities of community-based suicide prevention programs to collect and analyze information to inform suicide prevention strategies; (6) foster and promote emerging and promising best practices in suicide prevention; (7) offer outreach and communications structures supporting the 2018 Texas State Plan for Suicide Prevention; or (8) subcontract with another quasi-governmental or nonprofit entity acceptable to the commission to accomplish the purposes described by Subdivisions (1)-(7). SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement Section 531.09991, Government Code, as added by this Act. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.