Texas 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session (2025) Status: Introduced

HB 281 — Relating to disaster behavioral health coordination and response.

Last action — Filed

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced August 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

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Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

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Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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This bill amends the Texas statutes.

  • SUBCHAPTER Z. DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COORDINATION Sec. 531.901. DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COORDINATION. (a) The Health and Human Services Commission shall designate existing staff to coordinate statewide disaster behavioral health preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. (b) The designated coordination staff shall: (1) coordinate with the Texas Division of Emergency Management on disaster behavioral health activities; (2) manage federal crisis counseling assistance and training program applications and grants; (3) maintain a registry of qualified disaster behavioral health personnel; and (4) provide technical assistance to local mental health authorities for disaster preparedness. Sec. 531.902. DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPLOYMENT. (a) The commission shall coordinate with local mental health authorities to deploy behavioral health services to disaster-affected areas. (b) Deployment coordination shall be activated: (1) within 72 hours of a gubernatorial disaster declaration; (2) upon request from local emergency management officials; or (3) following federal disaster declarations affecting Texas communities. (c) Disaster behavioral health services shall include: (1) crisis counseling and psychological first aid; (2) referral services to ongoing mental health care; and (3) support for vulnerable populations including children, elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Sec. 531.903. LOCAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PREPAREDNESS. (a) Each local mental health authority shall: (1) include disaster behavioral health components in existing emergency plans; (2) maintain contact information for disaster behavioral health personnel; and (3) pre-identify vulnerable populations requiring specialized behavioral health support. (b) Local plans must address the needs of: (1) children and adolescents; (2) elderly adults; (3) individuals with serious mental illness; and (4) first responders and emergency personnel. Sec. 531.904. CRISIS COUNSELING ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. (a) The commission shall serve as the state administrative agency for federal Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program grants. (b) Following a federal disaster declaration, the commission shall: (1) submit immediate services program applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency within 14 days; (2) coordinate with affected local mental health authorities on service delivery plans; (3) ensure cultural and linguistic competency in service provision; and (4) establish performance metrics and reporting requirements. (c) Crisis counseling services must: (1) be provided at no cost to disaster survivors; (2) focus on normal reactions to abnormal events; (3) emphasize resilience and recovery rather than pathology; and (4) include outreach to underserved and hard-to-reach communities. Sec. 531.905. DISASTER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PERSONNEL REGISTRY. (a) The commission shall maintain a registry of disaster behavioral health personnel available for disaster response. (b) The registry shall include: (1) professional qualifications and certifications; (2) disaster response training completion; and (3) geographic availability. (c) Personnel in the registry must complete Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Psychological First Aid training or equivalent disaster behavioral health training approved by the commission. SECTION 4 . Chapter 418, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 418.110 to read as follows: Sec. 418.110. COORDINATION WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. (a) The Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Health and Human Services Commission shall jointly develop: (1) integrated disaster response protocols including behavioral health components; (2) communication systems for coordinating behavioral health deployments; (3) training programs for emergency management personnel on behavioral health needs; and (4) performance metrics for disaster behavioral health response effectiveness. (b) During disaster declarati

    amended

Action History

  1. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 183 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (183)

183 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors HB 281?
HB 281 is sponsored by Penny Morales Shaw.
What is the current status of HB 281?
This bill has been introduced in the House. Introduced August 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 281?
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