Senate Veterans Committee hears six bills on mental health, jails, housing, vehicle records and discrimination; all left pending

The Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs heard presentations and limited testimony on six bills affecting veterans’ services and benefits; committee members closed public testimony on each item and left all six bills pending for further work.

The measures ranged from transferring administration of veterans’ mental-health programs to the Texas Veterans Commission to a proposal to let service members voluntarily mark their military status on vehicle registration records. Committee authors and resource witnesses presented bill language and answered questions; several bills drew technical questions about implementation and data, and several witnesses urged further study before final action.

Senate Bill 2926: veterans mental health administration Senate Bill 2926, carried in the hearing under the name of Senator Zaffirini and presented by Senator Eckhart, would transfer administration of the State’s Veterans Mental Health Program from the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC). The bill, described by staff as a joint recommendation from HHSC and TVC, would repeal HHSC’s existing authority over the program, allow TVC to retain a portion of grant funds for administrative costs, establish a TVC grant program for community-based mental health services with scaled local match requirements based on county population, direct TVC to develop a statewide veteran suicide-prevention action plan, and require TVC to submit an annual report to the governor and Legislature on mental-health work for veterans. There was no public testimony. The committee closed public testimony and left the bill pending.

Senate Bill 2938: identifying and serving veterans in jails Senate Bill 2938, presented by Senator Menendez, would change how county jails identify and assist veterans who are justice-involved. The bill would require county sheriffs to verify…