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Committee hears bill to create work group studying feasibility of statewide psychiatric bed registry
Summary
Sen. Zafarini told the committee SB 2069 would direct Health and Human Services to convene a work group studying whether a statewide acute psychiatric bed registry is feasible; the committee substitute changes appointment authority and extends reporting deadlines.
Sen. Zafarini explained Senate Bill 20-69 to the Committee on Health & Human Services. The bill would require the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to establish a work group to study the feasibility of implementing an acute psychiatric bed registry that would provide information about bed availability statewide or regionally.
The committee substitute removes a provision requiring the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker to appoint members; under the substitute the Health and Human Services Commissioner would appoint the work group members. The substitute also extended the report deadline and the termination date of the work group: the required legislative report date moved from September 2026 to November 1, 2027, and the date the group is abolished was extended from September 2027 to November 1, 2028.
Committee members briefly discussed the need for updated bed-availability information, noting similar registries were used after the COVID-19 pandemic to track capacity. The committee closed registration for public testimony on SB 20-69 without further witnesses present and left the bill pending.
No formal vote was taken; the bill was left pending.
