Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs - 87th R.S. (2021)
Committee Members
- Donna Campbell, Chair
- Kelly Hancock, Chair
- Bob Hall, Vice Chair
- César Blanco
- Sarah Eckhardt
- Roland Gutierrez
- Kel Seliger
- Larry Taylor
Charges
- State Veteran Cemeteries: Evaluate the current oversight of the Texas State Veteran Cemeteries to ensure that these sacred and essential grounds are being maintained, repaired, and treated with respect. Ensure that the needs of our veterans are being met by reviewing the number, location, and funding of the cemeteries. Examine and make recommendations for the financing mechanism for the Texas State Veterans Cemeteries to ensure sustainability.
- Veteran Benefits: Explore and report on options to remove barriers for companies offering veteran benefits and consider policies that could leverage additional public-private-partnerships. Identify opportunities to connect veterans to existing business resources and available state services. Recommend ways to increase matching federal funding for veteran benefits. Review current law for consistency in eligibility for state veteran benefits and recommend any necessary changes.
- Veteran Mental Health: Review the currently accepted forms of treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and consider the creation of a program which would require completion of a multi-modality treatment plan including traditional talk therapy, limbic system therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and emotionally focused individual therapy (EFIT).
- Veteran Mental Health: Identify the training and resources available to urban and rural first responders when assisting veterans experiencing a mental health crisis. Make recommendations for how to best support first responders in these crisis situations.
Notes
Senator Campbell served as Chair from 1/15/2021-6/11/2021. Senator Hancock appointed Chair 6/11/2021.
Press release, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, 6/11/2021.
Committee name changed from Veteran Affairs and Border Security to Veteran Affairs on 1/27/2022.
Press release, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, 1/27/2022.
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