HBA-MPM, JRA H.B. 3126 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3126
By: Chisum
Public Health
7/19/1999
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Prior to the 76th Legislative Session, Texas did not have any standardized
evaluation criteria to measure the effectiveness of its anti-drug programs.
H.B. 3126 requires state agencies that fund drug abuse prevention programs
to develop a uniform evaluation system. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse, the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, the Texas Youth
Commission, and the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in
SECTION 1; and to any state agency that provides a grant to fund a drug
abuse prevention program in SECTION 3 of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  ESTABLISHMENT OF CRITERIA.  Requires the Texas Commission on
Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, the Texas
Youth Commission, and the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
(agencies), by rule, to establish a uniform set of criteria for evaluating
the effectiveness of a drug abuse prevention program that receives grant
funding from the agency. 

SECTION 2.  EVALUATION OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS.  Requires the agencies to
develop the criteria in cooperation with other state agencies that provide
grants to drug abuse prevention programs.  Provides that the criteria must
evaluate whether a program is targeting problems that are specific to a
given community or school, providing social services to children who have a
family member with a drug addiction, using strategies that are appropriate
for children of different ages, and providing continuity in services and
intervention strategies for all grade levels. 

SECTION 3.  RULES; ANNUAL REPORT.  Requires a state agency that provides a
grant to fund a drug abuse prevention program to adopt rules for evaluating
the effectiveness of the program that incorporate the criteria developed
under SECTION 2 of this Act.  Requires the agency, by rule, to require the
program to submit to the agency an annual report that describes the
program's effectiveness in meeting the established criteria. 

SECTION 4.  EMERGENCY.  Emergency clause.
Effective date: upon passage.