HBA-CCH H.B. 1339 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1339
By: Coleman
Public Health
3/1/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) estimates the costs
of drug and alcohol abuse in Texas to be $19.3 billion each year.  For the
fiscal year 2000, Texas devoted almost $800 million to substance abuse
prevention, intervention, treatment, and related law enforcement.  While
several state agencies currently address drug and alcohol-related
activities, Texas is in need of a better way to coordinate substance abuse
programs that could bring opportunities for cost savings and information
sharing.  House Bill 1339 establishes the Drug Abuse Reduction Advisory
Committee (committee) as a single source of information related to drug and
alcohol abuse, and requires the committee to develop a statewide strategy
to reduce substance abuse. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1339 amends the Health and Safety Code to establish the Drug
Abuse Reduction Advisory Committee (committee) to serve as a single source
of information for the governor, the legislature, and the public about
issues relating to drug abuse, including available prevention programs and
services.  The bill sets forth provisions regarding the committee's
administration, membership, and duties.  The bill requires a representative
of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) to serve as the
presiding officer of the committee.  The bill requires the committee to
develop a statewide strategy to reduce drug abuse that: 

 _incorporates multidisciplinary approaches using empirical research;
 
 _includes performance-based measurement and accountability standards,
short-term objectives, and ten-year targets for reducing drug abuse; 
 
 _coordinates the drug abuse reduction efforts of private sector entities
and local, state, and federal agencies, including the Office of National
Drug Control Policy; and 
 
 _provides opportunities for representatives from the public and private
sectors to comment on the committee's activities and make recommendations
related to the strategy. 
 
The bill requires the committee to identify lead or contributing agencies
or offices to implement the strategy, and requires the committee to
coordinate the implementation process.  The committee is authorized to
establish additional advisory committees composed of representatives from
governmental entities and the private sector to assist in the committee's
efforts.  No later than January 15th of each odd-numbered year, the
committee is required to present to the governor, the lieutenant governor,
and the speaker of the house of representatives a report that states the
committee's progress in developing and coordinating the strategy, the
status and funding of state programs relating to reducing drug abuse, and
recommendations for  legislation that addresses the reduction of drug
abuse.     

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.