HB 230

relating to the establishment of the office of community violence
intervention and prevention within the Department of State Health
Services and a grant program for violence intervention and
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1.  This Act may be cited as the Community Violence
Intervention and Prevention Act.
SECTION 2.  Subtitle B, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is
amended by adding Chapter 56 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 56.  OFFICE OF COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND
SUBCHAPTER A.  GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 56.001.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter:
(1)  "Advisory committee" means the grant review
advisory committee established under Section 56.102.
(2)  "Office" means the office of community violence
intervention and prevention established under Section 56.051.
Sec. 56.002.  RULES.  The executive commissioner shall adopt
rules as necessary to implement this chapter.
Sec. 56.003.  FUNDING.  The department shall solicit and
accept gifts, grants, and donations on behalf of the office to carry
out the office's duties under this chapter.
SUBCHAPTER B.  OFFICE: ESTABLISHMENT, POWERS, AND DUTIES
Sec. 56.051.  ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE.  The commissioner
shall establish within the department the office of community
violence intervention and prevention for the purposes of:
(1)  coordinating and expanding violence intervention
(2)  reducing the incidence of interpersonal violence
(3)  providing leadership, coordination, and technical
assistance to promote effective state and local efforts on reducing
preventable injuries and deaths resulting from all forms of
(4)  collaborating with governmental entities, law
enforcement agencies, community-based organizations, business
leaders, and other appropriate individuals in this state to develop
evidence-based policies, strategies, and interventions to reduce
the impacts of violence in this state; and
(5)  awarding grants under Subchapter C.
Sec. 56.052.  POWERS AND DUTIES.  (a)  The office shall
develop collaborative relationships with state agencies involved
in reducing interpersonal violence, including:
(5)  intimate partner violence;
(8)  violence against an individual based on the
individual's actual or perceived:
(b)  To fulfill the purposes of this chapter, the office
(1)  integrate violence intervention and prevention
education into state-funded substance use programs;
(2)  support the development and implementation of
comprehensive, community-based violence intervention and
prevention initiatives throughout this state, including
initiatives focused on preventing the types of violence described
(3)  develop and recommend comprehensive wraparound
and other support services, including interpersonal violence and
suicide prevention programs, to be funded by local governmental
(4)  assist local organizations that provide violence
intervention and prevention services in seeking and applying for a
(c)  The office shall develop and implement a public health
strategy for implementing the purposes described by Section 56.051.
(1)  the use of culturally competent, community-wide
(2)  the use of methods to identify individuals in need
of intervention or prevention services who rely heavily on public
(3)  the provision of cognitive and family-based
(4)  the coordination of available services to prevent
(5)  as appropriate, technical assistance from
culturally competent organizations or individuals.
Sec. 56.053.  INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE;
DIRECTORY OF VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION SERVICES.  (a)
The office shall conduct a statewide public health campaign on the
impact of violence, strategies to help prevent the occurrence of
violence, and the use of alternative dispute resolution methods for
addressing incidents of violence.
(b)  The office shall develop and post on the department's
Internet website a directory of violence intervention and
prevention services available in each county in this state.
SUBCHAPTER C.  COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION GRANT
Sec. 56.101.  ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF GRANT
PROGRAM.  The office shall establish and administer a community
violence intervention and prevention grant program and award grants
under the program to improve public health and safety by supporting
effective violence reduction strategies throughout this state in
communities disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of
(5)  intimate partner violence; and
(6)  violence based on an individual's gender.
Sec. 56.102.  ADVISORY COMMITTEE.  (a)  The office shall
establish the grant review advisory committee to assist the office
in reviewing and selecting grant applications for a grant award
under this subchapter.  The advisory committee must include:
(1)  members who have been personally impacted by
(2)  members who have been incarcerated; and
(3)  members with hands-on experience implementing
evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that incorporate a
public health, community-based, or ecological system approach.
(b)  The advisory committee shall select a presiding officer
from among the advisory committee members.
(c)  An advisory committee member serves at the pleasure of
(d)  Section 2110.008, Government Code, does not apply to the
Sec. 56.103.  ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.  (a)
The office, with advice from the advisory committee, shall award
grants through a competitive process to counties and municipalities
disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of violence and to
community-based organizations serving communities
disproportionately impacted by a high incidence of violence.
(b)  To be awarded a grant under this subchapter, a county,
municipality, or community-based organization shall submit to the
office, in the form and manner the office prescribes, a complete
application that includes a statement describing:
(1)  the community issues or concerns the grant money
(2)  the applicant's goals and objectives for use of the
grant money, which must include the applicant's plan for
implementing an evidence-based violence reduction initiative; and
(3)  the applicant's plan to enhance local coordination
of existing violence intervention and prevention programs and
minimize the duplication of services.
(c)  If appropriate to address regional problems or provide a
(1)  a county or municipality may submit a joint
application with one or more other counties or municipalities; and
(2)  a community-based organization may submit a joint
application with one or more other community-based organizations.
Sec. 56.104.  REVIEW AND SELECTION OF GRANT APPLICANTS.  (a)
The office, with assistance and advice from the advisory committee,
shall review grant applications submitted under this subchapter and
select applicants for grant awards.
(b)  In selecting applicants for grant awards, the office
shall give preference to applicants whose proposals demonstrate:
(1)  the greatest likelihood for reducing violence in
the community served by the applicant without contributing to the
mass incarceration of individuals;
(2)  for a joint application that includes at least one
community-based organization, a partnership with one or more
entities, including another community-based organization or a
(3)  leadership that reflects the demographics of the
community served by the applicant;
(4)  experience with formerly incarcerated individuals
or individuals who are otherwise involved in the criminal justice
(5)  familiarity with individuals who are experiencing
or have experienced interpersonal violence.
Sec. 56.105.  REQUIRED USE OF GRANT MONEY.  (a)  A grant
recipient shall use a grant awarded under this subchapter to
support, expand, or replicate evidence-based violence reduction
initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
victimization, and retaliation to reduce the incidence of firearm
(1)  hospital-based violence intervention programs;
(2)  community outreach programs; and
(3)  initiatives with focused deterrence strategies.
(b)  The office may award a grant under this subchapter only
in accordance with a contract between the office and the grant
recipient.  The contract must include provisions affording the
office sufficient control to ensure the public purpose of
supporting, expanding, or replicating evidence-based violence
reduction initiatives focused on interrupting cycles of violence,
victimization, and retaliation is accomplished and this state
(c)  Subject to Subsection (b), a county or municipal
recipient of a grant awarded under this subchapter must distribute
not less than 50 percent of the grant money in this state to one or
(1)  a community-based organization;
(2)  an Indian tribe or tribal organization; or
(3)  a public entity primarily focused on community
safety or gun violence prevention.
Sec. 56.106.  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.  Each grant recipient
shall report to the office, in a form and at intervals the office
prescribes, the recipient's progress toward achieving the grant
Sec. 56.107.  EFFICACY EVALUATION OF GRANT PROGRAM.  The
office may contract with an independent entity with expertise in
evaluating community-based, grant-funded programs to evaluate the
effectiveness of the grant program under this subchapter, provided
the entity, in conducting the evaluation, uses:
(1)  both qualitative and quantitative methods, as
(2)  participatory action research methods or other
research methods that incorporate subject engagement, to the extent
SECTION 3.  Not later than December 1, 2025:
(1)  the commissioner of state health services shall
establish the office of community violence intervention and
prevention within the Department of State Health Services as
required by Chapter 56, Health and Safety Code, as added by this
(2)  the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement
Chapter 56, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.