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Texas Mental and Behavioral Health Research Fund Amendment (2019)
| Texas Mental and Behavioral Health Research Fund Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 5, 2019 | |
| Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Texas Mental and Behavioral Health Research Fund Amendment was not on the ballot in Texas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2019.
The ballot measure would have created the mental and behavioral health research fund (MBHRF). Revenue in the fund would have been used to (1) research behavioral health issues; (2) research substance use and addiction issues; (3) research behavioral health and mental health issues affecting children and adolescents; and (4) address the number of mental health professionals in the state, increase access to mental health professionals, finance programs to increase the use of telemedicine in addressing behavioural and mental health issues, and to finance programs to provide loan repayment assistance for mental health professionals.[1]
The ballot measure would have directed the state comptroller to deposit $100 million from certain sales and use tax revenue—after the sales and use tax revenue reaches $30.5 billion—into the fund each year.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been:[1]
| “ |
The constitutional amendment providing for the dedication of certain sales and use tax revenue to the Texas mental and behavioral health research fund established to fund research, treatment, and access to services in this state for behavioral health, mental health, and substance use and addiction issues.[2] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article 3, Texas Constitution
The measure would have added a Section 68 to Article 3 of the Texas Constitution.[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Texas Constitution
In Texas, a two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber of the Texas State Legislature to refer a constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.
The constitutional amendment was introduced into the state legislature as House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR 5) on February 13, 2019. The original HJR 5 was designed to issue bonds for mental health, behavioral health, and addiction research and services. On April 15, 2019, the state House adopted Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-98) change to HJR 5, making the revenue stream a dedication from the sales and use tax, rather than general obligation bonds.[3]
On April 15, the state House voted 110 to 32 to approve HJR 5. At least 100 votes were needed to pass the constitutional amendment. The constitutional amendment did not receive a vote in the state Senate.[3]
| Vote in the Texas House of Representatives | |||
| Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber | |||
Number of yes votes required: 100  | |||
| Yes | No | Not voting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 110 | 32 | 8 |
| Total percent | 73.33% | 21.33% | 5.33% |
| Democrat | 66 | 0 | 1 |
| Republican | 44 | 32 | 7 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Texas State Legislature, "HJR 5," accessed April 16, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Texas State Legislature, "HJR 5 Overview," accessed April 16, 2019
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State of Texas Austin (capital) |
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