Senate
Bill 1468, 77th
Legislature, Regular Session
The 77th Legislature enacted legislation that strengthens and supports the
work of the Community Resource Coordination Groups of Texas. Senate Bill
1468, codified in Texas Government Code §531.055, calls for a joint
Memorandum of Understanding between health and human services agencies,
related state agencies and state-level partners to promote a statewide
system of local-level interagency staffing groups (CRCGs) to coordinate
services for persons of any age in need of multiagency services.
In general, the legislation:
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Updates the previous authorizing CRCG legislation for
children and youth,
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Adds the requirement to implement a system for CRCG
for adults,
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Includes the requirement to have as a standing
representative on each local CRCG, a parent or family member on each
CRCG for Children and Youth and/or a consumer or caregiver member on
each CRCG serving adults, and
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Requires a legislative report every two years to the
Governor of Texas and to participating agency CEOs to report the
benefits and barriers of CRCG activities.
The joint Memorandum of Understanding has been developed
and is being signed by the participating agencies. Copies of the signed
MOU will be disseminated to all local CRCG Chairpersons in January 2002.
Family/Consumers as Standing Representatives
The requirement for a parent or family member or a
consumer or caregiver as a standing representative was decided as a result
of demonstrated best practices from effective local CRCGs serving children
and youth.
Family members, consumers or caregivers as standing members of
the CRCG have provided a unique perspective as recipients of
services not achievable by service providers alone. A
consumer member may be a parent or other family member, an
individual served by a CRCG, or a caregiver of an individual
served by a CRCG. Consumer representatives ensure that the
focus remains on the needs of the individual being served.
They also may act as a natural support for the individual or
family member seeking assistance from the CRCG because they share
their same experiences with the service delivery system.
This allows them to assist those individuals/families who may
experience some anxiety about discussing their personal lives with
a large group of strangers.
If your local CRCG or CRCGA needs assistance in identifying a standing
consumer/caregiver or parent/family representative, please contact Charly Meismer (512) 206-5133.
Legislative Report
The biennial report required by the legislation must
include:
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Number of persons served through Community Resource
Coordination Groups,
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Information on outcomes of the services provided,
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A description of any barriers identified to the
state's ability to provide effective services to persons needing
multiagency services, and
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Any other information relevant to improving the
delivery of services to persons needing multiagency services.
Service plan data provided by local CRCGSs and CRCGAs is
an integral source of information for this biennial report. The State CRCG
Office and the Data and Evaluation Committee of the State Team are working
together with local CRCG sites to develop a single, integrated
user-friendly data collection system for documenting service plan data for
children, youth, and adults.
To see the statute regarding CRCG as authorized by Senate Bill 1468,
sponsored by Senator Moncrief and enacted by the 77th Legislature, visit:
www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/gv.531.htm#531.055.
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