The infestation of Norwegian rats in a state building where health regulators work is not only a big, embarrassing mess — it’s a metaphor for a persistent problem in Texas government.
mental health
Posted in
Now on the Books
Texans to get help reaping mental health insurance benefits
Under a new law that took effect Sept. 1, insurance companies may not cover mental health and substance abuse care differently than they cover medical care.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti to get further competency review
Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti, diagnosed with schizophrenia, will be given a new shot to prove his incompetency after a federal appeals court ruling on Tuesday.
Posted in
Health care
Texas Senators to debate bill that would narrow definition of “psychology”
A Texas Senate committee will take up a bill Wednesday that would redefine “psychology” in response to a court ruling that found parts of the state’s current definition are unconstitutional.
Posted in
Health care
Postpartum depression bills get hearing before House lawmakers
House Public Health Committee members heard testimony on three measures — House Bill 2466, House Bill 2604 and House Bill 2135 — that would aim to increase access to postpartum depression screenings and treatment for mothers.
Posted in
Health care
House approves bill focused on mental health insurance benefits
Texas House members approved a bill that would prevent health insurance companies from offering mental health benefits differently from medical benefits.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas executes Fort Worth man who killed a father and an infant
The state carried out its fourth execution of the year, putting to death 61-year-old James Bigby. He was convicted in the 1987 murders of his friend and a 4-month-old during a killing spree in Fort Worth.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bill to bar death penalty for mentally ill faces uphill battle
State Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, has filed long-shot House Bill 3080, which would prevent offenders proven to have had a severe mental illness at the time of their crime from being sentenced to death in a capital murder case.
Posted in
Health care
Lawmaker wants to give Texas psychologists power to write prescriptions
A bill from state Rep. Dustin Burrows would let some Texas psychologists write prescriptions. Supporters say the move would ease a shortage of psychiatrists, currently the only mental health doctors allowed prescription privileges.
Posted in
Demographics
Houston police chief urges better mental health care for officers
Art Acevedo, the newly hired head of the police force in Texas’ largest city, acknowledged at a Tribune symposium on Saturday the difficulty of finding new funding for the effort but argued for its importance.
