Of interest to local veterans, over the weekend in Houston, Governor Greg Abbott ceremonially signed Senate Bill 1814, Senate Bill 1818, and House Bill 114 to make the lives of our nation’s heroic veterans easier.
During his remarks, the Governor also highlighted Senate Bill 2308, which he signed into law to provide matching funds for research of ibogaine – an emerging treatment for neurological and mental health conditions. Governor Abbott emphasized that Ibogaine shows promise in treating opioid addiction and other behavioral health conditions, especially those affecting veterans.
Senate Bill 1814 (Hancock/Hefner) instructs the Texas Veterans Commission to establish and maintain an electronic database of contact information for service members leaving active duty who give consent. The database will allow state agencies and veteran organizations to access the information with the intent to provide individuals within the database with resources to veterans.
Senate Bill 1818 (Hancock/McQueeney) requires Texas licensing agencies immediately issue a provisional license recognizing the out-of-state licenses of military service members, veterans, and military spouses.
House Bill 114 (Cortez/Zaffirini) consolidates responsibility of several veteran related programs from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to the Texas Veterans Commission.
