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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas HB 1396 expands mental health and substance use disorder coverage requirements to additional governmental health plans
Last action · March 11, 2025: Referred to Pensions, Investments & Financial ServicesSponsor: James Talarico
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas HB 1396 broadens mental health and substance use disorder coverage mandates to apply to basic coverage plans under Chapter 1551 and Chapter 1601, affecting plan years commencing on or after January 1, 2026. The legislation requires applicable trustees, boards of trustees, or systems to enforce compliance with treatment limitation evaluations alongside the commissioner.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Participants in governmental health benefit plans under Chapters 1551, 1575, 1579, and 1601
Their health plans become subject to statutory mental health and substance use disorder coverage and evaluation requirements starting in 2026.
Trustees, boards of trustees, or systems governing specified health plans
They are assigned the duty of enforcing compliance with treatment limitation evaluations for covered plans.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which health plans are newly subjected to these mental health coverage requirements?
Who enforces compliance for the newly included plans under Section 1355.252(d)?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Mar 11, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Nov 19, 2024HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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