A press release was issued Tuesday, June 28, 2022, that announced that Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, and the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee chairs have announced that an additional $105.5 million will be provided for school safety and mental health initiatives through August 31, 2023. The release stated that $100.5 million will be transferred to state agencies and programs to enhance school safety and mental health services in Uvalde and throughout Texas. The funding will provide:
-
- $50 million for bullet-resistant shields
- $5.8 million to expand the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) statewide
- $4.7 million to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to increase Multisystemic Therapy (MST) across the state
- $950,000 to HHSC to expand Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams across the state
- $7 million for rapid response training by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center and $3 million for local law enforcement agencies to offset travel expenditures associated with the training
- $7 million to the Texas School Safety Center for on-site campus assessments to evaluate access control measures
- $17.1 million for school districts to purchase silent panic alert technology
- $5 million to the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand fusion center research and capabilities.
