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Texas spends less per capita on mental health care than all but a couple states in the nation. Seventy percent of Texas counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist. Forty percent of children experiencing emotional, developmental or behavioral problems do not get any help. And the state's biggest provider of treatment is the Harris County Jail. (Rosenthal, 11/9)

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced Monday he's formed a select committee on mental health to take an all-encompassing look at the state's behavioral health system. The committee will review and make recommendations on issues including substance abuse, care for veterans, identifying illnesses early and improving delivery of mental health care, the speaker said in a news release. (Silver, 11/9)

Seventy percent of Texas counties do not have a single practicing psychiatrist. Forty percent of children experiencing emotional, developmental or behavioral problems do not get any help. And the state’s biggest provider of treatment is the Harris County Jail. Now, state lawmakers are making their most deliberate effort in two decades to address the problems. (Rosenthal, 11/9)