The first bill passed by the Texas Senate seeks to clear up confusion about reporting juvenile mental health hospitalization records to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. According to the new law, “Texas courts will be required to share involuntary mental health hospitalization records for juveniles 16 and older with the Texas Department of Public Safety.” The law was written by Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and has passed the Texas Senate, ready to be signed by the Governor.
In 2009, the Texas Legislature passed a law to report court-ordered mental health hospitalizations for Texans of all ages to the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The local courts are to report these records to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which then reports it to the FBI’s NICS. Gun sellers then look at this database before selling firearms to somebody. So if someone has a history of mental illness, gun sellers know not to sell them a firearm.