Bill Text: CA AB2143 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Mental health: Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2018-09-17 - Vetoed by Governor. [AB2143 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB2143-Introduced.html

---

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2143

---

Introduced by Assembly Member Caballero

February 12, 2018

---

An act to amend Section 128454 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to mental health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2143, as introduced, Caballero. Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program: providers.

Existing law establishes the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program within the Health Professions Education Foundation. Existing law authorizes a licensed mental health service provider, as defined, including, among others, a psychologist and a marriage and family therapist, who provides direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area to apply for grants under the program to reimburse his or her educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider, as specified. Existing law establishes the Mental Health Practitioner Education Fund in the State Treasury and provides that moneys in that fund are available, upon appropriation, for expenditure by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for purposes of the program.

This bill would add physician assistants who specialize in mental health services and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners to those licensed mental health service providers eligible for grants under the program.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

---

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 128454 of the Health and Safety Code, as added by Section 9 of Chapter 557 of the Statutes of 2017, is amended to read:

128454.

 (a) There is hereby created the Licensed Mental Health Service Provider Education Program within the Health Professions Education Foundation.

(b) For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Licensed mental health service provider” means a psychologist licensed by the Board of Psychology, registered psychologist, postdoctoral psychological assistant, postdoctoral psychology trainee employed in an exempt setting pursuant to Section 2910 of the Business and Professions Code or employed pursuant to a State Department of Health Care Services waiver pursuant to Section 5751.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, marriage and family therapist, associate marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, associate clinical social worker, licensed professional clinical counselor, and associate professional clinical counselor. counselor, physician assistant who specializes in mental health services, and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner licensed to practice pursuant to Article 8 (commencing with Section 2834) of Chapter 6 of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.

(2) “Mental health professional shortage area” means an area designated as such by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(c) Commencing January 1, 2005, any licensed mental health service provider, including a mental health service provider who is employed at a publicly funded mental health facility or a public or nonprofit private mental health facility that contracts with a county mental health entity or facility to provide mental health services, who provides direct patient care in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area may apply for grants under the program to reimburse his or her educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider.

(d) The Health Professions Education Foundation shall make recommendations to the director of the office concerning all of the following:

(1) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director and any licensed mental health service provider who is serving in a publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area that would require the licensed mental health service provider who receives a grant under the program to work in the publicly funded facility or a mental health professional shortage area for at least one year.

(2) The maximum allowable total grant amount per individual licensed mental health service provider.

(3) The maximum allowable annual grant amount per individual licensed mental health service provider.

(e) The Health Professions Education Foundation shall develop the program, which shall comply with all of the following requirements:

(1) The total amount of grants under the program per individual licensed mental health service provider shall not exceed the amount of educational loans related to a career as a licensed mental health service provider incurred by that provider.

(2) The program shall keep the fees from the different licensed providers separate to ensure that all grants are funded by those fees collected from the corresponding licensed provider groups.

(3) A loan forgiveness grant may be provided in installments proportionate to the amount of the service obligation that has been completed.

(4) The number of persons who may be considered for the program shall be limited by the funds made available pursuant to Section 128458.

(f) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2018.