Bill Text: CA AB2914 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 2914 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Mental health.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-05 - Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. [AB2914 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB2914-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly May 04, 2020

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2914

Introduced by Assembly Member Robert Rivas

February 21, 2020

An act to add Chapter 22 (commencing with Section 26255) to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to mental health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2914, as amended, Robert Rivas. Mental health.

Existing law authorizes a person in custody who has been charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offense to apply for inpatient or outpatient mental health services. Existing law establishes various grant programs to help local governments provide mental health services, including the primary intervention program and the California Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
This bill would, upon appropriation, establish the Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Program. The bill would provide that the purpose of the program is to provide a statewide investment program to provide funds and flexibility to cities, counties, cities and counties, or other local governmental agencies that interact with the criminal justice system to develop programs that seek to improve services in 3 areas, as specified. The bill would require the Board of State and Community Corrections to administer the program and award grants on a competitive basis.
Existing law requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to conduct assessments of all inmates regarding the inmate’s history of substance abuse, medical and mental health, education, family background, criminal activity, service in the Armed Forces of the United States, and social functioning for use in placing the inmate in programs that will aid in gender neutral language reentry to society and that will most likely reduce the inmate’s chances of reoffending. Existing law also authorizes a person in custody who has been charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offense to apply for inpatient or outpatient mental health services.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure that all individuals encountering the criminal justice system and who are experiencing a mental health crisis or mental illness receive the proper care and treatment.

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

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

SECTION 1.

Chapter 22 (commencing with Section 26255) is added to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

CHAPTER 22. Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Program
26255.
(a) The Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Program is hereby established.
(b) The purpose of the challenge grant program is to provide a statewide investment program to provide funds and flexibility to cities, counties, cities and counties, or other local governmental agencies that interact with the criminal justice system to develop programs that seek to improve services in the following three programmatic areas:
(1) The response capacity and ability of mental health crisis responders and mental health crisis assistance centers.
(2) The quality of mental health diversion programs by increasing the number of programs that may combine housing with case management and treatment, day treatment programs, behavioral health case management, and law enforcement-assisted diversion.
(3) Mental health treatment that serves people in the justice system.
26256.
(a) The Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Program shall be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections.
(b) The board shall award grants on a competitive basis. The board shall establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that shall take into consideration, but not be limited to, the jurisdiction’s capacity and commitment to coordinate social services, law enforcement efforts, and justice system decisionmaking processes, and to work to ensure that the discretionary decisions made by each participant in the administration of the program operates in a manner consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
26257.
Services provided pursuant to this chapter may include, but are not limited to, mental health crisis response, case management, housing, medical care, mental health care, risk and needs assessment, treatment for alcohol or substance use disorders, psychological counseling, employment, employment training and education, civil legal services, and system navigation. Grant funding may be used to support any of the following:
(a) Project management and community engagement.
(b) Outreach and direct service costs for services described in this section.
(c) Civil legal services for participants.
(d) Dedicated prosecutorial resources, including for coordinating any nondiverted criminal cases of participants.
(e) Dedicated law enforcement resources, including for overtime required for participation in operational meetings and training.
(f) Collecting and maintaining the data necessary for program evaluation.
26258.
This chapter shall be operative upon appropriation.

SECTION 1.
It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to ensure that all individuals encountering the criminal justice system and who are experiencing a mental health crisis or mental illness receive the proper care and treatment.