Amended  IN  Assembly  April 22, 2019
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 563

Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva

February 13, 2019

An act relating to mental health, and making an appropriation therefor.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 563, as amended, Quirk-Silva. Mental health: funding.
Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, funds a system of county mental health plans for the provision of mental health services, as specified. The act establishes the Mental Health Services Fund, which is continuously appropriated to, and administered by, the State Department of Health Care Services to fund specified county mental health programs, including innovative programs with the purpose of, among other things, increasing the quality of, and access to, services.
This bill would appropriate $16,000,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Care Services to distribute to the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force. Force for the development of a 2-year pilot program. The bill would require 1/2 of the moneys to be distributed on January 1, 2020, and 1/2 to be distributed on January 1, 2021, and would require the moneys to be used to provide a range of programs, services, and activities designed to assist individuals and families experiencing mental health crises. The bill would require the task force to submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2021, and again by July 1, 2022, documenting the findings and outcomes of the pilot program.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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


SECTION 1.

 (a) The sum of sixteen million dollars ($16,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Care Services for distribution to the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force. Force for the development of a two-year pilot program. The department shall distribute one-half of the moneys on January 1, 2020, and one-half of the moneys on January 1, 2021. The North Orange County Public Safety Task Force shall use the funds to provide a range of programs, services, and activities designed to assist individuals and families experiencing a mental health crises, crisis, and may include, but shall not be limited to, any of the following:

(a)

(1) A crisis line that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

(b)

(2) Mobile crisis response units that are available 24 hours a per day, 365 days per year.

(c)

(3) Severely mentally ill determinations and case management.

(d)

(4) A 211 social services support system that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

(e)

(5) A warm line telephone support program that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

(f)

(6) A Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and case management.
(b) (1) The North Orange County Public Safety Task Force shall, by July 1, 2021, and again by July 1, 2022, submit a report to the Legislature documenting the findings and outcomes of the pilot program developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
(2) The first report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(A) Diversion rates from participating jails and emergency rooms for the first year of the pilot program.
(B) Whether the task force operated a crisis line that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
(C) Whether the task force operated a warm line telephone support program that is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
(D) Whether the task force implemented an Orange County 211 regional call center and, if so, whether the call center included any of the following:
(i) Social service network provider screening.
(ii) Client and patient screening and assessment.
(iii) Centralized navigation for Orange County.
(3) The second report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, both of the following:
(A) Diversion rates from participating jails and emergency rooms for the second year of the pilot program and a comparison of the diversion rates from the second year of the pilot program to the diversion rates from the first year of the program.
(B) Whether there was early development of a community information exchange data management exchange system.
(4) A report submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.