Bill Text: CA SB11 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: California State University: mental health counseling.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2023-08-23 - August 23 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author. [SB11 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB11-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Senate
February 22, 2023 |
Introduced by Senator Menjivar (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Schiavo) (Coauthor: Senator Stern) |
December 05, 2022 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would restrict contracting out for mental health services at the 23 campuses of the California State University and instead increase the number of full-time, permanent mental health counselors.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:SEC. 2.
Article 6 (commencing with Section 89360) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 55 of Division 8 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:Article 6. Mental Health Counseling
89360.
As used in this chapter, the following definitions apply:89361.
(a) (1) The trustees shall have one full-time equivalent mental health counselor per 1,500 students enrolled at each CSU campus to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law.89362.
(a) (1) Commencing on January 1, 2024, the trustees shall develop a telehealth mental health counseling service that provides students on each CSU campus with mental health counseling 24 hours per day, seven days per week in order to provide real-time mental health counseling and significantly reduce wait times for students.89363.
(a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the CSU Mental Health Professionals Act. The goal of this section is to provide incentives for CSU students to become mental health counselors in the state.(a)The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1)The California State University (CSU) serves an incredibly diverse student population. One-half of CSU students are from historically marginalized or underrepresented communities, nearly one-half of CSU students receive a federal Pell Grant, and nearly one-third of CSU students are the first in their family to attend college.
(2)Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, claiming more than 1,100 lives every year nationally.
(3)One in four students has a diagnosable mental illness and 40 percent
of students do not seek mental health services when they need it.
(4)For students of color, these challenges may be even more acute.
(5)Among the many benefits of mental health counseling are lower college dropout rates, improved academic performance, and reduced legal liability for campuses.
(6)The CSU system in particular is woefully understaffed with mental health counselors to address the needs of their campuses.
(7)CSU students deserve trauma-informed, culturally competent care from mental health professionals that will understand the unique experiences that they are facing.
(8)The contracting out for mental health services that have traditionally been performed by permanent,
union-represented mental health counselors to out-of-state organizations hiring nonunion counselors is detrimental to the goal of solving the student mental health crisis and antithetical to the values of the Legislature.
(9)Investing in a pipeline that improves graduation rates and helps solve the mental health counselor workforce shortage is necessary to solve the student mental health crisis.
(b)It is the intent of the Legislature to enact future legislation that would restrict contracting out for mental health services at the 23 campuses of the California State University and instead increase the number of full-time, permanent mental health counselors.