Bill Text: NY A05899 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

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Bill Title: Relates to establishing the New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis response.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to ways and means [A05899 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05899-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5899

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      March 1, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. JOYNER -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Mental Health

        AN  ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
          New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis response

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
     2  7.42 to read as follows:
     3  § 7.42 New York state council on  mental  health  emergency  and  crisis
     4           response.
     5    (a) There is hereby created in the office, the New York state advisory
     6  council  on  mental  health  emergency and crisis response.  The council
     7  shall consist of, at a minimum: the commissioner or his or her designee;
     8  the commissioner of the department of corrections and  community  super-
     9  vision  or  his  or  her  designee; an individual representing the state
    10  conference of local mental hygiene directors as established under  arti-
    11  cle  forty-one  of  this  chapter; an individual representing the mental
    12  hygiene legal service as established under article forty-seven  of  this
    13  chapter;  and  thirty-two  additional  members  of which twelve shall be
    14  appointed by the governor, eight shall be appointed by  the  speaker  of
    15  the  assembly,  eight shall be appointed by the temporary speaker of the
    16  senate, and two each shall be appointed by the minority  leader  of  the
    17  assembly  and  senate.  Each appointed representative shall be represen-
    18  tative of the following and shall represent each geographic area of  the
    19  state.  Members  shall  be  knowledgeable  in  various aspects of mobile
    20  crisis mental health services and shall include, but not be limited  to:
    21  (i)  representatives  of  mobile  crisis  outreach teams; (ii) statewide
    22  organizations representing  mental  health  providers;  (iii)  statewide
    23  advocacy  groups  representing individuals with a psychiatric condition;
    24  (iv) representatives of hospitals including but not limited to hospitals
    25  operating a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program; (v)  physicians

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03747-01-1
        A. 5899                             2

     1  and  other health and mental health professionals with experience in the
     2  delivery of mental health crisis services; and (vi) first responders and
     3  law enforcement.
     4    (b)  The  council  shall  make  recommendations to the commissioner on
     5  topics including but not limited to: (i) identifying best practices  for
     6  response  to mental health crises; (ii) initiatives to increase training
     7  opportunities and participation  of  mental  health  professionals,  and
     8  other  qualified individuals as members of mobile crisis outreach teams;
     9  (iii) identify training needs and  methods  to  improve  diversion  from
    10  hospitalization  after response from a mobile crisis outreach team; (iv)
    11  identify the need for establishing mobile crisis outreach teams in  each
    12  region  of  the state and accessing alternatives to hospitalization; (v)
    13  public education and outreach on the benefit of mobile  crisis  outreach
    14  teams  and  how to access their services; and (vi) any other recommenda-
    15  tion deemed appropriate by the council.
    16    (c) The term of office of each member shall be two years.    Vacancies
    17  shall  be  filled by appointment for the remainder of an unexpired term.
    18  The members shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms
    19  and until their successors are appointed and have qualified.  No  member
    20  shall  be  appointed to the state council for more than four consecutive
    21  terms.
    22    (d) The council shall meet as frequently as its business may  require.
    23  The presence of a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The
    24  members  of the council shall receive no compensation for their services
    25  as members.
    26    (e) The commissioner, upon request of the council, shall designate  an
    27  officer  or  employee  of the office to act as secretary of the council,
    28  and shall assign from time to time such other employees as  the  council
    29  may require.
    30    (f) The council shall develop and submit a report to the governor, the
    31  speaker  of  the  assembly, and the temporary president of the senate no
    32  later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one  and  annually
    33  thereafter,  pertaining to the recommendations required by this section,
    34  and recommendations to effectively implement any  initiative  identified
    35  by  the  council  and  other  recommendations  deemed appropriate by the
    36  commissioner.
    37    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    38  have  become  a  law.    Effective  immediately, the addition, amendment
    39  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
    40  of this act on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made  and
    41  completed on or before such effective date.