BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 745 Page 1 ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 745 (Chau) As Amended April 6, 2015 2/3 vote -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes | |----------------+------+------------------------+-------------------| |Health |18-0 |Bonta, Maienschein, | | | | |Bonilla, Burke, Chávez, | | | | |Chiu, Gomez, Gonzalez, | | | | |Roger Hernández, | | | | |Lackey, Nazarian, | | | | |Patterson, Rodriguez, | | | | |Santiago, Steinorth, | | | | |Thurmond, Waldron, Wood | | | | | | | |----------------+------+------------------------+-------------------| |Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, Bloom, | | | | |Bonta, Calderon, Chang, | | | | |Daly, Eggman, | | | | |Gallagher, Eduardo | | | | |Garcia, Holden, Jones, | | | | |Quirk, Rendon, Wagner, | | | | |Weber, Wood | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Requires the Governor to appoint an additional member to AB 745 Page 2 the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (Commission) who has experience providing supportive housing to persons with a severe mental illness. FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill has minor and absorbable costs to reimburse for travel and lodgings for Commission meetings (Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) administration account). COMMENTS: According to the author, supportive housing has proven to be an effective strategy for reducing homelessness among people with mental illness. At any given moment more than 133,000 Californians are homeless. The author states that of these Californians, roughly 33,800 - or 25% - are considered chronically homeless. According to researchers, at least one-third of chronically homeless people are mentally ill. The Commission oversees the implementation of the MHSA and may advise the Governor or the Legislature on mental health policy. However, existing law does not require the Commission to include any members with experience providing supportive housing to persons with severe mental illness. BACKGROUND: MHSA requires each county mental health department to prepare and submit a three-year plan to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that must be updated each year and approved by DHCS after review and comment by the Commission. The Commission consists of 16 individuals, 12 of which are appointed by the Governor. DHCS is required to provide guidelines to counties related to each component of the MHSA, including, among other things, community services and support content to provide integrated mental health and other support services to those whose needs are not currently met through other funding sources; prevention and early intervention content to provide services to avert mental health crises; and, innovative program content to improve access to mental health care. In their three-year plans, counties are required to include a list of all programs for which AB 745 Page 3 MHSA funding is being requested and that identifies how the funds will be spent and which populations will be served. At the time it was created, the Commission acted as a division within the Department Mental Health (DMH); however, legislative changes, effective March 2009 specified that the Commission is to administer its operations separately and apart from DMH. Currently, counties must submit their plans for approval to the Commission before the counties may spend certain categories of funding. Support. The California Primary Care Association writes in support of this bill that research has clearly demonstrated the positive effects that supportive housing can have on an individual's employment, mental health, physical health, and school attendance, leading to decreased use of hospitals, emergency rooms, jails, and prisons. Stable housing is a critical component of engaging their patients in physical and behavioral health care management. The requirement to include a voting member on Commission with experience with supportive housing services ensures that programs and funding targeting individuals with behavioral health conditions takes the unique needs of those individuals experiencing homelessness into consideration. According to the National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter (NASW), Proposition 63 of 2004 established the Commission for the purposes of overseeing the implementation of the MHSA. The NASW states in support that providing a person with experience in supportive housing to the Commission is also consistent with improving the delivery of mental health services to those in need. There is no opposition on file. AB 745 Page 4 Analysis Prepared by: Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 FN: 0000228