BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 745
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
745 (Chau)
As Amended August 26, 2015
2/3 vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |78-0 |(May 04, 2015) |SENATE: |40-0 |(September 1, |
| | | | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: HEALTH
SUMMARY: Requires the Governor to appoint an additional member
to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability
Commission (Commission) who has experience providing supportive
housing to persons with a severe mental illness.
The Senate amendments are technical, non-substantive amendments
reflecting County Mental Health Directors Association's name
change to the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of
California.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS: According to the author, supportive housing has
proven to be an effective strategy for reducing homelessness
AB 745
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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 Mental Health
Services Act (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 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
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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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 FN:
0001849