BILL NUMBER: AB 2017 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 16, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 2, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 27, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 7, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 30, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member McCarty
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bonta, Chang, Cristina Garcia,
Gonzalez, and Levine)
(Coauthors: Senators Hancock and Pan)
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
An act to add and repeal Part 3.3 (commencing with Section 5832)
of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
mental health, and making an appropriation therefor.
health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2017, as amended, McCarty. College Mental Health Services
Program.
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 provides that it may be amended by the
Legislature by a 2/3 vote of
each house as long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers
the intent of the act. Existing law provides for the
operation and administration of various mental
health programs at a statewide and county level, as specified.
The act establishes the Mental Health Services Fund, continuously
appropriated to and administered by the State Department of Health
Care Services, to fund specified county mental health programs,
including prevention and early intervention programs and programs
implemented under the Adult and Older Adult Mental Health System of
Care Act. The act authorizes the payment of administrative costs of
the state from the fund in an amount not greater than 5% of the
annual total deposited in the fund and otherwise specifies the
distribution of moneys in the fund.
This bill, until January 1, 2022, would establish the College
Mental Health Services Trust Account, would, beginning July
1, 2017, transfer $40,000,000 annually to that account from funding
that would otherwise be allocated to Mental Health Services Act
Prevention and Early Intervention Programs, and would continuously
appropriate those funds to the department to create
Account. The bill would make moneys in the account available to the
State Department of Health Care Services, subject to appropriation by
the Legislature, for purposes of creating a grant program for
public community colleges, colleges, and universities to improve
access to mental health services on campus,
those campuses, as specified. The bill would require campuses
that have been awarded grants under these provisions to
report annually on the use of those grant funds and to
post that information on their Internet Web sites. The bill would
also require the department to submit a report to the Legislature
evaluating the impact of the program, as specified.
By changing the funding structure approved by the voters, this
bill would amend the Mental Health Services Act. The bill would state
the finding of the Legislature that the measure is consistent with
and furthers the purposes of the Mental Health Services Act. The bill
would make other finding and declarations.
Vote: 2/3 majority . Appropriation:
yes no . Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) That this measure is consistent with and furthers the purposes
of the Mental Health Services Act within the meaning of Section 18
of that act.
(b)
(a) Students, faculty, health practitioners, and
college administrators are reporting increased rates of mental health
needs by students attending public colleges in California.
(c)
(b) One in four students has a diagnosable mental
illness and 40 percent of students do not seek mental health
services when they need it.
(d)
(c) Eight out of 10 people who experience psychosis
have their first episode between 15 and 30 years of age.
(e)
(d) The demand for mental health services by public
college students far outpaces the ability of colleges to provide
them. California public college campuses and higher education systems
do not meet national staffing standards for psychiatric services and
other mental health professionals.
(f)
(e) The lack of services directly impacts college
students' success and academic performance as well as their ability
to develop socially as productive members of society.
(g)
(f) The effects of untreated mental health needs are
long lasting and can include college students dropping out of school,
experiencing homelessness, and dying of suicide.
(h)
(g) One in 10 college students has considered suicide
and suicide is the second leading cause of death among college
students, claiming more than 1,100 lives every year nationally.
(i)
(h) Research shows that for each dollar invested in
student prevention and early intervention mental health services,
California will see a return of at least six dollars ($6)
$6 and up to eleven dollars ($11)
$11 as a result of more students graduating.
SEC. 2. Part 3.3 (commencing with Section 5832) is added to
Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
PART 3.3. College Mental Health Services Program
5832. This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the College
Mental Health Services Program Act.
5832.1. (a) There is hereby
established in the State Treasury the College Mental Health Services
Trust Account. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the
Government Code, moneys in the account are hereby continuously
appropriated Moneys in the account shall be available,
upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department
of Health Care Services to fund the grant program established
pursuant to this part.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 5892 or any other law, beginning July
1, 2017, and annually thereafter, forty million dollars ($40,000,000)
shall be transferred from funding that would otherwise be allocated
to Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention
Programs into the College Mental Health Services Trust Account
annually.
5832.2. (a) The department, in collaboration with the
California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA),
department shall create a grant program for public community
colleges, colleges, and universities, in collaboration with county
behavioral health departments, to improve access to mental health
services and early identification or intervention programs.
CalMHSA The department shall establish grant
program guidelines and shall develop a request for application (RFA).
The RFA shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Eligibility standards of applicants in order to qualify to be
considered for a grant award.
(2) Required program components to be included in the grant
application, which may include, but are not limited to:
(A) The ability of the program to meet the needs of students that
cannot be met through existing funds.
(B) The ability of the program to fund the matching component
required by subdivision (f).
(C) The ability of the campus, in partnership with the local
county, to establish direct linkages for students to community-based
mental health services.
(D) The ability of the campus to address direct services
including, but not limited to, increasing staff to student ratios and
decreasing wait times.
(E) The ability to participate in evidence-based and
community-defined best practice programs for mental health services
improvements.
(3) Preferred program components to be included in the grant
application, which may include, but are not limited to:
(A) The ability of the campus to serve underserved and vulnerable
populations.
(B) The ability of the campus, in partnership with the local
county, to establish direct linkages for students to community-based
mental health services for which reimbursement is available through
the students' health coverage.
(C) The ability of the campus to reduce racial disparities in
access to mental health services.
(D) The ability of the campus to fund mental health stigma
reduction activities.
(E) The ability of the campus to provide employees and students
with education and training on early identification, intervention,
and referral of students with mental health needs.
(F) The ability of the campus to screen students receiving other
health care services and provide linkages to services from the
appropriate mental health provider based on the health insurance
status of that student, for those students who are shown to have a
need for services.
(G) Evidence of an existing or planned partnership between the
campus and the county behavioral health department to address complex
mental health needs of students based on their health insurance
status and based on the extent to which there are students whose
needs cannot be met through their health plan, health insurance, or
Medi-Cal.
(H) Evidence of an existing or planned partnership between the
campus and local safety net providers to ensure linkages to primary
care and community-based mental health care, regardless of the health
insurance status of the student.
(4) Articulation of grant program goals and expected outcomes.
(5) Required reporting and evaluation standards to be met by
applicants that are selected for a grant award.
(6) Timelines and deadlines for grant applications and anticipated
funding award determinations.
(b) Colleges, in collaboration with their local county behavioral
health department, shall submit their grant application
electronically to CalMHSA to the department
according to the guidelines adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).
(c) To the extent that an application follows the guidelines
adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) and specifically states what
activities shall be undertaken in accordance with those guidelines,
CalMHSA the department shall have the
authority to approve grant programs and the department shall
award funding in accordance with CalMHSA determinations.
shall award funding.
(d) Grants may be awarded to a community college district in the
California Community College system, a campus within the California
State University system, or a campus within the University of
California system, or a grouping of campuses within the segments.
(e) Total available grant funding to colleges by segment shall be
proportional to the number of students served by that segment but, in
no case shall the department award more than five million dollars
($5,000,000) per campus, per application.
(f) Grants shall only be awarded to a campus that can show a
dollar-for-dollar match of funds or another match to be determined by
CalMHSA, the department, in
consultation with the applicant, based on resources and existing
mental health needs of students from the campus. Matching funds can
include in-kind funds, student health fee funds after notification to
the student association, and other appropriate funds as determined
by the department in collaboration with CalMHSA
and pursuant to the guidelines adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).
(g) Grants shall be awarded to applicants on a competitive basis
based on their ability to meet the application standards and
prioritization of these standards as determined by CalMHSA
the department through the development of the
RFA guidelines adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).
(h) Individual grant award allocations shall be expended over at
least one year but not to exceed three years, as determined by
CalMHSA the department through the
grant award process.
(i) Administrative costs associated with administering an approved
program shall be limited to 5 percent of the total grant amount for
any grantee. Administrative costs incurred by the department to
administer this program shall be reimbursed from the College Mental
Health Services Trust Account, and shall not exceed 5 percent of the
total funds expended annually from the account.
(j) The funding provided pursuant to this part shall not be used
to supplant existing campus, state, or county funds utilized to
provide mental health services.
(k) The department and CalMHSA shall provide
technical assistance to smaller colleges and county behavioral health
departments upon request during the application process to ensure
equitable distribution of the grant award.
5832.3. (a) Community colleges, campuses in the California State
University, and campuses in the University of California system that
have been awarded grants pursuant to this part shall report annually
on the use of grant funds to the department and post the annual
report on the use of the funds on their Internet Web sites. This
report shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) How grant funds and matching funds are being used.
(2) Available evaluation data, including outcomes of the campus
mental health programs funded pursuant to the grant program.
(3) Program information regarding services being offered and the
number of individuals being served.
(4) Plans for sustainability of mental health programming beyond
the funding from the College Mental Health Services Trust Account.
(b) The campuses shall electronically submit the reports required
pursuant to subdivision (a), annually, to the appropriate Chancellor'
s offices and the University of California Office of the President.
5832.4. (a) The department shall develop an evaluation plan to
assess the impact of the program.
(b) The department, in compliance with Section 9795 of the
Government Code, shall submit a report to the Legislature by February
1, 2021, evaluating the impact of the program and providing
recommendations for further implementation. The department shall make
the report available to the public and shall post the report on its
Internet Web site.
5832.5. This part shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2022, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends
that date.