CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 785


Introduced by Assembly Member Robert Rivas

February 16, 2021


An act to add Chapter 22 (commencing with Section 26255) to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to mental health.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 785, as introduced, Robert Rivas. Mental health.
Existing law authorizes a person in custody who has been charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offense to apply for inpatient or outpatient mental health services. Existing law establishes various grant programs to help local governments provide mental health services, including the primary intervention program and the California Emergency Solutions Grant Program.
This bill would, upon appropriation, establish the Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Pilot Program. The bill would provide that the purpose of the pilot program is to provide a statewide investment program to provide funds and flexibility to cities, counties, cities and counties, or other local governmental agencies that interact with the criminal justice system to develop programs that seek to improve services in 3 areas, as specified. The bill would require the Board of State and Community Corrections to administer the pilot program and award grants on a competitive basis.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Chapter 22 (commencing with Section 26255) is added to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER  22. Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Pilot Program

26255.
 (a) The Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Pilot Program is hereby established.
(b) The purpose of the challenge grant pilot program is to provide a statewide investment program to provide funds and flexibility to cities, counties, cities and counties, or other local governmental agencies that interact with the criminal justice system to develop programs that seek to improve services in the following three programmatic areas:
(1) The response capacity and ability of mental health crisis responders and mental health crisis assistance centers.
(2) The quality of mental health diversion programs by increasing the number of programs that may combine housing with case management and treatment, day treatment programs, behavioral health case management, and law enforcement-assisted diversion.
(3) Mental health treatment that serves people in the justice system.

26256.
 (a) The Mental Health Response and Treatment Challenge Grant Pilot Program shall be administered by the Board of State and Community Corrections.
(b) The board shall award grants on a competitive basis. The board shall establish minimum standards, funding schedules, and procedures for awarding grants that shall take into consideration, but not be limited to, the jurisdiction’s capacity and commitment to coordinate social services, law enforcement efforts, and justice system decisionmaking processes, and to work to ensure that the discretionary decisions made by each participant in the administration of the program operates in a manner consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

26257.
 Services provided pursuant to this chapter may include, but are not limited to, mental health crisis response, case management, housing, medical care, mental health care, risk and needs assessment, treatment for alcohol or substance use disorders, psychological counseling, employment, employment training and education, civil legal services, and system navigation. Grant funding may be used to support any of the following:
(a) Project management and community engagement.
(b) Outreach and direct service costs for services described in this section.
(c) Civil legal services for participants.
(d) Dedicated prosecutorial resources, including for coordinating any nondiverted criminal cases of participants.
(e) Dedicated law enforcement resources, including for overtime required for participation in operational meetings and training.
(f) Collecting and maintaining the data necessary for program evaluation.

26258.
 This chapter shall be operative upon appropriation.