HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL 151

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH; REQUIRING THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A BRIDGES ACROSS NEW MEXICO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] BRIDGES ACROSS NEW MEXICO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM--CREATION--MEMBERSHIP--DUTIES.--

          A. The human services department shall convene a "bridges across New Mexico behavioral health consortium" that shall convene professionally facilitated meetings in each of the six state transportation commission districts. The consortium shall include bipartisan representation from the house of representatives and the senate; representatives from the New Mexico congressional delegation; representatives from the administrative office of the courts, including local judges; representatives from the business sector, which shall include planners and architects; and representatives from organizations whose primary functions are behavioral health and long-term transitional housing. Representatives from organizations whose primary functions are behavioral health and long-term transitional housing and representatives from state agencies shall not constitute more than forty-nine percent of the consortium membership. The consortium shall function from the date of its appointment until December 1, 2022.

          B. In carrying out its charge, the bridges across New Mexico behavioral health consortium shall:

                (1) review construction and repurposing of existing buildings for the purpose of creating residential treatment facilities and long-term transitional housing. The facilities shall help those with substance use disorders and mental health issues and those individuals leaving incarceration, substance use treatment or homelessness due to reasons other than behavioral health and for families who need safer longer-term housing than a short-term shelter could provide. A focus shall be on centers that combine life skills, educational and vocational support to ensure that individuals will be successful and self-sufficient when those individuals reenter community life;

                (2) assess current youth and adult residential treatment facilities, with a focus on those facilities serving individuals currently in the court system for substance use, behavioral health and homelessness, to determine if the current facilities could be expanded or if new facilities will need to be built;

                (3) in consultation with the public education department, develop an evidence-based drug prevention program for first through twelfth grade public school students, which shall include age- and developmentally appropriate content;

                (4) review current laws regarding driving while intoxicated, their penalties and enforcement and compare them to cities that have the lowest rates of driving while intoxicated; and

                (5) assist regionally in implementing the statewide action plan.

          C. The bridges across New Mexico behavioral health consortium shall hold meetings in each of the six state transportation commission districts beginning after the effective date of this 2021 act to discuss the items outlined in Subsection B of this section. On or before August 2022, statewide meetings shall be held in Albuquerque to discuss findings and recommendations from the regional meetings and approve a draft statewide action plan.

          D. The human services department shall contract with and hire a professional behavioral health policy agency that shall schedule and facilitate meetings of the consortium and compile the consortium's findings and recommendations into a draft statewide action plan. The draft statewide action plan shall also contain provisions on existing funding in cities and counties, the need for potential funding and ways to receive funding and a determination of the most equitable and effective use of funds with a priority for programs and building projects.

          E. The draft statewide action plan shall be presented at a meeting of the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative. The professional behavioral health policy agency shall prepare a final plan in consideration of any comments received from the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative and community input from the district meetings.

          F. On or before November 1, 2022, the final statewide action plan shall be presented or distributed to the interim legislative health and human services committee, the legislative finance committee, the secretary of human services and the secretary of health.

     SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION.--Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the human services department for expenditure in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to contract with a professional behavioral health policy agency to develop a statewide action plan to present to the human services department and the legislature. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2023 shall revert to the general fund.

     SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2021.

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