An Act To Reduce the Cost of Mental Health Services in Maine
Sec. 1. 34-B MRSA §3004, as amended by PL 2009, c. 147, §12, is further amended to read:
§ 3004. Community Support Systems
(1) The report must include both existing service resources and deficiencies in the system of services.
(2) The report must include an assessment of the roles and responsibilities of mental health agencies, human services agencies, health agencies and involved state departments and must suggest ways in which these agencies and departments can better cooperate to improve the service system for people with chronic serious and persistent mental illness.
(3) The report must be prepared biennially and must be submitted to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over human resources by December 15th of every even-numbered year.
(4) The committee shall review the report and make recommendations with respect to administrative and funding improvements in the system of community support services to persons with chronic serious and persistent mental illness; and
Sec. 2. 34-B MRSA §3609, as amended by PL 2007, c. 286, §9, is further amended to read:
§ 3609. Statewide quality improvement council
The commissioner shall designate persons to be members to serve on a statewide quality improvement council to advise the commissioner on issues of system implementation that have statewide impact , including, but not limited to, the allocation of federal mental health services block grant funds, as required by section 3004, subsection 4. Documentation of both the spending recommendations made by the council about federal mental health services block grant funds and the final allocation of those funds must be posted on the Department of Health and Human Services publicly accessible website within one month of a final decision or allocation. The commissioner shall appoint such other members to serve on the council as required by law.
summary
This bill updates existing language governing the provisions of community support services for people with serious and persistent mental illness, requires the Department of Health and Human Services to allocate federal child and adult mental health services block grant funds to peer and family supports and requires the department to seek these funds as long as they are available and to document both the recommendations of the statewide quality improvement council for the expenditure of those funds and the allocation that is eventually made.