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Amend the resolve by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, To Review and Make Recommendations on Challenges, Gaps and Inefficiencies in Maine's Emergency Crisis Hotline and “Warm Line” Services’
Amend the resolve by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘
‘Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas,  it is imperative for the welfare of persons experiencing a crisis in their lives that the Department of Health and Human Services immediately convene a working group to review the provision of emergency crisis hotline and so-called warm line services and to make recommendations for improvements in service; and
Whereas,  the working group must begin its work before the 90-day period expires in order that the working group may submit its findings and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services no later than November 4, 2014; and
Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore, be it
Sec. 1 Working group on emergency crisis hotline and "warm line" services. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services, referred to in this resolve as "the department," shall convene a working group by April 1, 2014 to review and make recommendations on challenges, gaps and inefficiencies in the State's emergency crisis hotline and "warm line" services, referred to in this resolve as "emergency crisis telephone services."
1. Invitation to participate. The department shall invite the participation of providers of current crisis telephone services, representatives of agencies that advocate for persons with disabilities, consumers of emergency crisis telephone services and their families, representatives of the law enforcement community, representatives of the department, representatives of health care providers and representatives of emergency medical services agencies. A majority of the working group must be consumers of emergency crisis telephone services. The chair of the working group must be a consumer of emergency crisis telephone services.
2. Goal. The working group shall, in its review and recommendations under subsection 3, keep as the central focus the goal of ensuring that emergency crisis telephone services are available statewide without interruption every day of the year in a manner that provides easy access for consumers and that is consistent across the State.
3. Duties. The working group shall perform a review and make recommendations as follows:
A. Review the current system for emergency crisis telephone services, identifying challenges, gaps and inefficiencies in the current system from the perspectives of consumers and their families, health care personnel, law enforcement and providers of emergency crisis telephone services;
B. Review the report entitled "Peer and Crisis Services" prepared by the Consumer Council System of Maine for the office of substance abuse and mental health services within the department and incorporate suggestions from the report, as determined to be appropriate, regarding the emergency crisis telephone system in the working group's report under this subsection;
C. Review the benefits and costs of a single easily identifiable telephone number and triage and dispatch system that is implemented and publicized by consumers in order to minimize unnecessary use of the emergency departments of hospitals, provide the most appropriate services in the most appropriate settings and use appropriate community-based services;
D. Make recommendations for emergency crisis telephone services that achieve the goal outlined in subsection 2 and use savings achieved by eliminating duplicative services to pay for the emergency crisis telephone services and staff; and
E. Determine the necessary staffing and qualifications of staff for each component of the recommended emergency crisis telephone services.
 
Upon completion of its duties under this subsection, the working group shall submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the department.
4. Report. The department shall issue a report based on the findings and recommendations of the working group, together with any necessary legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services by November 4, 2014 or by the date that the department issues a new request for proposals for emergency crisis telephone services during 2014, whichever date comes first.
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment is the majority report of the committee. This amendment replaces the resolve with a resolve directing the Department of Health and Human Services to convene a working group. The working group is required to review the current system for emergency crisis hotline and so-called warm line services and review the report entitled "Peer and Crisis Services" prepared by the Consumer Council System of Maine for the department's office of substance abuse and mental health services and incorporate suggestions from the report in the working group's findings and recommendations. The working group is required to review the benefits and costs of a single easily identifiable telephone number and triage and dispatch system, make recommendations for emergency crisis services hotline and "warm line" services and determine the necessary staffing. The working group is also required to report its findings and recommendations to the department, and the department is required to report those findings and recommendations, together with any necessary legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services by November 4, 2014 or by the date that the department issues a new request for proposals for emergency crisis services in 2014, whichever date comes first.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)