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The Proposed: “Behavioral Health Services Act” / Proposition 1CA's Governor and Legislature have proposed changes to the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) through a March 2024 ballot initiative. This includes a behavioral health infrastructure bond and a restructuring of the MHSA to increase housing supports and cover serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance as well as substance use disorder. If approved, this new initiative would result in the "Behavioral Health Services Act".
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Info & AnalysisSeptember 13, 2023: Summary of Proposition 1 Word PDF
September 11, 2023: AB 531 Amended in Senate September 8, 2023: SB 326 Amended in Assembly September 7, 2023: MHSOAC SB 326 Support Letter September 5, 2023: MHSOAC Update on the Proposed BHSA Youtube September 5, 2023 (& August 15): SB 326 Amended in CA Assembly
August 21, 2023: LAO BHSA Updated Analyses August 16, 2023: DHCS Recording and Slides August 10 2023: LAO Analysis includes: While there is uncertainty in what the impact of the proposal will be on children and youth services statewide, there is even more uncertainty at the county-by-county level. This reflects the significant variation among counties in how children and youth mental health services are delivered (for example, FSP versus non-FSP settings) and the extent to which counties would choose to prioritize using MHSA revenue on children and youth mental health services without an explicit funding requirement. Moreover, under the proposal, the definition of children and youth does not include the majority of transition-age youth. This population, in particular, could see reduced MHSA funding for services even if a children and youth funding requirement were established. July 2023: LAO Analysis includes: "We find that the proposal likely will result in counties spending less on a number of current programs funded through MHSA, potentially reducing outpatient services, crisis response, prevention services, and outreach. We find that the administration’s justification for the proposal is incomplete and we provide several questions for the Legislature to ask the administration to assess whether the proposal is warranted. For example, can the administration provide evidence that the proposal is likely to result in better behavioral health outcomes for the population as a whole? July 2023: California Coalition for Mental Health (CCMH): "CCMH Urges the State to Maintain Critical Mental Health Services" June 2023: Governor's Proposal to Modernize California's Behavioral Health System PowerPoint Presentation by HHS and DHCS |
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