Kidscare
HB 2747 (Section 12
): Appropriation of general state and federal funds of $106 million.
HB 2754 (Section 10):
Removes requirement that new applications shall cease if less than 100% of the federal medical assistance is received and replaced with directive that they may not proceed if determined that federal and state monies are insufficient.
Housing
HB2747 (Section 51)
: $15 million General Fund appropriation for the Housing Trust Fund. With $3.5 million from the Housing Trust Fund to be spent on “construction or renovating facilities and on housing assistance, including support services, for persons who have been determined to be seriously mentally ill and to be chronically resistant to treatment”.
HB2754:
· Allows AHCCCS to spend SMI Housing Trust Fund monies for rental assistance (Originally SB 1336, now Section 11 of HB 2754).
· Directs the Department of Health Services to license secure behavioral health residential facilities, including description of services and of qualifying population (Sections 4 & 6).
· Provides outline of court-ordered referral to secure behavioral health residential facility, including necessary findings of chronically resistant to treatment (Sections 5 & 7).
· Requires report, before 1/31/22, measuring outcomes for persons in secure behavioral health residential facilities (Section 22).
HB 2756:
Creates means for identifying capital gains taxes paid by nonresidents on real estate. Requires report from the Department of Revenue (Section 6). This provision does not go as far as SB 1471 which would have distributed a portion of the collected taxes to the Housing Trust Fund. There are some discussions that this may be addressed in future sessions when the amount of funding generated is known.
Behavioral Health - Workforce and Schools
SB1096:
Creation of healthcare professional workforce data repository at the Department of Health Services with data to be collected by MD, DO, PT, Nursing, BBHE, and Psychology Boards. (SB 1096). Failed to get $50K appropriation but the DHS will provide their assistance in initiating process.
HB2747:
Appropriation of $1.75M for loan repayment programs for under served areas, including behavioral health professionals (Section 47).
HB2747:
Appropriation of $9.9 million for behavioral health services in schools (Section 12). Appropriation of $31.9 million for school safety program (Section 33, HB 2747) with expansion of funding available for school counselors and social workers (Section 1, HB 2749)
SB 1468:
Schools, suicide prevention training
- Requires district and charter schools to provide training in suicide prevention including intervention and referral techniques; AHCCCS to develop program.
Other:
HB 2747:
Nonmedical behavioral health services in AHCCCS budget: $16.3 million to Crisis Services, $77.6 million to Non-Medicaid SMI services, $5.3 to support housings services (Section 12).
2-1-1
Although a $1.5 million of the general fund appropriation appeared in the first circulated Senate proposal, the final budget did not contain this funding. There are several theories for its demise, particularly opposition in the House. It’s failure to be included in the budget ultimately led to the defeat of another bill as a result of opposition by Senators Carter and Brophy McGee as described below in the Capitol Times:
“Carter and Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, joined with Democrats to kill a bill that would allocate $2.5 million to a center that discourages abortion, citing disappointment that the Legislature wasn’t funding the state’s 211 hotline instead. “
