Attorney General, counties push $75 million request to add 50 beds at Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center

Attorney General Keith Ellison and county public‑service representatives asked the House Capital Investment Committee on April 8 to fund the construction of a 50‑bed residential treatment facility at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC).

Ellison said the request responds to longstanding capacity constraints under Minnesota's “priority admissions” law (sometimes called the 48‑hour rule), which directs the Department of Human Services to prioritize admissions of individuals committed to the commissioner who are being held in county jails. The attorney general said the multi‑stakeholder priority‑admissions task force and review panel — which the legislature convened to study the law and its impacts — recommended increasing state capacity as the top priority.

“People sitting in our hospitals, in our jails across the state need mental‑health care that they cannot get elsewhere,” Ellison said. He urged lawmakers to approve $75 million to design and construct a new building that would provide 50 therapeutic residential beds, demolish an existing Miller Building on the AMRTC campus and furnish and equip the new facility.

Matt Freeman, human‑services policy analyst for the Association of Minnesota Counties and executive director of the Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators, told the committee that waiting times for priority‑admissions patients averaged roughly 33.6 days at the end of 2024. He said Anoka is the state's largest psychiatric hospital and currently lacks excess bed capacity despite steps DHS has taken to streamline admissions and transitions.

County partners, sheriffs and mental‑health advocates provided letters of support to the committee and testified that limited DCT (Direct Care and Treatment) capacity forces long waits for people who require hospital‑level care. Freeman and Ellison said expanding the AMRTC campus is a central, timely step because counties are facing looming deadlines and rising costs tied to priority‑admissions placements.

Why it matters: Committee members heard that adding beds at AMRTC would reduce the time people spend in jails waiting for hospital admission, relieve pressure on county systems and improve compliance with state admission expectations. Supporters said the $75 million request is part of a broader package of reforms and investments needed across the mental‑health continuum, including community capacity and workforce development.

Ending: Committee members asked questions and thanked presenters for the testimony; no vote was taken during the informational hearing and sponsors were asked to provide any remaining planning documents and cost updates.