Committee hears testimony on bill to create Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

A House medical subcommittee heard testimony during a morning session on Senate Bill 2, which would create a Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) by consolidating the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.

The bill’s sponsors and witnesses told the committee the measure is intended to reduce duplication across agencies that serve overlapping populations, require a single cabinet director appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, and mandate an Olmstead implementation plan to respond to pending federal litigation. Because the committee lacked a quorum, members heard testimony but took no vote and recessed to reconvene later in the day.

Trey (committee staff) summarized the bill for the panel: “S 2 establishes the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities within the executive branch by consolidating the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Alcohol and Other…