House medical subcommittee hears testimony on bill to create Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

The Medical subcommittee of the South Carolina House on Tuesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 2, which would create the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities 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 panel heard summaries and public testimony but did not take a vote because it did not have a quorum; the meeting was recessed and set to reconvene after the House adjourned.

The bill’s sponsors and supporters said the change is intended to improve coordination among agencies that serve overlapping populations and to increase executive-branch accountability. Senator Davis, who spoke to the subcommittee, said S 2 would place the new agency within the governor’s cabinet, with the DBHDD director appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. “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 Drug Abuse Services,” Trey, a staff summary witness, told the committee.

The bill would create three component offices—an Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly DDSN), an Office of Mental Health (formerly DMH) and an Office of Substance Use Services (formerly DAODIS). Each office would keep its…