House Human Services committee hears bill to rename regional human service centers, add certified behavioral clinic rules

Senate Bill 2113, which would change the name of regional human service centers to state-operated behavioral health clinics and establish a process for certifying community behavioral health clinics, was heard by the House Human Services Committee. Jonathan Ulm, chief legal officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, testified in support and walked committee members through numerous statutory changes included in the engrossed bill.

The bill makes a series of technical and substantive changes across multiple statutory sections, updates departmental program names, clarifies information‑sharing and appeals authority for the department, adds the department’s ability to pay stipends to participants who serve on councils and boards, and creates a certification pathway for certified community behavioral health clinics. It also includes a $150,000 appropriation to update signage, an amendment added by the Senate.

Ulm told the committee the engrossed bill renames “Regional Human Service Centers” to “State Operated Behavioral Health Clinics,” removes obsolete deadlines and restructuring language, and aligns department rules with the move from accreditation toward certification as certified community behavioral health clinics. He said the change clarifies that the state-operated behavioral health clinics provide community‑based behavioral health services and that state operated behavioral health clinic directors follow regular…