Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sponsor seeks to rename advisory council to reflect 'behavioral health' scope
Summary
Sen. Mike Yakawich sponsored SB 144 to change the Mental Health Advisory Council name to Behavioral Health Advisory Council; state behavioral health officials said the council already operates with combined mental‑health and substance‑use responsibilities and the name change aligns state practice with federal SAMHSA guidance.
Sen. Mike Yakawich opened a hearing on Senate Bill 144, a measure to rename the state's Mental Health Advisory Council as the Behavioral Health Advisory Council.
The sponsor said the change reflects a broader understanding of co‑occurring mental health, substance use and other behavioral conditions. "It's a real simple bill," Yakawich told the committee, describing the term "behavioral health" as encompassing mental and substance‑use concerns and related physical or brain‑injury conditions.
Jamie Hansen, prevention bureau chief for the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Division, testified in support. Hansen said the council has operated as a behavioral‑health body since 2023 and that the name change aligns Montana with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) practice. "The mental health block grant authorizing statute contains specific requirements for the composition of the Mental Health Advisory Council," she told the committee, and the council's composition and duties already reflect a balance of state agencies, service providers and people with lived experience.
Hansen said many states have combined planning council functions and behavioral health review responsibilities; she said the council includes people with lived experience and is tasked with reviewing substance‑use prevention, treatment and recovery services. No opponents or informational witnesses appeared on the record, and the sponsor closed by asking the committee for consideration. The transcript does not record a committee vote.
