Senate committee advances SF 626 with amendment creating Direct Care and Treatment advisory council

Senator Jordan moved that Senate File 626 be recommended to pass and be re‑referred to the committee on state and local government, and the panel approved the bill as amended.

The bill, as amended by the A2 author's amendment, makes a technical correction and establishes a capped, 15‑member advisory council on Direct Care and Treatment (DCT). "The A2 does two things. One is it makes a technical correction ... the second ... establishes an advisory council on direct care and treatment," Senator Jordan said, describing the new membership mix that includes licensed health professionals, a physician with behavioral‑health experience, a union representative, a counties association designee and a National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota appointee.

Why it matters: the measure changes governance for DCT — the state agency that operates state‑run treatment and care programs — and determines whether oversight will rest with an executive board, a single appointed commissioner, or a governance/configuration that includes stakeholder advisory…