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Commissioners briefed on HB 1020 pilot to place forensic liaison in Strafford County
Summary
Carrie Collier updated the board on HB 1020, a state bill proposing a two‑year DHHS‑funded forensic liaison pilot to speed competency evaluations; local partners and NAMI support the concept but prefer independence from community mental health centers.
Carrie Collier briefed the Strafford County Commissioners on Jan. 15 about HB 1020, a state bill that proposes a two‑year pilot to place a forensic liaison funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in a county courthouse to help manage competency evaluations.
“Right now, we have 17 people that we’re supervising through the competency process,” Collier said, adding that the county has supervised “just under a 100 people” through that process over the past decade. Under the proposal, Collier said, DHHS would hire and pay the liaison who could be housed at the county courthouse and would work with local case managers to move competency evaluations and treatment referrals more quickly.
Collier said NAMI and other stakeholders have participated in calls about the pilot. She said the mental health centers (CMHCs) support the concept but do not want the liaison housed inside a CMHC because the liaison’s role touches criminal justice and requires neutrality. “They support the concept, just not it being part of the mental health center,” Collier said.
County staff said the governor had indicated possible financial backing and that a NAMI meeting with the governor was planned. Collier and other speakers said the liaison’s role is to advocate for timely evaluations and for consumers in the competency process rather than to replace community evaluators.
Speakers repeatedly noted the pilot’s funding and survival depend on the state budget and legislative action. No formal county funding was proposed during the briefing; county staff described the commission’s role as supportive and as a potential local host for the DHHS‑funded liaison if the pilot is approved and funded at the state level.
