Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
State now pays more for civil commitments; department cites entitlement risk and calls for transfer flexibility
Summary
Legislation that shifted civil-commitment costs to the state has increased expenditures; Department of Health and Welfare officials told the appropriations committee the number of holds and related costs have grown and that transfer exemptions would reduce annual supplemental requests.
The committee heard that civil-commitment expenditures rose after the legislature changed responsibility for those costs in 2022. Department leaders said the state now bears costs that counties previously paid, and that the number of holds initiated by law enforcement and health-care providers has increased year over year.
"We offloaded those costs from the counties, we took those costs on as a state," Alex Adams, Director of the Department of Health and Welfare, said, referencing changes enacted in Senate Bill 1327 of 2022. Adams told the committee the department has no control over who is placed on a hold;…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
