Committee hears bill to expand confidentiality for critical-incident stress teams

Members of the Michigan House Health Policy Committee took testimony on House Bill 48‑57, which would amend provisions of the Michigan Public Health Code (Public Act 368 of 1978) to expand confidentiality protections for critical-incident stress management (CISM) teams and to clarify registration and training requirements for those teams.

Representative Brock introduced the bill and turned testimony to David Edwards, who described himself as a Region 2 South board member of the Michigan Crisis Response Association, wellness officer for the Monroe Public Safety Department, a mobile crisis clinician for the Monroe Community Mental Health Authority, and chief of behavioral health for the Michigan Mortuary Response Team. Edwards told the committee the bill would remove limits in current law that confine confidentiality protections to “emergency service providers” and instead extend protections to “individuals” who receive CISM services.

Edwards said CISM is not psychotherapy and is typically delivered by peers who may not hold health-professions licenses. He emphasized confidentiality as central to participation and effectiveness, saying it "creates a safe space free from judgment" and protects participants from professional consequences arising from administrative or legal investigations. Edwards said a team seeking registration with the Michigan Crisis Response Association must certify that team members completed CISM training following the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) curriculum, and that registered teams will deploy only fully trained members.

The bill would amend language in Michigan Compiled Laws sections cited in testimony (333.20981 and 333.20982) to (1) explicitly include peer-support services among CISM activities; (2) replace language describing a CISM team as a team that is a "member of" the Michigan Crisis Response Association network with language that a team maintains registration with the association; and (3) strike the phrase limiting confidentiality to emergency service providers and instead apply the protections to any individual who receives CISM services from a registered team.

Committee members asked whether expanding confidentiality would impede criminal or administrative investigations; Edwards and supporters said CISM services are not investigatory and do not inhibit investigations. Edwards contrasted CISM to clinical mental health treatment and said the team’s role is to address stress reactions and make referrals when appropriate. Representative Thompson and others used the Swan Boat Club incident in Monroe County as an example: Edwards said CISM conversations with family members and civilians affected by the event were not confidential under the current law and that the change would extend protections to those people.

Representative Preston raised capacity concerns for sparsely populated areas such as the Upper Peninsula, asking why confidentiality protections would be limited to teams registered with the Michigan Crisis Response Association rather than broadened to other peer-support programs. Edwards said the law has designated the Michigan Crisis Response Association as the entity maintaining registration since the statute’s 2016 enactment; he said registration assures consistent training (ICISF curriculum) and interoperability during large-scale responses. He noted training and registration exist in the Upper Peninsula and that the association’s registry is not intended as a new burden.

Edwards referenced the Michigan Emergency Management Plan (publication 101, 01/02/2025) and ESF‑8 (Emergency Support Function 8, health and behavioral health) as consistent with the requested wording, and he described the Michigan Crisis Response Association’s long-standing use of the ICISF curriculum.

No committee vote on House Bill 48‑57 was recorded in the transcript. Committee members thanked witnesses and indicated they would continue to work with proponents.

Provenance: topic introduced when staff announced House Bill 48 57 and concluded when the committee closed questions and thanked witnesses. Evidence excerpts from the hearing transcript are on file with the committee clerk.