House Health Committee hears broad package on mental health capacity, youth services, newborn screening and housing; bills laid over

The House Health and Human Services Finance Policy Committee heard testimony and laid over a package of bills addressing mental-health bed capacity and the so-called 48-hour priority-admissions statute, a regional approach to county-involved youth with complex behavioral-health needs, presumptive Medicaid eligibility for infants with positive newborn screening results, homelessness funding and several aging- and workforce-related measures.

Committee members, county officials and health and justice system leaders emphasized that capacity at state-operated Direct Care and Treatment facilities (DCT) and community beds must expand before lawmakers alter timelines or processes that affect transfers of people from jails and hospitals to appropriate treatment settings. The committee laid over each bill for possible inclusion in future omnibus action.

County leaders and criminal-justice officials told the committee the backlog of people awaiting admission to state treatment beds is severe and growing. "Without necessary funding upwards of $150,000,000 in the first year and $70,000,000 in the second, this crisis will continue," Brian Welk, sheriff of Cass County, testified on behalf of the Minnesota Sheriffs Association, referring to requests county and stakeholder groups have made to expand capacity. Terrell Clark, a Stearns County commissioner, said counties should not bear costs when state-operated capacity causes delays: "Counties should not be charged 100% of the cost of the placement," he said, citing a county estimate that temporary charges for stays outside a medically appropriate bed can reach about $2,400 a day.

Why it matters: counties, prosecutors, sheriffs and mental-health providers said the Priority Admissions statute (often called the 48-hour rule) provides accountability but cannot change without clear and immediate expansion of DCT and community capacity. Advocates and county officials urged the legislature to fund beds and services before altering statutory timelines. Kevin Magnuson, Washington County attorney, said the priority-admissions process and capacity expansion must be paired: "Any change or pause in the 48 hour rule must be paired with capacity increases," he said.

Priority admissions and DCT capacity: Testimony from members of the Priority Admissions Review Panel and county coalitions described large increases in demand and long waits for DCT beds. Witnesses cited that priority admissions rose from about 46 in 2013 to roughly 424 in 2024 and provided recent averages of wait times for some programs — for example, Anoka averaged about 27 days and one forensic program averaged roughly 289 days in the latter half of 2024. Panel members asked that any statutory change be conditioned on legislative funding to expand DCT beds and community treatment capacity.

Youth services regional approach: Representative Tina Nadeau presented House File 2040, a bill to enable a regional continuum of care for county-involved youth with complex mental-health and behavioral needs. Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Lundy described local investments, including a planned 13-bed youth crisis stabilization center at 1800 Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, designed for short-term stays of about 30 to 45 days. County and corrections leaders from multiple metro counties said the bill would create a coordinating board to inventory services, request funding and pursue shared solutions. Members asked about compliance with the Olmstead framework for people with developmental disabilities; Representative Nadeau said she would follow up with further details.

Newborn screening and presumptive Medicaid eligibility: House File 1502 would allow hospitals to grant presumptive Medical Assistance eligibility to infants with positive newborn screening results or a Social Security Administration compassionate allowance while a formal disability determination is processed. Dr. Paul Orchard of the University of Minnesota testified that early diagnosis and rapid access to treatment — including cellular and gene therapies in rare disorders — are time sensitive. He said "removing their concerns about insurance would be an important issue to take off their shoulders." Testimony clarified that presumptive coverage is temporary and families must complete the formal application and disability determination to obtain long-term coverage.

Homelessness funding and Bridge to Shelter Act: Representative Curranpresented House File 1914, creating three funding buckets for emergency services, county/tribal response, and county-to-county capacity building. Ramsey County Commissioner Rena Moran and Hennepin County lived-experience advocate Rico Morales testified in favor; Moran asked the state to avoid leaving counties facing a fiscal cliff as they build affordable housing stock. The bill leaves appropriation amounts blank in the draft and the author identified $12 million as an example discussed in earlier conversations.

Aging, workforce and other measures: The committee also heard several bills addressing older adults and workforce shortages: - House File 2799: a $3 million appropriation to expand Age Well at Home home-modification services; Pat Lund of Age Well at Home said the program served 150 homeowners last year and aims to scale up. The testimony cited an estimated statewide need of more than 100,000 households needing home modifications for safe aging in place. - House File 2647 (DE1 adopted in committee): clarified that licensed practical nurses (LPNs) may conduct focused assessments in assisted-living settings consistent with the Nurse Practice Act, while registered nurses retain responsibility for comprehensive assessments and changes of condition. Proponents said the change helps settings use existing licensed staff amid a statewide nursing shortage. - House File 2646: would make the Governor's Council on Age-Friendly Minnesota permanent and continue competitive grant work; supporters cited recent grants and a statewide blueprint on aging. - House File 2421: would establish a council for direct support professionals to address a workforce shortage the testifier group estimated at tens of thousands of positions. - House File 2212: requested continued funding for senior nutrition programs, noting a prior one-time $11 million appropriation and local wait lists for meals.

Votes at a glance: The committee moved each bill and, where recorded, adopted technical amendments; all measures were laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill. Recorded committee actions included adoption of the DE1 amendment for House File 2963, adoption of A4 for House File 2040, and adoption of DE1 for House File 2647. No roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the transcript; voice votes were used for amendments.

Next steps: Committee members and department staff repeatedly emphasized that proposals changing statutory timelines or priority rules must be matched with funding to expand state and community treatment capacity. Several members and testifiers said they expect continued negotiations with the Department of Human Services and county partners as the bills proceed toward omnibus and budget negotiations.

Ending note: Witnesses represented counties, sheriffs, county attorneys, hospitals, aging nonprofits and lived-experience groups; members asked for more detail on federal and state funding pathways and for assurances that statutory changes will not produce gaps in care while capacity is expanded.