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Committee reestablishes study commission on behavioral crisis services for individuals with intellectual disability
Summary
House Bill 370 would reestablish a commission to study delivery of behavioral crisis services for people whose primary impairment is intellectual disability; sponsor said previous commission appointments were delayed and the reestablishment is meant to produce timely recommendations.
Representative J.D. Bernardi introduced House Bill 370 to reestablish a commission to study delivery of behavioral crisis services to individuals whose primary impairment is intellectual disability. Bernardi said the issue stems from statutory definitions of mental illness that exclude impairments primarily caused by intellectual disability, epilepsy, or intoxication, which can leave some individuals without timely access to appropriate crisis services.
Bernardi told the committee hospitals commonly lack appropriate staff or services for these episodes and that individuals are sometimes held in hospitals for three to four weeks without treatment. The previous statutory commission was created to develop solutions, but Bernardi said gubernatorial appointments were delayed and some members were never named, which prevented the commission from completing timely recommendations. The bill reestablishes the commission to ensure work is completed and practical legislative proposals are available.
No substantive testimony opposing the idea was presented during the hearing; Bernardi said the prior commission convened too late to deliver recommendations in the prior session and that reestablishment would allow the group to meet and return findings to the legislature.
The committee moved the bill into executive session and later passed it on consent to advance the commission reestablishment.
