Kansas committee hears testimony to codify school-based Mental Health Intervention Team program into statute

The Committee on House Health and Human Services opened a hearing on House Bill 22-36, a proposal to codify the Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT) program into Kansas statute and place administration with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). The bill would establish program definitions, an approval and application process for school districts and providers, grant formulas, a qualified school mental health team board and annual reporting requirements. The bill’s effective date is listed in the measure as July 1, 2025, upon publication in the statute book.

Supporters told the committee the change would give the program permanency after operating on year-to-year budget provisos. “We believe if enacted, it would provide stability and ensure the continued growth of a program that has delivered essential services to Kansas youth and their families,” Taylor Bremer, assistant behavioral health commissioner for KDADS, told the committee. Proponents — including community mental health center leaders, school counselors, diocesan school administrators and parent advocates — described MHIT as a school-embedded model that places behavioral health liaisons in schools and pairs them with therapists and case managers employed by partnering mental health providers.

Why it matters: Proponents said codifying MHIT would stabilize funding and staffing, help sustain school–provider memoranda of understanding, require annual program reporting to the Legislature and preserve year-round access to behavioral health and crisis services for students. Witnesses pointed to outcomes reported by participating programs — improved attendance, academic…