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Committee lays over mental‑health workforce and regulation bill aimed at expanding case manager pipeline and reducing administrative burden
Summary
House File 98, a bipartisan mental‑health workforce and regulations bill, was amended and laid over after testimony from statewide providers that the measure would expand recruitment pipelines and reduce duplicative paperwork for case managers and ACT teams.
With about 10 minutes left in the session the committee heard House File 98, a mental‑health workforce and service‑regulation bill carried by Representative Fisher and Representative Gilman. The committee adopted an author's A2 amendment clarifying several technical and substantive changes and laid the bill over for possible inclusion in future legislation.
Representative Gilman summarized the amendment and the bill’s intent: expand eligible bachelor’s degree types and training pathways for targeted case management (TCM) staff, clarify allowed staff types for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team leads (including licensed mental health professionals, clinical trainees and mental health practitioners), and adjust continuing‑education and supervision requirements so that experienced workers require fewer annual training hours.
Testimony in support came from frontline providers. Ellie Skelton, executive director of Touchstone Mental Health, described career‑pathway benefits and the operational impact of reducing duplicative paperwork: “These changes may seem minor but for frontline staff they significantly impact daily workload, reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, [and] allow mental health staff to focus on providing care.” Skelton also said expanding pathways into case management would improve recruitment and retention.
Ashley Troops, CEO of Woodland Centers (a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic serving seven rural counties), told the committee the bill “would expand the workforce capacity, enhance service accessibility, and streamline the mental health regulations,” and supported changes to ACT team lead requirements that aim to help rural teams recruit qualified leaders.
Representative Fisher (bill sponsor) and Representative Gilman said the measure responds to provider shortages and regulatory duplication. The authors noted ongoing conversations with DHS about technical language in sections 2 and 6 and that additional drafting will continue. The committee took no final action on the bill; Representative Fisher moved to lay House File 98 over for future consideration and the motion was agreed to.
The A2 author’s amendment, adopted in committee, reflected negotiated clarifications with DHS and advocates on staff‑qualification, supervision and training provisions. Committee members and providers agreed the bill is intended to increase the pipeline into behavioral‑health roles and to reduce administrative barriers that keep staff from client‑facing work.
