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Advisory committee backs naloxone training, school and peer-support bills and urges commission support
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Summary
The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission’s Legislative & External Affairs Advisory Committee voted to recommend support for five 2026 bills — on naloxone training, school resource officer readiness, coach mental-health training resources, parity protections, and peer-support access — and directed staff to relay positions to the Legislature and governor.
The Legislative and External Affairs Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission voted to recommend that the full commission support five bills the committee reviewed on May 1, 2026.
Committee members heard presentations from staff and bill sponsors on overdose-response and training proposals, school-based responses, coach-focused mental-health training resources, parity protections, and measures to expand peer-support access. After questions and brief debate, the committee approved motions asking commission staff to communicate support to the Legislature and governor for AB 21 50 (Haney), AB 15 86 (Ramos), AB 16 26 (Gabriel) (amended on the floor to include AB 16 65 by Pacheco), AB 20 11 (parity codification), and AB 21 38 (Krell on peer supports).
The bill AB 21 50 would require employees who must maintain CPR certification to also complete a standardized naloxone training module developed or approved by recognized trainers such as the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross; presenters said training modules are often low-cost or free and that employers would bear training costs. Megan Lee, representing Assemblymember Haney’s office, told the committee the measure aims to increase bystander effectiveness during overdoses. Trent Murphy of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CADPE) said the state’s naloxone distribution projects and recent in-state manufacturing have reduced per-dose costs and that training — not a new program — is the central requirement.
On AB 15 86, presenters described a changed approach that requires school resource officers (SROs) to enroll in naloxone training provided through POST (the Peace Officer Standards and Training division) and permits voluntary carriage of naloxone with liability protections; POST would also report back to the Legislature every five years on on-campus naloxone administrations and training participation to produce better school-based data. Committee members asked whether teachers and other school staff would be covered; presenters said SROs will also be subject to the AB 21 50 CPR–naloxone training requirement, while schools already must keep naloxone doses on campus.
AB 16 26, described by advocates from the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and by staff for Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, would establish model behavioral-health training criteria for school coaches and direct the California Department of Education to compile model trainings for recreational and club sports. Presenters said the current version of the bill sets criteria rather than mandating training for all coaches and that complementary bills (including AB 16 65) could be added to the commission’s position.
Tara Kamboa Eastman of the Steinberg Institute outlined AB 20 11, which would codify federal mental-health parity and addiction-equity regulations into state law so California retains parity enforcement definitions if federal rules change. Eastman said the measure preserves enforcement tools used by state regulators and would mainly affect how Medicare enforcement aligns with state standards; commissioners asked about interplay with Medicaid and Medicare enforcement.
On AB 21 38, the committee heard that the bill would create a good-cause exemption to background-check barriers that keep people with certain justice histories from serving as peer-support specialists, with exceptions for violent crimes, and would require peers be available on enhanced care management teams where providers meet specified caseload thresholds; presenters previewed forthcoming amendments to refine implementation and ramp-up timelines.
For each bill the committee took a separate motion, recorded roll-call votes, and the motions passed. Commissioners who voted on multiple items recorded aye votes on the majority of motions; several commissioners were marked absent during votes and Commissioner Larson recused herself for two Steinberg-sponsored bills. The committee did not enact any statewide policy itself; its votes were recommendations to the full commission.
The committee’s next scheduled meeting is June 18. The committee directed staff to communicate its positions to legislative authors and the governor’s office as appropriate.
