Commission backs two bills on peers and 988 routing and opposes proposed mobile‑crisis funding cut

At its March 26 meeting, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission voted to adopt formal positions on three early legislative and budget items: support for AB 96 (changes to the certified peer support specialist standard), support for AB 1540 (request to restore a routed 988 option for LGBTQ+ callers), and opposition to a governor’s proposed budget amendment that would make the Medicaid mobile crisis benefit optional for counties.

AB 96 (Jackson), sponsored by Cal Voices and the California Behavioral Health Directors Association, would remove the high‑school‑diploma requirement as a barrier to certification for medical peer support specialists. Meron Agonafer, policy director at Cal Voices, told the commission that the RAND evaluation of early certification implementation found transcript and diploma requirements were creating “significant impediments” for otherwise qualified applicants and that the bill would not change core training or scope of practice: "Removing the high school diploma… will not impact the curriculum, core competencies, or ethical mandate for certified medical peer support specialists," she said.

AB 1540 (Gonzalez), supported by advocacy groups representing LGBTQ+ communities, seeks state authorization to request a routed 988 subnetwork to direct LGBTQ+ youth callers to specialized resources. The bill’s sponsor described evidence of disproportionate suicidal ideation and attempts among LGBTQ+ youth and argued a dedicated routing option is needed to restore supports that were removed at the federal level.

On a related budget item, staff and county association representatives warned commissioners that the governor’s proposed change — making the enhanced federal Medicaid match for the mobile crisis benefit optional beginning April 1, 2027 — could force counties to absorb an estimated $130–$160 million in costs and risk scaling back services. Amaran Sheikh of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association told the commission that mobile crisis teams are a bedrock of California’s crisis system and that making the benefit optional would jeopardize services in rural and underserved counties.

The commission’s legislative committee recommended support for the two bills and recommended opposing the budget cut; the full commission approved those positions in roll‑call votes and directed staff to communicate its positions to the legislature and governor.

Why it matters: Peer certification (AB 96) affects workforce pipelines and access to peer supports; AB 1540 affects 988 routing and crisis call response for a high‑risk group; the mobile crisis budget change has significant fiscal and service continuity implications for counties and statewide crisis response planning.

What’s next: Commission staff will transmit the adopted positions to legislative offices and executive branch contacts, and staff and partners will coordinate advocacy to sustain the mobile crisis benefit and advance the two supported bills.

Attribution: Legal, budget and bill descriptions are drawn from presentations by commission staff, Cal Voices, CBHDA, and legislative staff during the March 26 meeting.