Bill Text: CA SB26 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Mental health professions: CARE Scholarship Program.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Enrolled) 2024-09-04 - Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. [SB26 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB26-Amended.html
NOYES
Local Program:
NO
SECTION 1. Section 10501 of the Government Code is amended to read: 10501.
Bill Title: Mental health professions: CARE Scholarship Program.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Enrolled) 2024-09-04 - Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m. [SB26 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB26-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
January 03, 2024 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 26
| Introduced by Senator Umberg |
December 05, 2022 |
An act to amend Section 10501 of the Government Code, relating to state government. add Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 128460) to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health professions.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 26, as amended, Umberg.
Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Mental health professions: CARE Scholarship Program.
Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified adult persons to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria.
Existing law requires the Department of Health Care Access and Information to perform various duties with respect to implementing health professions scholarship and loan programs.
This bill would, upon appropriation, establish the Community
Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Scholarship Program. The bill would require the department to develop the program, as prescribed, to provide annual scholarships to individuals pursuing a degree program that meets the requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist, as defined. The bill would require scholarship recipients to agree to work for county behavioral health agencies in meeting its needs and obligations to implement the CARE Act for a minimum of 3 years. The bill would require the department to post information related to the scholarship on its internet website.
Existing law establishes the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and defines its scope and duties.
This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to these
provisions.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Mental health and homelessness remain critical issues for the State of California, with over 150,000 homeless individuals, many of whom are experiencing mental health issues. While the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act was enacted to provide community-based behavioral health services and supports to tackle these issues, California cannot effectively
implement the CARE Court program without increasing the number of mental health practitioners that are willing to work for this program.
(b) Due to the costs of higher education in mental and behavioral health, graduates are incentivized to work for private industry to subsidize the costs of their education. As a result, very few mental health practitioners work for the public at the state and county level, making it increasingly difficult for the state to provide adequate mental and behavioral health care to its vulnerable citizens.
(c) California must increase the number of culturally competent, licensed mental health practitioners that are trained and licensed to diagnose mental health disorders among unhoused individuals by incentivizing mental health practitioner graduates to work with county behavioral services agencies in implementing the needs of the CARE Court
program.
SEC. 2.
Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 128460) is added to Chapter 5 of Part 3 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:Article 3.6. Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Scholarship Program
128460.
(a) There is hereby created the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Scholarship Program within the department.(b) The department shall administer an annual scholarship for purposes of increasing the number of culturally competent, licensed marriage and family therapists needed to work for county behavioral health agencies to implement the CARE Act.
(c) The department shall make recommendations to the director concerning all of the following:
(1) A standard contractual agreement to be signed by the director and any licensed marriage and family therapist that would require the licensed marriage
and family therapist who receives a scholarship under the program to serve in a county behavioral health agency in support of the county’s CARE Act needs and obligations for a minimum of three years.
(2) The maximum allowable total scholarship amount per individual licensed marriage and family therapist.
(3) The maximum allowable annual scholarship amount per individual licensed marriage and family therapist.
(d) Applicants for the scholarship shall meet all of the following requirements:
(1) The applicant is pursuing a degree program that meets the requirements for licensure as a marriage and family therapist pursuant to Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 4980) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(2) The applicant agrees to work for a county behavioral health agency in support of the county’s CARE Act needs and obligations for a minimum of three years upon licensure as a marriage and family therapist.
(e) The department shall post information regarding the CARE Scholarship Program on its internet website.
(f) For purposes of this article, a “marriage and family therapist” is an individual licensed pursuant to Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 4980) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(g) This article shall be operative upon appropriation by the Legislature.
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee is hereby created. The committee shall determine the policies of the Auditor General, ascertain facts, review reports and take action thereon, and make reports and recommendations to the Legislature and to the houses thereof concerning the state audit, the revenues and expenditures of the state and its departments, subdivisions, and agencies, whether created by the
California
Constitution or otherwise, and such other matters as may be provided for in the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly. The committee has a continuing existence and may meet, act, and conduct its business at any place within this state, during the sessions of the Legislature or any recess thereof, and in the interim period between sessions.
