BILL NUMBER:S3073

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend part R2 of chapter 62 of the laws of 2003, amending the mental
hygiene law and the state finance law relating to the community mental
health support and workforce reinvestment program and the membership of
subcommittees for mental health of community service boards and the
duties of such subcommittees and creating the community health and
workforce reinvestment account, in relation to the effective date
thereof

PURPOSE:
This bill extends for another 7 years, until March 31, 2017,
provisions which set forth the composition and duties of the
community services boards' subcommittee for mental health which are
due to expire on March 31, 2010.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill extends until March 2017 provisions of the
mental hygiene law that specify that the subcommittee on mental
health shall have no more than 11 members appointed by the local
government. It also specifies that the subcommittee for mental health
shall include at least two members who are or were consumers and at
least two members who are parents or relatives of a person with
mental illness. Finally, it authorizes the subcommittee for mental
              

health to annually evaluate and report on the local services plan
relative to the consistency of such plans with the needs of persons
with serious mental illness, including children and adolescents with
serious emotional disturbances.

Section 2 of the bill provides for an immediate effective date.

EXISTING LAW:
Pursuant to Section 41.05 of the mental hygiene law each local
governmental unit shall have a community services board for services
to the mentally ill, the mentally retarded and developmentally
disabled and those suffering from alcoholism and substance abuse
which shall have separate subcommittees for mental health, mental
retardation and developmental disabilities, and alcoholism. Section
41.11 provides for the composition of the community services boards
and their subcommittees. Provisions affecting the subcommittee for
mental health are due to expire March 31, 2010.

JUSTIFICATION:
New York State Mental Hygiene Law sets forth the composition and
function of the Community Services Board for each county. Counties
are required to have both a Community Services Board and a Director
of Community Services in order to be eligible for State Aid from the
various departments and offices of the State. The Board is
responsible for planning, reviewing and overseeing all services to
the mentally disabled within its geographic area and must have a
separate subcommittee representing the mentally ill, developmentally
disabled and those suffering from alcoholism and substance abuse.


In 2003 New York amended section 41.11 of the mental hygiene law to
specify that the subcommittee on mental health shall have no more
than 11 members appointed by the local government, while the other
may have no more than 9 members. It also specified that the
subcommittee for mental health shall include at least two members who
are or were consumers and at least two members who are parents or
relatives of a person with mental illness. Finally, it authorized the
subcommittee for mental health to annually evaluate and report on the
local services plan relative to the consistency of such plans with
the needs of persons with serious mental illness, including children
and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances.

This bill will extends those provisions for another seven years to
ensure that the local subcommittees on mental health include
consumers and families and continue to evaluate and report of the
local services plans as they relate to the needs of persons with
serious mental illness.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.6682/A.10404 - 2010 Vetoed,
6728

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to State.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.