Senate Bill S1466A

                                BILL NUMBER:S1466

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:
To extend New York State's Community Mental Health Workforce
Reinvestment Program and the community health workforce reinvestment
account for an additional seven years until March 31, 2020.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends section 7 of part R2 of chapter 62 of the
laws of 2003 to extend for seven years, until March 31, 2017, those
provisions of law which provide for community mental health
reinvestment.

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

EXISTING LAW:
              

New York's Mental Health Community Reinvestment Act was
originally enacted in 1993 to direct all savings within the
State-operated mental health service delivery system be reallocated
to localities across the State to meet the mental health needs of
individuals and facilitate their ability to live independently in
their home communities. The program was allowed to expire in 2001,
but was finally signed back into law with revisions by chapter 62 of
the laws of 2003. That statute is set to expire on March 31, 2010.

JUSTIFICATION:
Community Mental Health Reinvestment was initiated in
1993 with a sunset and subsequently renewed with revisions to
establish the state policy that savings achieved through downsizing
of state operated mental health facilities would be reallocated to
localities across the state to meet the mental health needs of
individuals and facilitate their ability to live independently in
their home communities. Reinvestment was an important promise that
the state made and has continued to support for over 15 years. It has
proved enormously successful and helpful in creating and supporting
community mental health services. In March, 2010 the promise of
reinvestment sunsets. It is incumbent upon the state to take action
and ensure that any opportunities for reinvestments into our
community mental health service system remain intact.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2011-12: S.3062/A.1072 - Died in Mental Health and Developmental
Disabilities
S.6683/A.10405 - 2010 Vetoed, No. 6729

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to state unless facilities are downsized in
which case a portion of the savings would go to the community mental
health support and workforce reinvest account instead of to the
State's general fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.