SENATE DOCKET, NO. 585        FILED ON: 2/3/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1868

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Cindy F. Friedman

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to establishing a criminal justice and community support trust fund.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 585        FILED ON: 2/3/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1868

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1662 OF 2019-2020.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act relative to establishing a criminal justice and community support trust fund.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2CCCCC the following section:-

Section 2DDDDD. (a) There shall be a Criminal Justice and Community Support Trust Fund. The fund shall be administered by the commissioner of mental health, in consultation with the executive office of public safety and security. The fund shall consist of amounts credited to the fund from: (i) any appropriations, grants, gifts or other monies authorized by the general court or other parties and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; and (ii) any income derived from the investment of amounts credited to the fund. All amounts credited to the fund shall be used without further appropriation for the purpose of making grants to county and community-based jail diversion programs and community policing and behavioral health training initiatives. The grants shall be for: (1) the support of jail diversion programs for persons suffering from a mental illness or substance use disorder; (2) the development and provision of training for state and municipal law enforcement in evidence-based or evidence-informed mental health and substance use crisis response; (3) the creation of patient-focused ongoing community services for individuals who are frequent users of emergency departments and suffer from serious and persistent mental illness or substance use disorder; or (4) the planning and implementation of restoration centers to divert individuals suffering from mental illness or substance use disorder who interact with law enforcement or the court system during a pre-arrest investigation or the pre-adjudication process from lock-up facilities and hospital emergency departments to appropriate treatment. Any unexpended balance in the fund at the close of a fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years.

Annually, not later than March 1, the commissioner of mental health shall issue a report to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on public safety and homeland security and the senate and house committees on ways and means on the fund activities including, but not limited to, amounts credited to the fund, amounts expended from the fund and any unexpended balance.