Amendment ID: S2609-62

Amendment 62

BeHappe Trust Fund

Mr. Brady moves that the proposed new text be amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:

SECTION XX. Chapter 10 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 35DDD the following section:-

Section 35EEE. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a Community-Based Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention Trust Fund. The purpose of the fund shall be to promote positive mental, emotional and behavioral health among children and young adults and to prevent mental health and substance use disorders among children and young adults.

(b) The fund shall be administered by the secretary of health and human services who, in consultation with the community-based behavioral health promotion and prevention commission established in section 219 of chapter 6, shall issue grants from the fund to:

(1) community organizations to establish or support evidence-based and evidence-informed programs for children and young adults. The community organizations may include, but not be limited to, public and private agencies, community coalitions and other entities that offer resources or support to children or young adults. A community organization or coalition may include more than one community; and

(c) The secretary of health and human services shall establish application procedures and evidence-based and evidence-informed criteria upon which to base approval or disapproval of any proposal for a grant under this section. The criteria may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) programs that educate children and young adults on addiction, substance misuse and other risky behaviors and that identify and support children and young adults at risk for alcohol or substance misuse;

(2) programs that use evidence-based or evidence-informed prevention programs, early detection protocols and policies, risk assessment tools or counseling in a community setting;

(3) support for underserved populations of children and young adults including, but not limited to, children with multiple adverse childhood experiences;

(4) programs that offer culturally and linguistically competent services that meet the needs of the population to be served; and

(5) programs that employ the science of prevention, including, but not limited to, consideration of population health, risk and protective factors, social determinants of health, health equity, adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care.

(d) The secretary may use the fund for necessary and reasonable administrative and personnel costs related to administering the grants, including providing funds to the department of public health to provide technical assistance, training and guidance to support applicants in completing grant applications and to grantees to develop and evaluate programs. Expenditures made pursuant to this subsection may not exceed, in 1 fiscal year, 5 per cent of the total amount deposited into the fund during that fiscal year. The fund shall consist of revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund and revenue from private sources including, but not limited to, grants, gifts and donations received by the commonwealth that are specifically designated to be credited to the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years.

(e) The secretary shall file an annual report on its activities, on or before March 1, with the joint committee on health care financing and the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery.