Budget Amendment ID: FY2018-S3-913-R2

2nd Redraft EPS 913

Middlesex County Restoration Center

Ms. L'Italien moved that the proposed new text be amended in section 2, in item 8910-0107, <w:p><w:r><w:t xml:space="preserve">by adding the following words:-

“; provided further, that the sheriff’s office shall expend not less than $250,000 for the first year of a 4-year pilot program to establish a county restoration center overseen by the Middlesex county restoration center commission pursuant to section 100A to divert persons 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”; and

in said section 2, in said item 8910-0107, by striking out the figure “$68,025,072” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- “$68,275,072”; and

by inserting after section 100 the following section:-

“Section 100A.   A commission shall be created to develop and implement a plan to build a restoration center in Middlesex county. The commission shall consist of the following members: the Middlesex sheriff or a designee; the northern district attorney or a designee; the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts, Inc. or a designee; 2 persons to be appointed by the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association from police departments within Middlesex county that have received critical incident training or have established a local jail diversion program; a member of the senate appointed by the senate president; a member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; a person from the trial courts with specialty court experience to be appointed by the chief justice of the trial court; the chief counsel of the committee for public counsel services or a designee; 4 persons to be appointed by the secretary of health and human services, 1 of whom shall be a representative from the department of mental health with knowledge of sequential intercept mapping and forensic services, 1 of whom shall be a representative from the department of public health with knowledge of sequential intercept mapping and forensic services, 1 of whom shall be a representative from a local community provider that delivers behavioral health services and 1 of whom shall be a representative from MassHealth with knowledge of insurance vehicles, including Medicaid; and 3 persons to be appointed by the secretary of public safety and security, 1 of whom shall be a representative from the executive office of public safety and security, 1 of whom shall be a representative from the office of the commissioner of probation within Middlesex county and 1 of whom shall be a representative from the parole board with knowledge of establishing methodologies and analyzing metrics for program fidelity.

Not later than1 year after its formation, the commission shall: (i) perform an examination of national best practices including the Bexar county model; and (ii) review the current capacity of Middlesex county to provide behavioral health services to individuals suffering from mental illness or substance use disorder who interact with law enforcement or the court system and analyze the barriers they face to accessing treatment.  Not later than April 1, 2018, the commission shall publish its first year’s findings and recommendations for a restoration center, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry out those recommendations.  The findings shall include a report on the current capacity to provide behavioral health services to individuals suffering from mental illness or substance use disorder, which shall include, but not be limited to, the type of services pre- and post-release, location of services, type of patients served and barriers to diverting individuals away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. The commission shall hold its first meeting not later than 30 days after the effective date of this act.”.