Amendment #6 to H4860

Grant for the Hiring of Certified Mental Health Professionals in Gateway City Police Departments

Mr. Ultrino of Malden moves to amend the bill, as amended, by adding the following section:

SECTION XX. Chapter 29 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 2HHHHH the following section:-

Section 2IIIII. (a) There shall be a Gateway Cities Mental Health Professionals Hiring 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 gateway municipalities, as defined in section 3A of chapter 23A, for the hiring of licensed mental health professionals, as defined in subsection (a) of section 51½ of chapter 111, in police departments. 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.

(b) 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’s activities, including, but not limited to, amounts credited to the fund, amounts expended from the fund and any unexpended balance.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #6 to H4860

Grant for the Hiring of Certified Mental Health Professionals in Gateway City Police Departments