AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO PROVIDE FOR EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS TO SUPPORT INCREASED SALARIES, WAGES AND BENEFITS FOR EARLY INTERVENTION CLINICIANS AND SUPPORT STAFF
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is forthwith to require the department of public health to provide for early intervention providers to support increased salaries, wages and benefits for early intervention clinicians and support staff, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Item 4513-1020 of section 2 of chapter 24 of the acts of 2021 is hereby amended by adding the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $8,000,000 shall be expended from this item for early intervention staffing recovery payments to address the staffing crisis and restore early intervention staffing and service hours through hiring, rehiring and retention of clinical and support staff across the early intervention system; provided further, that such funds shall be used to support increased salaries, wages and benefits for early intervention clinicians and support staff; provided further, that such funds may be used to cover supervision, training, nonbillable time and other onboarding costs directly associated with the hiring of new early intervention clinicians and support staff; provided further, that such staffing recovery payments shall be distributed by the department as payment vouchers to all vendors of certified early intervention programs; provided further, that such payments shall be made on a proportional basis, calculated using the most recent early intervention child counts of the department; provided further, that such funds shall be distributed not later than June 30, 2022; and provided further, that not later than August 1, 2022, the department shall submit a report to the executive office for administration and finance and the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the distribution of the staffing recovery payments.
Approved, June 10, 2022.