AB 253

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs, and establishes the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, which consists of 16 members, to oversee the administration of various parts of the act. Existing law authorizes the act to be amended by a 23 vote of the Legislature if the amendments are consistent with, and further the purposes of, the act. This bill would expand the commission by 2 additional members who each have specified mental health knowledge and experience, to be appointed by the Governor. By amending the provisions of the Mental Health Services Act, this bill requires a 23 vote of the Legislature. Existing law, the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 (bond act) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 41 at the June 3, 2014, primary election, authorized $600 million in bonds to provide multifamily housing to low-income veterans and supportive housing for homeless veterans, through the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014. Existing law, the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Act of 2014, provides for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of affordable multifamily supportive housing, affordable transitional housing, affordable rental housing, and related facilities for veterans and their families to allow veterans to access and maintain housing stability. Existing law requires the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to work collaboratively for those purposes. This bill would require those departments to give a preference to applicants for funding pursuant to the bond act for supportive housing projects when the applicant can demonstrate a multiyear commitment of Mental Health Services Act funding for the applicant's housing project funding plan. Existing law requires county mental health plans, whether administered by public or private entities, to be governed by specified guidelines, including, among other things, providing for culturally competent and age-appropriate services, to the extent feasible. Existing law requires a mental health plan to have a cultural competence plan with specified components. This bill would require the Department of Health Care Services to post the cultural competence plan component of each county mental health plan on a dedicated Internet Web page within 30 days of the department receiving the plan and to notify the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature when the plan is available on the Internet Web page. The bill would declare that the amendments to the provisions of the Mental Health Services Act are consistent with, and further the purposes of, that act.