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This amendment
adds language that allows for a delay of the 30-day placement of a defendant
by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in an institution for
the care and treatment of persons with mental illness, if extraordinary
circumstances exist, and requires the commissioner to notify the court of
such a delay. Additionally, it strikes the General Fund appropriations in the
bill and clarifies some language in the bill. It would still require the DHHS
to do case management, coordination of housing, substance use services and
mental health services, a needs study to identify the current and predicted
residential needs of individuals with behavioral health diagnoses, reporting
to the legislature, developing policy changes and ensuring the State has a
plan following a needs study. DHHS expects that this will require them to
establish multiple positions to carry out this work. It is unknown exactly
when these new costs would be incurred, but it is estimated that at full
implementation the total ongoing cost would be around $1,500,000 annually to
the General Fund. There will also be a one-time cost to complete a study and
needs assesment by January 2023, which is estimated to cost $215,000 to the
General Fund. As this bill provides no new funding, the impact of these new
unfunded costs on other programs in the DHHS cannot be determined at this
time. |