HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESHB 1897

                       As Passed House

                       March 11, 1993

Title:  An act relating to mental health.

Brief Description:  Modifying provisions regarding mental health.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Human Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Thibaudeau, Leonard, Brown, Patterson, J. Kohl and L. Johnson.)

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Human Services, March 3, 1993, DPS;

Appropriations, March 6, 1993, DPS(HS-A APP);

  Passed House, March 11, 1993, 96-2.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives Riley, Vice Chair; Cooke, Ranking Minority Member; Talcott, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Brown; Karahalios; Lisk; Padden; Patterson; Thibaudeau; and Wolfe.

Staff:  David Knutson (786-7146).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  The substitute bill by Committee on Human Services be substituted therefor and the substitute bill as amended by Committee on Appropriations do pass.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives Locke, Chair; Valle, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Minority Member; Carlson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appelwick; Ballasiotes; Basich; Cooke; Dellwo; Dorn; Dunshee; G. Fisher; Jacobsen; Lemmon; Linville; Peery; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan; Sommers; Stevens; Talcott; Wang; Wineberry; and Wolfe.

Staff:  John Woolley (786-7154).

Background:  Mental health services are designed to help people with a mental illness stay in their home community, in the least restrictive treatment appropriate to their needs.  To be successful, the mental health system must involve a partnership between everyone interested and involved in mental health care and treatment.  Duplication between regional support networks and the state mental health program reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of all the participants in the mental health system.

Summary of Bill:  The secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services will adopt rules to eliminate duplication between regional support networks and the state, shift administrative requirements to an outcome based system and apply those requirements to children's and adult's mental health issues.  Tribal authorities will participate with regional support networks in planning and providing mental health services.  The secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services will develop a proposal for caring for non-mentally ill people currently housed in state psychiatric hospitals.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  (Human Services) Duplication between the state and regional support networks should be reduced.  Tribal authorities should be included in local efforts to plan for and provide mental health services.  Savings achieved from not using state psychiatric hospitals should be retained by regional support networks.

(Appropriations) The bill is supported by the regional support networks.  Current statutes relating to mental health services require the fine tuning that this bill provides.  Current efforts to develop a prepaid health plan approach through federal waivers requires the provisions of the bill relating to the insurance commissioner.  The component of the bill that supports a single line item in the budget is supported by the community mental health coalitions.

Testimony Against:  (Human Services) None.

(Appropriations) None.

Witnesses:  (Human Services) Mark Stroh, not identified; Jean Wessman, Steve Rienig, Larry Keller and Steve Norson, Washington State Mental Health Coalition; Sharon Stewart-Johnson, Department of Social and Health Services; and Gary Moore, Washington Federation of State Employees.

(Appropriations) Jean Wessman, Association of Washington Counties (pro); and Steve Norseman, Community Mental Health Coalition (pro).