HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1897

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Human Services

                       Appropriations

 

Title:  An act relating to mental health.

 

Brief Description:  Modifying provisions regarding mental health.

 

Sponsors:  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).

 

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).

 

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 Substitute 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.  Savings achieved by regional support networks through the reduced use of local and state hospitals will be retained by the regional support network.  The biennial operating budget will provide a single budget for institutional and community 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.

 

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Tribal authorities are included in the planning and provision of mental health services with regional support networks.

 

Fiscal Note:  Requested February 17, 1993.

 

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

 

Testimony For:  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.

 

Testimony Against:  None.

 

Witnesses:  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.

 

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).

 

Summary of Recommendation of Committee on Appropriations Compared to Recommendation of Committee on Human Services:  The specification that savings achieved through the reduction of hospital use is to be retained by the regional support networks and not diverted to other state programs is removed.  In addition, the specification that the allocations for hospitals and community programs be combined into one line in the operating budget is removed.

 

Fiscal Note:  Available.

 

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

 

Testimony For:  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:  None.

 

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