SB135ENROLLED
Page 0
SB135
GQHQCCC-3
By Senators Jones, Chesteen, Butler, Kelley, Stewart,
Coleman-Madison, Coleman, Barfoot
RFD: Veterans and Military Affairs
First Read: 20-Feb-24
1
2
3
4
5
6 SB135 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 20-Feb-24
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to the Alabama Department of Mental Health; to
add Chapter 58 of Title 22, Code of Alabama 1975; to require
the Alabama Department of Mental Health to work
collaboratively with the Alabama Department of Veterans
Affairs to develop a comprehensive plan to address Alabama
veterans' behavioral health needs and to provide funding of
certain programs addressing specific behavioral health needs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Chapter 58 is added to Title 22, Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
Chapter 58
§22-58-1
As used in this chapter, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) ADMH. The Alabama Department of Mental Health.
(2) ADMH COMMISSIONER. The Commissioner of the Alabama
Department of Mental Health.
(3) ADVA. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.
(4) ADVA COMMISSIONER. The Commissioner of the Alabama
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(5) BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE. The prevention, diagnosis,
and treatment of mental health conditions, substance use
disorders, and behavioral health crisis.
(6) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The comprehensive plan
established pursuant to this chapter, as may be amended from
time to time, to address the behavioral health needs of
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28 SB135 Enrolled
Page 2
time to time, to address the behavioral health needs of
veterans as a supplement to services already offered in
Alabama.
(7) PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder.
(8) RECOVERY. A process of change through which
individuals improve their health and wellness, live a
self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.
(9) TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY or TBI. An injury to the
brain caused by a forceful bump, blast, or jolt to the head or
body, or from an object that pierces the skull and enters the
brain, which can be the result of external forces, including,
but not limited to, assault or motor vehicle collisions.
(10) VETERAN. Any current resident of the state who:
a. Served in the active military, naval, air, or space
forces of the United States who was discharged or released
under conditions other than dishonorable;
b. Is or was a member of the Army National Guard or Air
National Guard who was discharged or released from service
under conditions other than dishonorable; or
c. Is or was a member of the reserve component of the
Armed Forces who was discharged or released from service under
conditions other than dishonorable.
§22-58-2
The Legislature finds the following:
(1) ADMH is the state's lead agency for this act, as
well as the expert in the following areas:
a. Knowledge and expertise in behavioral health care
services.
b. Certifications and implementation of the Certified
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56 SB135 Enrolled
Page 3
b. Certifications and implementation of the Certified
Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model.
c. State and national standards of behavioral health
care, treatment, and services.
d. Infrastructure and best practices needed to
implement behavioral health care treatment, recovery, and
prevention services.
(2) ADVA is the state's expert in the following areas:
a. Military experience and culture.
b. Relationships and trust with Alabama veterans.
c. Knowledge of veterans' state and federal benefits
and resources.
d. Types of support needed for veterans to reintegrate
into civilian life.
§22-58-3
(a) The Veterans Mental Health Steering Committee is
established. The purpose of the committee is to develop a
comprehensive plan to address the behavioral health needs of
Alabama veterans.
(b) The committee shall include the following
individuals:
(1) The ADMH Commissioner, or his or her designee. The
ADMH Commissioner shall chair of the committee.
(2) The ADVA Commissioner, or his or her designee. The
ADVA Commissioner shall vice-chair the committee.
(3) The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services
Commissioner, or his or her designee.
(4) The Adjutant General of the Alabama National Guard,
or his or her designee.
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84 SB135 Enrolled
Page 4
or his or her designee.
(5) During their tenure as legislators, the lead
sponsor for House Bill 197 and the lead sponsor for Senate
Bill 135 from the 2024 Regular Legislative Session, who, upon
leaving the Legislature, shall be replaced by the respective
chairs of the Senate and House Veterans and Military Affairs
Committees, or their designees.
(6) Representatives of two veterans service
organizations with expertise in mental health, substance use,
peer support, and other culturally competent care, appointed
by the ADVA Commissioner, who shall serve for initial terms of
one year and three years, respectively.
(7) Representatives of one other veterans support
organization, appointed by the ADVA Commissioner, who shall
serve for an initial term of four years, respectively.
(8) Three mental health and substance use providers
certified by ADMH who also serve veterans, appointed by the
ADMH Commissioner, who shall serve for initial terms of one,
two, and three years, respectively.
(9) The Associate Commissioner of the ADMH Division of
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services shall serve as an
ex-officio, non-voting member of the committee.
(10) The Veterans Well-Being Program Manager of the
ADVA shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the
committee.
(11) The Governor or his or her designee.
(12) The Lieutenant Governor or his or her designee.
(13) The Speaker of the Alabama House of
Representatives or his or her designee.
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112 SB135 Enrolled
Page 5
Representatives or his or her designee.
(14) The President Pro Tempore of the Senate, or his or
her designee.
(15) The minority leaders of the House of
Representatives and the Senate, or their designees.
(c) All appointing authorities shall coordinate their
appointments so that diversity of gender, race, and
geographical areas are reflective of the makeup of this state.
To the extent practicable, appointing authorities are
encouraged to prioritize appointments of service members,
veterans, and family members of veterans. The designee of a
committee member shall not be a health care provider or mental
health care provider.
(d) Meetings of the committee shall be held no less
than on a quarterly basis, or upon the call of the chair or a
majority of committee members. Appointments to the committee
shall be made by July 1, 2024, and the first meeting of the
committee shall be held by September 1, 2024. All meetings
shall comply with the Open Meetings Act.
§22-58-4
(a) ADMH shall work collaboratively with ADVA,
leveraging each other's roles, relationships, and expertise.
The committee shall develop a comprehensive plan in response
to a review of the following:
(1) The current state of Alabama veterans' mental
health and rates of substance use.
(2) Mental health, substance use, recovery, and other
veteran support services in Alabama.
(3) Needs assessments previously conducted for the
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140 SB135 Enrolled
Page 6
(3) Needs assessments previously conducted for the
purpose of identifying gaps in services and support. The
review of needs assessments shall include qualitative and
quantitative feedback of post-9/11 veterans in Alabama, as
well as the need for additional services and coordination of
existing services.
(b) The review shall be completed by January 1, 2025.
(c) The committee shall consult with others, to include
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as
appropriate, during the development of the comprehensive plan.
(d) ADMH shall align the comprehensive plan with state
and national behavioral health standards.
§22-58-5
(a) ADMH may establish pilot projects utilizing
existing evidence-based services certified by ADMH or
organizations which agree to become certified by ADMH. Pilot
projects shall be awarded funding by ADMH through a fair and
transparent request for proposal process. Pilot projects may
begin upon the appropriation of funds and certification of
projects.
(b) The pilot projects may include any of the
following:
(1) Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
therapy as an evidence-based treatment for PTSD.
(2) TBI screenings integrated into behavioral health
services.
(3) Integrated behavioral health and primary care
models.
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168 SB135 Enrolled
Page 7
models.
(4) Agencies that have successfully met the SAMHSA
criteria for the CCBHC model of care as certified by ADMH.
(c) Pilot projects shall be based on the findings of
the comprehensive plan.
§22-58-6
ADMH and ADVA shall present the proposed comprehensive
plan to the respective Veterans and Military Affairs
Committees of the Alabama House of Representatives and the
Alabama Senate for their review and input no later than April
1, 2025. ADMH shall then submit the proposed comprehensive
plan to the Governor by June 30, 2025, for review and
approval. The Governor shall act on the comprehensive plan no
later than August 31, 2025.
§22-58-7
(a) Upon approval of the Governor and subject to
sufficient appropriations, ADMH shall implement the
comprehensive plan with continued input from ADVA.
(b) ADMH shall contractwithmultipleentitiesto
implementpilotprojects as described in Section 22-58-4 and
provide services under this chapter. Contracts for the
procurement of services shall be awarded on a competitive
basis through a request for proposal process. Both ADMH and
ADVA shall work collaboratively in the review and selection of
the proposals in a fair and transparent manner.
(c) ADMH and ADVA shall comply with federal ethics laws
in regard to its role in this chapter .
(d) Implementation of this chapter shall be contingent
upon new funds appropriated by the Legislature. Nothing in this
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 SB135 Enrolled
Page 8
upon new funds appropriated by the Legislature. Nothing in this
act shall require existing resources to be diverted for this
purpose.
(e) All pilot projects and services implemented under
this act shall comply with all requirements, including data
reporting and certification standards, set out by ADMH. If a
recipient of funds fails to meet those requirements, ADMH may
demand recovery of the full amount of funds awarded. Upon
notification of any demand, ADMH shall also notify the
committee outlining the rationale for taking that action.
(f) During the committee's regular meetings, ADMH shall
update the committee on the progress of the comprehensive
plan's implementation.
(g) The committee shall conduct an annual review and may
make formal recommendations regarding the comprehensive plan.
ADMH shall align these recommendations to state and national
behavioral health standards and submit them to the Governor for
approval.
(h) To inform this annual review, ADMH shall report
annually to the committee the approximate number of veterans
served through the pilot projects, the services provided by
pilot projects, and the amount of funding expended for this
purpose, as well as other available datapoints as determined by
the committee.
(i) Nothing in this act shall supersede or diminish the
existing powers enumerated to ADMH.
Section 2. This act shall become effective June 1,
2024.
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223 SB135 Enrolled
Page 9
2024.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB135
Senate 30-Apr-24
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate, as amended.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 08-May-24
By: Senator Jones
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256