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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6729
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 3492
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
(PH)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
AND ADDICTION SERVICES' RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE
MEMBERSHIP OF VARIOUS ADVISORY BOARDS AND COUNCILS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17a-470 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
[Each state hospital,] On and after January 1, 2024, each state-3
operated facility [or the Whiting Forensic Hospital] for the treatment of 4
persons with psychiatric disabilities or persons with substance use 5
disorders, or both, [ except the Connecticut Mental Health Center, may] 6
shall have an advisory board appointed by the superintendent or 7
director of the facility for terms to be decided by such superintendent or 8
director. The superintendent or director shall appoint persons with 9
lived experience with a behavioral health disorder to the advisory 10
board. In any case where the present number of members of an advisory 11
board is less than the number of members designated by the 12
superintendent or director of the facility, [he] the superintendent or 13
director shall appoint additional members to such board in accordance 14 Raised Bill No. 6729
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with this section in such manner that the terms of an approximately 15
equal number of members shall expire in each odd-numbered year. The 16
superintendent or director shall fill any vacancy that may occur for the 17
unexpired portion of any term. No member [may] shall serve more than 18
two successive terms plus the balance of any unexpired term to which 19
[he] the member had been appointed. The superintendent or director of 20
the facility shall be an ex-officio member of the advisory board. Each 21
member of an advisory board of a state-operated facility within the 22
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services assigned a 23
geographical territory shall be a resident of the assigned geographical 24
territory. Members of said advisory boards shall receive no 25
compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for necessary 26
expenses involved in the performance of their duties. At least one-third 27
of such members shall be from regional behavioral health action 28
organizations, established pursuant to section 17a-484f, and at least one-29
third shall be members of the catchment area councils, as provided in 30
section 17a-483, for the catchment areas served by such facility, except 31
that members serving as of October 1, 1977, shall serve out their terms. 32
Sec. 2. Section 17a-471a of the general statutes is repealed and the 33
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 34
(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in 35
consultation and coordination with the advisory council established 36
under subsection (b) of this section, shall develop policies and set 37
standards related to clients residing on the Connecticut Valley Hospital 38
campus and to the discharge of such clients from the hospital into the 39
adjacent community. Any such policies and standards shall [assure] 40
ensure that no discharge of any client admitted to Whiting Forensic 41
Hospital under commitment by the Superior Court or transfer from the 42
Department of Correction shall take place without full compliance with 43
sections 17a-511 to 17a-524, inclusive, 17a-566 to 17a-575, inclusive, 17a-44
580 to 17a-603, inclusive, and 54-56d. 45
(b) There is established a Connecticut Valley Hospital Advisory 46
Council that shall advise the Commissioner of Mental Health and 47 Raised Bill No. 6729
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Addiction Services on policies concerning, but not limited to, building 48
use, security, clients residing on the campus and the discharge of clients 49
from the campus into the adjacent community. In addition, the advisory 50
council shall periodically review the implementation of the policies and 51
standards established by the commissioner in consultation with the 52
advisory council. The council shall be composed of six members 53
appointed by the mayor of Middletown, six members appointed by the 54
Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services and one 55
member who shall serve as chairperson appointed by the Governor. On 56
and after January 1, 2024, at least two members appointed by the 57
Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall have lived 58
experience with a behavioral health disorder. 59
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 17a-450a of the general statutes is 60
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 61
passage): 62
(a) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall 63
constitute a successor department to the Department of Mental Health. 64
Whenever the words "Commissioner of Mental Health" are used or 65
referred to in the following general statutes, the words "Commissioner 66
of Mental Health and Addiction Services" shall be substituted in lieu 67
thereof and whenever the words "Department of Mental Health" are 68
used or referred to in the following general statutes, the words 69
"Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services" shall be 70
substituted in lieu thereof: 4-5, 4-38c, 4-77a, 4a-12, 4a-16, 5-142, 8-206d, 71
10-19, 10-71, 10-76d, 17a-14, 17a-26, 17a-31, 17a-33, 17a-218, 17a-246, 17a-72
450, 17a-451, 17a-453, 17a-454, 17a-455, 17a-456, 17a-457, 17a-458, 17a-73
459, [17a-460,] 17a-464, 17a-465, 17a-466, 17a-467, 17a-468, 17a-470, as 74
amended by this act, 17a-471, 17a-472, 17a-473, 17a-474, 17a-476, 17a-75
478, 17a-479, 17a-480, 17a-481, 17a-482, 17a-483, 17a-498, 17a-499, 17a-76
502, 17a-506, 17a-510, 17a-511, 17a-512, 17a-513, 17a-519, 17a-528, 17a-77
560, 17a-561, 17a-562, 17a-565, 17a-581, 17a-582, 17a-675, 17-836a, 17b-78
28, 17b-59a, 17b-222, 17b-223, 17b-225, 17b-359, 17b-694, 19a-82, 19a-495, 79
19a-498, 19a-507a, 19a-576, 19a-583, 20-14i, 20-14j, 21a-240, 21a-301, 27-80
122a, 31-222, 38a-514, 51-51o, 52-146h and 54-56d. 81 Raised Bill No. 6729
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Sec. 4. Section 17a-460 of the general statutes is repealed. (Effective 82
from passage) 83
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 17a-470
Sec. 2 from passage 17a-471a
Sec. 3 from passage 17a-450a(a)
Sec. 4 from passage Repealer section
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) include persons with lived experience with a behavioral health
disorder on (A) advisory boards for state-operated facilities for the
treatment of persons with psychiatric disabilities or persons with
substance use disorders, and (B) the Connecticut Valley Hospital
Advisory Council, and (2) eliminate the Connecticut Mental Health
Center Advisory Board.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]