SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2669
As Amended by House Committee on Health
and Human Services
Brief*
HB 2669 would create the Mental Health Intervention
Team (MHIT) Program Act (Act), codifying the program in
statute.
Definitions
The bill would define terms used in the Act, including:
●“Department” would mean the Kansas Department
for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS);
●“Mental Health Intervention Team Provider” (MHIT
Provider) would mean a center organized pursuant
to KSA Chapter 19, Article 40 regarding mental
health centers and services, a mental health clinic
organized pursuant to KSA Chapter 65, Article 2
regarding local mental health clinics, or a federally
qualified health center as defined by section
1905(1)(2)(B) of the federal Social Security Act.
References to “Mental Health Intervention Team
Provider” would also include other provider
categories as authorized by KDADS to serve as a
partnering provider under the Act. An MHIT
Provider would also need to provide:
○Services that include support for students
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org ○Person-centered treatment planning; and
○Outpatient mental health services;
●“School District” would mean a school district
organized under the laws of this state that is
maintaining public school for a school term in
accordance with statute, or “qualified school,”
defined as any nonpublic school that:
○Provides education to elementary or
secondary students;
○Is accredited by the state board or a national
or regional accrediting agency that is
recognized by the state board for the purpose
of satisfying the teaching performance
assessment for professional licensure or is
working in good faith toward that
accreditation;
○Has notified the state board of its intention to
participate in the Tax Credit for Low Income
Students Scholarship Program Act; and
○Complies with the requirements of the Tax
Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship
Program Act.
Mental Health Intervention Team Program
The Act would establish the MHIT Program, which would
be a continuation of the MHIT Pilot Program first established
through a budget proviso in 2018 and continued and
expanded through subsequent appropriation acts of the
Legislature.
Purposes
The bill would state the purposes of the MHIT Program
are to:
2- 2669 ●Provide greater access to behavioral health
services for students enrolled in kindergarten or
any of the grades 1 through 12, and establish a
coherent structure between school districts and
MHIT Providers to optimize scarce behavioral
health resources and workforce;
●Identify students, communicate with families, and
link students and their families to the statewide
behavioral health systems and resources within the
network of MHIT Providers;
●Alleviate the shortage of staff with specialized
degrees or training, such as school counselors,
psychologists, or social workers, and reduce the
competition for staff between school districts and
other private and governmental service providers
to provide broader-based and collaborative
services to students, especially in rural districts that
do not have enough students to justify a full-time
staff position;
●Provide and coordinate mental health services to
students throughout the calendar year, not only
during school hours over nine months of the school
year; and
●Reduce barriers that families experience to access
mental health services and maintain consistency
for a child to attend recurring sessions and
coordination between the child’s classroom
schedule and the provision of services.
The bill would state the MHIT Program focuses on the
following types of students:
●Any student who has been adjudicated as a child in
need of care and is in the custody of the Secretary
for Children and Families or has been referred for a
3- 2669 Families First Program or Family Preservation
Program; and
●Any other student who is in need of mental health
support services.
The bill would provide for the Secretary for Aging and
Disability Services to appoint an MHIT Program manager
and, within the limits of appropriations, such additional staff
as necessary to support the manager.
Oversight (Section 3)
The bill would provide for KDADS to oversee and
implement the MHIT Program in accordance with the
requirements of the Act and the policies and procedures
established by KDADS.
The bill would, in each school year, direct the board of
education of a school district to apply to KDADS to establish
or maintain an MHIT Program within the school district. The
application would be in the form and manner as required by
KDADS. KDADS would also be directed to establish a
deadline for applications to be submitted.
Each application submitted by a school district would be
required to specify the MHIT Provider that the school intends
to coordinate with to provide school-based services to
students who need assistance during the applicable school
district. The school district would be required to provide notice
to the MHIT Provider no later than June 1 of their intent to
partner for the following school year.
The bill would direct KDADS to establish an application
review committee that would include representatives from the
MHIT Providers and the Department of Education.
If a school district and an MHIT Provider are approved to
establish or maintain an MHIT Program, the school district
4- 2669 would enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with the partnering MHIT Provider. If the school district
chooses to partner with more than one MHIT Provider, the
school district would be required to enter into a separate
MOU with each MHIT Provider. KDADS would be able to
establish requirements for an MOU, including contractual
provisions required to be included in each MOU and that are
optional and subject to agreement between the school district
and the MHIT Provider. Each MOU would be submitted to
KDADS for final approval.
The bill would allow KDADS to authorize another
category of provider other than an MHIT Provider to serve as
a partnering provider under the Act. The category of provider
would be required to provide required services and otherwise
meet the requirements of a partnering MHIT Provider under
the Act. If KDADS authorizes another category of provider
other than an MHIT Provider, KDADS would be required to
provide notification of this decision to the MHIT Provider that
provides services in that county.
MHIT Program Grant Funding
The bill would provide for approved MHIT programs to
be eligible for a program grant and for MHIT Providers to be
eligible for a pass-through grant. The grant would be
calculated for each school district’s MHIT program for each
school year by calculating the total amount of the salary and
fringe benefits by a school district for each school liaison. A
school district’s pass-through grant would be equal to 50
percent of the program grant. The moneys for the pass-
through grant would be paid to any of the school district’s
partnering MHIT Providers.
The bill would provide for KDADS to prorate any
appropriations when the budget allocation is insufficient to
pay the school district grants in full. KDADS would be
permitted to allocate and distribute the grants in installments
as well as in advance or in reimbursement, including
5- 2669 adjustments for any overpayment to a school district. A grant
would not be allowed unless a school district has an MOU
with an MHIT Provider. The bill would allow KDADS to direct
unused funds to MHIT Providers to be used for training for
school districts that are participating in the MHIT program.
The bill would require KDADS to consult with MHIT
Providers prior to awarding any grants.
School Liaison
The bill would require each school district to have a
MHIT Program school liaison. The bill would permit KDADS,
in limited circumstances, to waive the requirement for a
school district and allow the MHIT Program liaison to be
employed by the MHIT Provider that partners with the school
district.
The bill would allow the school district to remain eligible
for the grant and would direct the funding of the liaison to
remain the same and the school district to direct payment for
the school liaison to the MHIT Provider.
MHIT Program Reports
The bill would require KDADS to submit annual reports
to the legislature beginning with the 2025 Legislative Session.
The report would be prepared by KDADS and submitted to
the House of Representatives Standing Committees on
Appropriations, Social Services Budget, and Health and
Human Services, or their successor committees, and the
Senate Standing Committees on Ways and Means, the Ways
and Means Subcommittee on Human Services, and Public
Health and Welfare, or their successor committees.
The bill would require the annual report to include a
summary of the program with at least the following items:
6- 2669 ●School districts that applied to participate or
continued participating under the MHIT Program;
●Participating MHIT Providers;
●Grant amount each such school district received;
and
●Payments made by school districts from the MHIT
Program fund of each school district.
MHIT Program Staffing Requirements (Section 4)
The bill would identify that the MHIT Program staff
requirements for both establishing and maintaining a program
would include a combination be the following:
●One or more behavioral health liaisons employed
by the school district; and
●One or more case managers and therapists
licensed by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory
Board (BSRB) who are employed by the partnering
MHIT Provider.
MHIT Program Staff Coordination
The bill would identify that the MHIT Program staff would
be known as the MHIT Team for the school district. The bill
would require that the MHIT Team cooperate and work
together to:
●Identify needs specific to both the students in the
school district and their families; and
●Develop an action plan to implement a school-
based program that is tailored to such needs.
7- 2669 MHIT Program School Liaison
The bill would require that each participating school
district would employ at least one MHIT Program school
liaison. The school liaison would need to meet a minimum
education requirement of at least a bachelor’s degree in any
field of study.
The role of the school liaison would be to help students
in need and coordinate services between the school district,
the student, the student’ s family, and the MHIT Provider. The
school liaison’s roles and responsibilities would include, at
minimum, the following:
●Identifying appropriate student referrals for the
team to engage with;
●Acting as a liaison between the school district and
the MHIT Provider and being the primary point of
contact for communications between the school
district and the MHIT Provider;
●Assisting with MHIT Provider staff understanding of
the school district’s system and procedures,
including the school calendar, professional
development, drills, and crisis plan protocols;
●Triaging prospective student referrals and helping
decide how to prioritize interventions;
●Helping the MHIT Provider and other school
personnel understand the roles and responsibilities
of the MHIT;
●Facilitating communications and connections
between families of identified students and the
MHIT Provider’ s staff;
8- 2669 ●Coordinating a student’s treatment schedule with
building administrators and classroom teachers, to
optimize clinical therapists’ productivity;
●Troubleshooting problems that arise and working
with the MHIT Provider to resolve such problems;
●Tracking and compiling outcomes to monitor the
effectiveness of the program;
●Maintaining and updating the Department of
Education MHIT database as directed by KDADS
and required by this section;
●Following up with child welfare contacts if a student
has moved schools to get the child’s educational
history;
●Being an active part of the school intervention team
and relaying information back to MHIT Provider
staff, including student observations, intervention
feedback from teachers, communications with
family, and other relevant information;
●Working with school administration to identify and
provide confidential space for an MHIT Provider
therapist;
●Assisting in planning continuity of care through
summer services; and
●Submitting an annual report to KDADS regarding
how the liaison complied with the required roles
and responsibilities.
The bill would require that a school liaison within the
scope of employment by a school district would primarily
perform roles and requirements of a school liaison only.
9- 2669 A school liaison would be responsible for entering data
into the database within 14 calendar days of a completed
initial referral.
Roles and Responsibilities of the MHIT Provider
Therapists. The bill would require that an MHIT
Provider that partners with a school district would employ one
or more therapists who would be licensed by the BSRB. The
licensed therapists would collaborate with the school district
to assist students in need and provide services to students
under the program. A therapist’s roles and responsibilities
would include, at minimum, the following:
●Assisting the school liaison with the identification of
appropriate student referrals to the program;
●Triaging student referrals with the school liaison to
prioritize treatment interventions for identified
students;
●Working with the school liaison to connect with
families or child welfare contacts to obtain consent
to commence treatment;
●Conducting a clinical assessment of the identified
student and making appropriate treatment
recommendations;
●Engaging with the student, family, or child welfare
contacts in clinical interventions as identified on the
treatment plan and providing individual and family
therapy;
●Administering scales or tests to detect areas of
concern with depression, anxiety, self-harm, or
other areas as identified;
●Making referrals to other treatment modalities as
appropriate;
10- 2669 ●Communicating educationally appropriate
information to the school liaison, such as
interventions and strategies for use by classroom
and school staff;
●Gathering outcome data to monitor the
effectiveness of the program;
●Coordinating with the case manager to identify
ways to support the student and family;
●Providing therapy services as determined by the
student’s treatment plan; and
●Maintaining the treatment plan and necessary
treatment protocols required by the MHIT Provider.
Case Managers. The bill would required that an MHIT
Provider that partners with a school district would employ one
or more case managers, who will collaborate with the school
district to assist students in need and to coordinate services
under the program. A case manager ’s roles and
responsibilities would include, at minimum, the following:
●Working with the school liaison and clinical
therapist to identify students and triage priorities for
treatment;
●Providing outreach to students, families, and child
welfare contacts to help engage in treatment;
●Participating in the treatment planning process;
●Communicating with the school liaison and other
school district personnel about students’ needs,
interventions, and progress;
●Helping maintain communication between all
entities, including the family, student, school,
clinical therapist, child welfare contacts, and the
community;
11- 2669 ●Maintaining the treatment plan and necessary
treatment protocols required by the MHIT Provider;
●Making referrals to appropriate community
resources;
●Helping reconnect students and families when they
are not following through with the treatment
process;
●Helping families negotiate barriers to treatment;
and
●Engaging with the student in the classroom, the
home, or the community to help build skills
wherever needed.
MHIT Fund
The bill would require each school district to establish an
MHIT Program Fund (Fund). The Fund would be funded by all
the moneys received by a school district either as a grant or
as pass-through.
The moneys in the fund would be used for the following:
●Pay for the expenditures that are attributable to the
salary and fringe benefits of any school liaison
employed by the school district for the MHIT
Program; and
●Provide payment to each partnering MHIT Provider
in an amount equal to the MHIT Provider pass-
through grant received by the school district.
The bill would require a school district to keep separate
accounting records for the school liaison expenditures and
the pass-through grants to MHIT Providers.
12- 2669 KDADS Reporting
KDADS would be required to publish on its website, two
times a year, beginning in 2025, an aggregated report of
outcomes achieved, numbers served, and associated
information regarding the MHIT Program.
Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Health and Human Services at the request of Representative
Landwehr.
House Committee on Health and Human Services
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was provided by representatives of the Association of
Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Bert Nash
Community Mental Health Center, Catholic Diocese of
Wichita, COMCARE of Sedgwick County, Family Service and
Guidance Center, Holy Savior Catholic Academy, Kansas
Catholic Conference, KDADS, St. Patrick Catholic School,
and Wyandot Behavioral Health Network. Proponents
generally spoke of the success of the program to improve
grades, behavior, and attendance for participating students
and that all students, including those in parochial schools,
would benefit from the same mental health intervention
services as those in public schools.
Written-only proponent testimony was provided by five
representatives of All Saints Catholic School, Wichita; two
representatives of Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas;
representatives of Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas;
Catholic Diocese of Salina; Kansas National Education
Association; St. Anne Catholic School, Wichita; St. Mary
Catholic School, Garden City; St. Patrick Catholic School;
and two private citizens.
13- 2669 Neutral testimony was provided by a representative of
Kansas Action for Children and Kansas Association of School
Boards.
Opponent testimony was provided by a representative
of Community Care Network of Kansas, who expressed
concern that the language of the bill would limit provider types
permitted to participate in the MHIT Program to community
mental health centers (CMHCs).
The Committee amended the bill to replace the term
CMHC with a broader definition for MHIT Provider and to
clarify the required services an MHIT Provider would have to
provide to students receiving MHIT services.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, KDADS indicates that
enactment of the bill would have a fiscal effect on
expenditures of the agency. The bill would require
establishment of 1.00 FTE MHIT program manager position,
3.00 FTE MHIT program staff positions, and 2.00 FTE
administrative staff positions to support the program at
KDADS. For FY 2025 and beyond, KDADS estimates the
total increase of 6.00 FTE positions at a cost of $588,705
from the State General Fund (SGF). The increased
expenditures would include salaries, fringe benefits, and
other operating expenses for the six positions. The bill would
increase revenues for KDADS based upon the funding
passing through the agency to schools, but the amount of
revenue is not known at this time.
The Department for Children and Families and the
Kansas State Department of Education indicate that
enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect on the
respective agencies. Any fiscal effect associated with the bill
is not reflected in The FY 2025 Governor’s Budget Report.
14- 2669 The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB)
indicates that enactment of the bill would not require a school
district to implement an MHIT program with local mental
health service providers. The bill would not have a fiscal
impact on districts not electing to enter into these situations. If
a school district enters into the program, it is generally
required that the district employ a school liaison to interface
with the CMHC, unless a waiver is granted. There would be
the possible need for at least one full-time employee for the
school district to implement the program, as well as any
associated costs. There would be the cost to CMHCs to
employ one or more therapists and case managers for use in
this program as well. Although grants are available, there is
no assurance there will be enough grants distributed to cover
costs. The available grants include an MHIT Program grant
and a CMHC pass-through grant. The pass-through grant
would be 50 percent of the amount of the MHIT Program
grant, and that money would go to the community mental
health service provider instead of the school district. There
would undoubtedly be overhead costs involved for all
partners in these efforts that would not be covered by grant
moneys. KASB states that it does not have adequate data to
estimate what those costs may be or how many districts
would opt-in for such a program.
Mental Health Intervention Team; behavioral health; Kansas Department for Aging
and Disability Services; mental health intervention team provider; schools
15- 2669