New York Assembly Bill A01997 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1997 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 23, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JOYNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis response The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 7.42 to read as follows: 3 § 7.42 New York state council on mental health emergency and crisis 4 response. 5 (a) There is hereby created in the office, the New York state advisory 6 council on mental health emergency and crisis response. The council 7 shall consist of, at a minimum: the commissioner or his or her designee; 8 the commissioner of the department of corrections and community super- 9 vision or his or her designee; an individual representing the state 10 conference of local mental hygiene directors as established under arti- 11 cle forty-one of this chapter; an individual representing the mental 12 hygiene legal service as established under article forty-seven of this 13 chapter; and thirty-two additional members of which twelve shall be 14 appointed by the governor, eight shall be appointed by the speaker of 15 the assembly, eight shall be appointed by the temporary speaker of the 16 senate, and two each shall be appointed by the minority leader of the 17 assembly and senate. Each appointed representative shall be represen- 18 tative of the following and shall represent each geographic area of the 19 state. Members shall be knowledgeable in various aspects of mobile 20 crisis mental health services and shall include, but not be limited to: 21 (i) representatives of mobile crisis outreach teams; (ii) statewide 22 organizations representing mental health providers; (iii) statewide 23 advocacy groups representing individuals with a psychiatric condition; 24 (iv) representatives of hospitals including but not limited to hospitals 25 operating a comprehensive psychiatric emergency program; (v) physicians EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03314-02-3 
 A. 1997 2 1 and other health professionals, mental health professionals, and peers 2 with experience in the delivery of mental health crisis services; and 3 (vi) first responders and law enforcement. 4 (b) The council shall make recommendations to the commissioner on 5 topics including but not limited to: (i) identifying best practices for 6 response to mental health crises; (ii) initiatives to increase training 7 opportunities and participation of mental health professionals, and 8 other qualified individuals as members of mobile crisis outreach teams; 9 (iii) identify training needs and methods to improve diversion from 10 hospitalization after response from a mobile crisis outreach team; (iv) 11 identify the need for establishing mobile crisis outreach teams in each 12 region of the state and accessing alternatives to hospitalization; (v) 13 public education and outreach on the benefit of mobile crisis outreach 14 teams and how to access their services; (vi)_ other alternative or inno- 15 vative approaches in relation to community based mental health crisis 16 response; and (vii) any other recommendation deemed appropriate by the 17 council. 18 (c) The term of office of each member shall be two years. Vacancies 19 shall be filled by appointment for the remainder of an unexpired term. 20 The members shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms 21 and until their successors are appointed and have qualified. No member 22 shall be appointed to the state council for more than four consecutive 23 terms. 24 (d) The council shall meet as frequently as its business may require. 25 The presence of a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The 26 members of the council shall receive no compensation for their services 27 as members. 28 (e) The commissioner, upon request of the council, shall designate an 29 officer or employee of the office to act as secretary of the council, 30 and shall assign from time to time such other employees as the council 31 may require. 32 (f) The council shall develop and submit a report to the governor, the 33 speaker of the assembly, and the temporary president of the senate no 34 later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-three and annually 35 thereafter, pertaining to the recommendations required by this section, 36 and recommendations to effectively implement any initiative identified 37 by the council and other recommendations deemed appropriate by the 38 commissioner. 39 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 40 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment 41 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation 42 of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 43 completed on or before such effective date.