Wisconsin Legislative Council
ACT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Prepared by: Steve McCarthy, Senior Staff Attorney March 28, 2024
2023 Wisconsin Act 219
[2023 Assembly Bill 573]
Law Enforcement Virtual
Behavioral Health Crisis Care
Pilot Program
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 219
2023 Wisconsin Act 219 directs the Department of Health Services (DHS) to establish a pilot program
to implement virtual behavioral health crisis care services for use by county or municipal law
enforcement agencies in the field to connect law enforcement officers who encounter persons in crisis to
behavioral health care services. Specifically, within 180 days of enactment, the act requires DHS to
obtain and review proposals using its competitive selection process to award contracts to certified
county crisis agencies for the purposes of providing virtual behavioral health crisis care services to
individuals experiencing a behavioral crisis. Certified county crisis agencies that are awarded grants
may contract with their local law enforcement jurisdictions to provide telehealth equipment and
develop virtual behavioral health care.
Grants awarded under the competitive selection process may include remote access via two-way
audio/video communication, and grant awardees may contract for services with a private entity for the
purposes of training, equipment, or decision-making support. No grant may be awarded unless the
certified county crisis agency who will receive the grant certifies to DHS that grant funding will pay no
more than 75 percent of the cost of providing virtual behavioral health crisis care services.
When awarding grants, DHS may award no more than 50 percent of the program resources to certified
county crisis agencies who serve a population of more than 50,000, and no more than 10 percent of the
program resources may be allocated to a single certified county crisis agency.
Lastly, DHS must collect and report all of the following information to the Joint Committee on Finance
by May 1, 2025:
For each participating county or municipality, how much money was received under the pilot
program and how much money was contributed by the county or municipality.
Which counties and municipalities participated in the program.
The number of law enforcement officers that were equipped with the services provided under the
program.
The number of incidents in which the services provided under the program were utilized.
Of the incidents in which the services provided under the program were utilized, the number that
were predicted to otherwise have resulted in an involuntary commitment.
Of the incidents in which the services provided under the program were utilized, the number that
ended with the person in crisis remaining in place rather than requiring some kind of transport.
An estimate of how many working hours were saved by utilizing the services provided under the
program. - 2 -
Effective date: March 29, 2024
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
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