NAMI Minnesota Legislative Update
February 19, 2017
ACTION ALERT!
Action Alert! Immediate Action Needed!
NAMI Minnesota's bill that would expand school-linked mental health services to more
districts and buildings in Minnesota is being heard this Wednesday (February 22) at 1
PM in the House Health and Human Services Finance committee and we need your
support.
School-linked mental health services have proven to be one of the most effective programs
at reducing barriers to children and youth accessing mental health treatment. This system
works because it treats kids where they already are: in school.
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Increases accessibility by removing barriers such as transportation, navigating
system, taking off of work, etc.
Protects privacy of students by creating a firewall between educational and mental
health records
Creates collaboration between teachers and mental health providers
Half of students served received mental health care for the first time and half of
these
students had a serious mental illness
Results in good outcomes - high treatment completion rates,
lower suspension rates, improved mental health status
School-linked programs work but more Minnesota kids need access to school-linked mental
health services (only a little over 40% of school buildings in MN have a program) and
NAMI's bill H.F. 960 does just that. We thank our chief author, Rep Backer and the coauthors: Davnie, Loon, Erickson, Halverson and Peterson. We are thrilled that our bill is
getting a hearing this Wednesday, but there's still more work to do. We need testifiers and
we need you to contact your legislator.
Are you a parent whose child has been received help from
school-linked mental health services? Can we count on you to
tell your story to help more Minnesota kids?
We urgently need parents to tell their own story about how school-linked mental health
services have helped their children and their families. If you can come, we will happily pay
for your parking and transportation. Please email Sue at [email protected]
ASAP. We can also use letters of support from providers, schools, professionals,
teachers, principals, superintendents and paraprofessionals. Those can be scanned and emailed to Sue as well.
Even if you aren't a parent with school age children we can still use your help. If you're
representative serves on the Health and Human Service Finance committee (listed below),
then you can make a difference by calling him/her.
38B - Matt Dean: [email protected] 651-296-3018
55B - Tony Albright: [email protected] or 651-296-5185
64A - Erin Murphy: [email protected] or 651-296-8799
62B - Susan Allen: [email protected] or 651-296-7152
12A - Jeff Backer (chief author): [email protected] or 651-296-4949
19B - Jack Considine: [email protected] or 651-296-3248
43A - Peter Fischer: [email protected] or 651-296-5363
8B - Mary Franson: [email protected] or 651-296-3201
18B - Glenn Gruenhagen: [email protected] or 651-296-4229
21A - Barb Haley: [email protected] or 651-296-8635
51B - Laurie Halverson: [email protected] or 651-296-4128
22B - Rod Hamilton: [email protected] or 651-296-5373
10A - Josh Heintzeman: [email protected] or 651-296-4333
32A - Brian Johnson: [email protected] or 651-296-4346
26A - Tina Liebling: [email protected] or 651-296-0573
60A - Diane Loeffler: [email protected] or 651-296-4219
39B - Kathy Lohmer: [email protected] or 651-296-4244
55A - Bob Loonan: [email protected] or 651-296-8872
26B - Nels Pierson: [email protected] or 651-296-4378
64B - Dave Pinto: [email protected] or 651-296-4199
22A - Joe Schomacker: [email protected] or 651-296-5505
7A - Jennifer Schultz: [email protected] or 651-296-2228
30A - Nick Zerwas: [email protected] or 651-296-4237
Our movement needs you to contact your representative by email or phone before
Wednesday and urge them to support H.F. 960. Here's all you have to say:
I am a NAMI member and I (live with a mental illness, have a loved
one with a mental illness, work in the mental health field, etc.) and I
urge you to support H.F. 960 this Wednesday. School-linked mental
health services make a difference in the lives of Minnesota children
living with a mental illness. Over half of the students served by
school-linked mental health services received mental health care
treatment for the first time and half of those students were found to
have a serious mental illness. These programs make a difference by
identifying and treating children early. Please support this bill.
Thank you so much and know that your voice DOES make a difference! Questions? Email
Sue Abderholden at [email protected]
NAMI Active at the Capitol
Sue Abderholden, John Stuart and Sam Smith at NAMI Minnesota have been working
extremely hard to advance our legislative agenda. Here's a list of every legislator we've
met so far to discuss our priorities! If you see your legislator listed, shoot them an email
thanking them for taking the time to meet with NAMI Minnesota!
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1B: Rep. Deb Kiel
2A: Rep Matt Grossell
12A: Rep. Jeff Backer
13A: Rep. Jeff Howe
15B: Rep Jim Newberger
17B: Rep. Dave Baker
19B: Rep. Jack Considine
22A: Rep. Joe Schomacker
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22B: Rep. Rod Hamilton
23B: Rep Tony Cornish
26A: Rep. Tina Liebling
29B: Rep. Marion O'Neill
30A: Rep. Nick Zerwas
30B: Rep Eric Lucero
32A: Rep. Brian Johnson
32B: Rep. Kathy Lohmer
40B: Rep. Debra Hillstrom
42A: Rep. Randy Jessup
42B: Rep. Jaimie Becker-Finn
47B: Rep Joe Hoppe
50A: Rep. Linda Slocum
51B: Rep. Laurie Halverson
53B: Rep. Kelly Fenton
55A: Rep. Bob Loonan
55B: Rep. Tony Albright
56B: Rep. Roz Peterson
65A: Rep. Rena Moran
2: Sen. Paul Utke
9: Sen Gazelka's staffer
11: Sen Tony Lourey
23: Sen Julie Rosen
26: Sen Carla Nelson
29: Sen Bruce Anderson
31: Sen. Michelle Benson
34: Sen. Warren Limmer
35: Sen. Jim Abeler
36: Sen. John Hoffman
56: Sen. Dan Hall
38: Sen. Roger Chamberlain
50: Sen. Melissa Wiklund
Committee Hearings
House Committee on Health and Human Services Finance
On Wednesday Afternoon, the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee
convened to discuss Representative Fenton’s HF 501, which appropriates funds for the
expansion of the text message suicide response program and funding for Crisis
Connection.
Matthew Eastwood, Chief Executive Officer of Canvas Health, testified in support of the bill,
stating that the suicide prevention program needs more funding to continue
operations. Shannon Mulvihill, Executive Director of Mental Health Minnesota also
testified, arguing that crisis text response is a critical link in the continuum of care for
people living with a mental illness.
Finally, Monica Shevik testified, and shared her personal story. Her son, a paramedic,
passed away due to suicide in 2013. She added that she wished there was a Suicide
Prevention Text Messaging Program at the time of his death, and that this issue "needs to
be addressed."
Members of the committee asked questions about the specifics of the program, and showed
support and sympathy for Mrs. Shevik. Representative Loeffler asked whether this
appropriation would be sufficient to cover the whole state, to which Dr. Eastwood
responded affirmatively. Representative Heintzeman also showed support for the bill, and
shared an account of his friend's battle with depression and death by suicide. The bill was
laid over for inclusion in the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill.
Rep Lonnan presented HF 614 that provides additional grant funding to local public health
agencies, and reestablishes local control over public health. Representative Liebling
questioned whether this bill would include funding for mental health or suicide
prevention. Renee Frauendienst, a Public Health Director who testified on behalf of the bill,
replied that locales will have wide discretion on the spending of the funds, but noted that
when surveyed, almost all health departments listed mental health as one of their top
priorities. The bill was laid over for inclusion in the Health and Human Services Omnibus
Bill.
On Thursday the committee heard from the MN Rural Health Association (note: NAMI's Sue
Abderholden serves on their board) about workforce shortages and the need for
broadband in order to expand telemedicine. Read more here. A bill offered by Rep
Hamilton to help parents wtih a disability receiving personal care assistant services was
also heard and passed out of committee. Read more here.
House Committee on Safety and Security Policy and Finance
The House Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance Committee met on Wednesday to
discuss H.F. 346. This bill authored by Rep. Cornish would require all Minnesota Police
Officers to receive training in crisis response, conflict management, and cultural
diversity. NAMI shares this priority because effective crisis response training will allow
police officers to make effective interventions when an individual living with mental illness
experiences a crisis. This training will lead to more positive outcomes and keep more
individuals living with mental illness out of the criminal justice system.
The executive director for the League of Minnesota cities, David Unmacht, testified in
support of H.F. 346. Unmacht suggested that this bill has support from MN cities large and
small.
House Committee on Health and Human Services Reform
The House Committee Health and Human Services reform met on Thursday morning to
consider a number of bills pertaining to mental health. Rep. Albright presented three bills to
address the healthcare workforce shortage in Minnesota.
The first was H.F. 1169, which provides a tax credit for preceptors who receive no
compensation for training medical students, including mental health professionals. An
estimated 500 to 1,000 preceptors would benefit from this tax credit, providing new
incentives for these individuals to train the next generation of health care professionals.
Rep. Liebling was unsure that using the tax code was the best mechanism for rewarding
preceptors, but was careful to say that she is "really aware that this is a problem, that we
don't have enough preceptors." NAMI agrees that we need to provide more training
opportunities if we are going address the shortage of mental health professionals in
Minnesota.
Rep. Shultz offered a similar bill that offered a higher income tax credit for uncompensated
preceptors. Trisha Stark from the MN Psychological Association testified in support of this
bill and declared, "We have a tremendous workforce issue with mental health in our state."
Stark considers Rep. Shultz's bill to be an elegant solution to a challenging problem.
H.F. 743 is another bill from Rep. Albright to address the workforce shortage. This bill
would provide grant dollars to expand the number of training sites. The lack of training
spaces is one major bottleneck for the certification of new mental health professionals in
Minnesota. Given the various challenges and barriers to solving Minnesota's health care
workforce crisis, Rep. Albright also proposed establishing a Healthcare Workforce council.
This council would consist of public and private sector stakeholders with the task of
submitting a report by September 20189 on the challenges and potential solutions for
Minnesota's healthcare workforce shortage.
Senate Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy
On Monday the 13th, the Senate Committee on Human Services Reform Finance and Policy
met to take testimony on SF 250. This bill addresses Medical Assistance spenddown
requirements for individuals with a disability living above the federal poverty level. NAMI
strongly supports this bill because requiring people to spenddown their income to 80% of
the federal poverty level to become eligible for Medical Assistance places unnecessary
hurdles to being able to live independently due to living below the poverty level.
This policy gives Minnesotans living with mental illness an impossible choice. They can
either pay for the healthcare or pay for food. Testifier Rebecca Preston made this point
when she said, "it makes no sense that I'm expected to stay far below the poverty level to
get the help that I need to stay independent." Sen. Abeler also supports this bill, calling the
current Medical Assistance spenddown requirements a "lousy artifact." NAMI agrees with
Sen. Abeler and hopes that Sen. Utke's bill continues to move forward.
The committee convened again on Wednesday to consider a number of bills including S.F.
776. This bill authored by Sen. Housley would provide increased funding for
Minnesota's Crisis Cnnection program and text for life. This bill is the senate
companion to H.F. 501. The CEO for the Canvas Health Dr. Matthew Eastwood noted that
the suicide prevention program received over 30,000 phone calls and makes 11,000 text
conversations over the last year.
S.F. 776 had broad support from the Human Services Reform and Finance Committee. Sen.
Jensen shared his personal story about losing a young brother to suicide. He then asked
about the programs ability to refer their clients to local community resources. Dr. Eastwood
replied that that their community coordinators live in the communities they serve and offer
one hour trainings on recognizing the signs and intervening when an individual has suicidal
thoughts.
The Committee also discussed S.F. 595. This bill from Sen. Rosen would allow for the use of
interactive video for targeted case management under certain circumstances. Sen.
Rosen argued that her bill gives people more choices, allows for more contacts, and
reduces cost and travel times. Sen. Rosen also noted that the no-show rate for interactive
video is 2-7%, which is far below the rate for in-person contacts.
Sen. Abeler voiced his support for the premise of the bill, but he also asked, "Why is this so
narrowly written? Is there a concern that clients might not get proper treatment?" NAMI
supports the high thresholds for interactive video in Sen. Rosen's bill for individuals with a
mental illness. These protections include requiring the individual be under 24 hour
supervision, that the patient or the patients legal guardian has given written approval, and
that interactive video makes up no more than 50% of the minimum required face-to-face
contact. Protections like these will help to ensure that the cost savings offered by
interactive video do not come at the expense of quality case management.
Focus on Five and Under Working Group
On Thursday February 16, 2016, the Focus on Five and Under Workgroup met for the final
time to discuss various issues around early childhood and different familial service
challenges. To begin, Mike Poindexter and Annmarie Florest of People Incorporated Mental
Health Services testified about some of the challenges and barriers that the demographic
they serve have been facing when it comes to obtaining services for mental health,
housing, and employment.
Sen. Ralph asked what these specific barriers were. Poindexter cited point of access for
services to be the biggest barrier for people, calling many of these standards
"redundant". Poindexter suggested assembling a team to work with families to help them
through the process. These teams would be comprised of a navigator who would be the
primary point of contact for the family, a community health worker, a chemical dependency
worker, and a mental health professional.
In response to that, Sen. Ralph asked whether there were enough services available within
the current system and how do we get those systems to work together. Sen. Hoffman
asked if an expansion of the definition for "at risk" to include care coordination could also
suffice as a reasonable solution to the barriers listed by the testifiers.
NAMI Minnesota executive director Sue Abderholden testified on the mental health
challenges for early childhood education. Sue stated that in order for children to grow up
and be the best that they can be we have to remember the parents. Sue Abderholden
noted that mothers who are declared disabled and are receiving MFIP for a child are
ineligible to receive childcare. This inability to receive childcare while dealing with a mental
health issue is a barrier to receiving treatment.
Sue Abderholden also discussed multigenerational grants and an increase in funding of the
intensive outpatient program at HCMC for mothers who are dealing with postpartum
depression. With multigenerational grants, the systems works with parents and children
who are both dealing with mental health issues. This will allow for greater coordination of
care and avoid redundancies.
Other News
NAMI continues to move forward with its bill to regulate the use of solitary confinement in
MN prisons. Staff have met with the Commissioner of Corrections, health care staff at DOC,
and the Governor's staff on this important topic. Here is a link to efforts in another state.
NAMI is also working on getting introduced many other bills related to employment,
housing, community mental health, parity and the 48 hour rule. Stay tuned!
News from the State
Foster Children
There is a new bulletin from DHS on education and foster children.
News from the Federal Government and Congress
Fight Back Against Medicaid Block Grants
This issue is still on the table and NAMI Minnesota is strongly opposed. It will mean LESS
funding at the same time we are trying to expand and build our mental health system. Here
is a link to a proposal to replace the ACA and an article , another article, and another, along
with resources from Families USA. NAMI's national executive director also wrote an op ed
piece on this issues. Tax credits and health savings accounts are not helpful to people with
low incomes or who are not able to obtain health insurance through their employer. One
recommendation is to repeal Medicaid expansion which has been very helpful in providing
health insurance coverage to young adults with a serious mental illness who have not been
deemed disabled and who want to work in the future.
Congress is on break, so now is the time to tell Senators and Representatives about the
importance of quality, affordable mental health coverage.
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1 in 5 Americans experience a mental health condition and coverage for mental
health care is critical to early identification, treatment and recovery.
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Go to a town hall meeting, call (202) 224-3121 or email your members of Congress
to stand up for mental health coverage and insurance safeguards.
What to Say:
* I am your constituent.
* I am a person living with a mental health condition or I am a family member of someone
living with a mental health condition or I am a professional in the mental health field.
* The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid provide life-saving mental health coverage so
Americans get treatment when they need it.
* Do NOT repeal the ACA without a replacement that maintains or improves mental health
coverage and insurance protections.
* Do NOT allow cuts or caps to Medicaid funding that leave states and communities paying
more.
Here is an article about recent discussions around mental health in DC and an interview
with John Kasich about Medicaid expansion.
Court Decision
From Psych News Alert
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a lower federal court ruling against
Florida's Firearms Owners Privacy Act, which sought to restrict discussions by physicians
and other medical professionals about firearm safety.
The 2011 law included penalties for physicians who routinely asked patients and their
families if they owned firearms. The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), other medical groups, and six individual physicians challenged the law as a violation
of the First Amendment right to free speech.
"We are pleased with the 11th Circuit's common-sense decision, which allows physicians
the right to counsel families on firearms ownership and storage," said Madeline Joseph,
M.D., president of the Florida chapter of the AAP, in a statement.
APA, along with the AMA and numerous other medical groups, filed an amicus brief
supporting the pediatricians, stating that discussion of gun safety is a legitimate public
health concern and the law violates physician and patient First Amendment rights.
"Careful history-taking about firearm access is the cornerstone of risk assessment in
vulnerable patients," said Marvin Swartz, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral
sciences at Duke University and chair of APA's Committee on Judicial Action. "This longawaited ruling from the Florida appeals court defends the free speech physicians must
exercise to appropriately care for their patients and preserves the privacy of the physicianpatient relationship without the unwarranted intrusion of a political agenda."
Bill Introductions
House Bill Summaries
H.F. 1074 (Christensen) Referred to the Health and Human Service Reform. (Companion to
S.F. 782) Does not allow DHS to grant a license to a residential program if it will be within
1320 feet of an existing residential program unless it's in a hospital, is serving six or fewer
people and is not located in a home rule or statutory city (it used to be in a city of the first
class). This could make it harder for coporate foster care providers to have new programs.
HF 1081 (Garofalo) Referred to Rules and Legislative Administration. This is the Governor's
bill related to the Departments of Employment and Economic Development, Labor and
Industry, and Commerce; the Bureau of Mediation Services; Public Employment Relations
Board; Housing Finance Agency; Explore Minnesota Tourism; Workers' Compensation Court
of Appeals; and Public Utilities Commission.
HF 1100 (Fischer and Lee) Referred to Committee on Public Safety and Security Policy and
Finance. Establishes a process to review critical incidents involving a police officer - such as
when someone is seriously injured or dies.
HF 1132 (Backer and Halverson) Referred to Health and Human Services Reform
Committee. Deletes the word "constant" from the eligibility for personal care assistants so
someone would not need constant supervision or cueing. This is a NAMI bill.
HF 1134 (Baker, Hilstrom, Kresha and Kiel) (Companion to S.F. 752) Referred to
Committee on Health and Human Services Reform. Does not allow a pharmacist to fill a
prescriptions for opioid drugs that are more than 30 days old.
HF 1135 (Baker, Hilstrom, Kresha and Kiel) (Companion to S.F. 751) Referred
to Committee on Health and Human Services Reform. Requires information about the
addictive nature of opioids, and safe disposal practices, to be given to patient upon being
prescribed opioids. Directs Board of Pharmacy to develop standardized written text for this
purpose.
HF 1136 (Baker, Hilstrom and Kresha) Referred to Committee on Health and Human
Services Reform. (Companion to S.F. 750) Mandates that drug dispensaries cannot refuse
order to dispense drug antagonist, Naloxone, if they have it in stock. Naloxone is a drug
used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation.
HF 1137 (Baker, Hilstrom and Kresha) (Companion to S.F. 753) Referred to the Committee
on Health and Human Services Reform. Requires pharmacists and prescribers to check the
prescription monitoring program of any controlled substances before filling prescription.
There are some exceptions related to hospice, in an ambulance, etc.
HF 1139 (Kiel) (Companion to S.F. 836) Referred to the Committee on Health and Human
Services Reform. Includes assisted outpatient mental health treatment including mandatory
weekly patient reporting under the early intervention and regular section of the
committment act.
HF 1157 (Bernardy, Davnie, Omar, Theis, Poston, Clark, Pryor, Kunesh-Podein, Fischer and
Pinto) Referred to the Committee on Education Innovation Policy. Requires there to be one
school counselor per 400 students.
HF 1176 (Hamilton and Considine) Referred to the Committee on Health and Human
Services Reform. Eliminates the pay differential between masters' level mental health
professionals working in the private sector versus community mental health centers.
Increases rates by 10% for mental health professionals and an additional 10% for
psychiatry. Also requires Medicaid managed care to not pay below the fee for service rate.
NAMI supports this bill.
HF 1177 (Baker) Referred to Health and Human Services Reform. Appropriates funding to a
children's mental health collaborative for the TIP transition age project. NAMI supports this
bill.
HF 1182 (Peterson; Maye Quade; Loon; Hamilton; Zerwas; Dean, M.; Halverson; Fischer;
Koznick; Anselmo; McDonald; Flanagan; Koegel; Murphy, E.; Pryor; Carlson, A.; Moran;
Backer; Lillie and Baker) Referred to Health and Human Services Reform. Reduces TEFRA
fees for families.
HF 1186 (Pierson, Schomacker, Zerwas and Halverson) Referred to Health and Human
Services Reform. Referred to Health and Human Services Reform. Changes the definition
of mental health practitioner by listing out the degrees (social work, psychology,
community counseling, famliy social science, child developmentor psychology, community
mental health, addiction counseling, counseling guidance and special education) and by
stating that someone working in day treatment does not need 2000 hours of supervised
experience. In addition, changes are made to the use of seclusion and restraints in
children's programs by aligning it with the education statute - any staff can use the
procedures as long as they have had the required training (all the protections remain).
HF 1194 (Albright, Kresha, Baker, Schomacker and Loeffler) Referred to Health and Human
Services Reform. Allows "state only" Medicaid to be used for children's residential treatment
(since they will likely lose federal Medicaid funding soon). In addition requires DHS to
conduct a comprehensive analysis of Minnesota's continuum of intensive mental health
services and develop recommendations for a sustainable and community-driven continuum
of care for children with serious mental health needs, including children currently being
served in residential treatment. The analysis shall be supported and informed by extensive
stakeholder engagement. The commissioner shall provide a report with specific
recommendations and timelines for implementation to the legislature by November 15,
2018.
HF 1195 (Albright, Kresha, Baker, Schomacker, Loeffler) Referred to Health and Human
Services Reform. Establishes who can be admitted to the new Psychiatric Residential
Treatment Facilities for children under the age of 21. Criteria includes having a mental
illness, severe aggression, risk to self or others, functional impairments, requires care of a
physician, and needs this level of care. The bill includes the services that must be required
and staffing levels along with rate setting information.
HF 1201 (Johnson, B.; Hilstrom; O'Neill; Loonan; Zerwas and Lohmer) Referred to the
Committee on Public Safety and Security Policy and Finance. Creates a grant program for
local units of government or organizations to operate chemical dependency treatment
programs for offenders in custody in county jails, on probation, on supervised release, or
participating in drug courts.
HF 1207 (Scott) Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services Reform. This is the
DHS policy bill. Requries mental health behavioral aides to receive 24 hours of training
before providing services and to complete the parent training within 60 days. Allows human
services appeals where in-person was requested to be done by interactive video
technology.
HF 1229 (Pierson, Liebling, McDonald, Murphy E, Hamilton) Referred to Health and Human
Services Reform. Makes several changes to the Ombudsman's office related to scope of
programs they cover, consent issues and privacy.
HF 1245 (Schomacker) Referred to Health and Human Services Reform. This is another
DHS policy bill. Makes minor changes to the services provided by a Commnity Support
Program (CSP) related to crisis planning. Makes many changes to crisis services including
the components of a crisis plan, required to be 24/7, provider standards, crisis home
standards and more. Allows a mental health practitioner on a crisis team- with consultation
and approval by a mental heath professional - to be a health officer under the committment
act for purposes of a transport hold.
HF 1255 (Loon, Davnie, Peterson, Slocum and Swedzinski)(Companion to SF 768) Referred
to the Committee on Education Finance. Appropriates additional funds to aid intermediate
school districts and other cooperative units in providing mental health services.
HF 1260 (Cornish, Considine, and Johnson, C.) Referred to Health and Human Services
Reform. Would allow Medicaid to be used for in-reach services into the jail - prebooking - in
order coordinate medical, mental health and substance use services to divert someone from
going into the jail. This language is to support the project in Blue Earth County.
HF 1258 (Heintzeman) Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services Reform.
Increases payment rates to mental health clinics and centers.
HF 1282 (Kiel) Referred to Health and Human Services Reform. Makes changes to the
licensing act for psychologists.
H.F. 1299 (Franson) Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services Reform.
Requires DHS to notify affected license holders in addition to the counties about any
change in Minnesota or federal law that will change the administration of county business
or compliance for these license holders.
H.F. 1306 (Franson) referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services Reform.
Provides child care assistance to foster care parents.
H.F. 1314 (Dean, M; Schomacker, Zerwas and Murph, E) referred to the Committee on
Health and Human Services reform. Defines telemedicine as the delivery of health care
services or consultations while the patient is at an originating site and the licensed health
care provider is at a distant site. This communication must consist of a real time, back and
forth conversation between the patient and the caregiver.
H.F. 1331 (Zerwas, Considine, Hilstrom, Theis and O'Neill) referred to the Committee on
Civil Law and Data Practices Policy. Allows information about inmates in jail who have a
positive mental health screen to be shared with the local social service agency in order to
help them sign up for health insurance, access services, obtain a photo ID, make an
appointment iwth a mental health professional and obtain medications.
H.F. 1338 (Thissen, Loon, Dawnie, Erickson) referred to the Committee on Education and
Innovation Policy. Requires health insurance to pay for any evaluations deemed necessary
by the student's individualized education plan or individualized family service plan,
including evaluations necessary to determine eligibility for special education.
H.F. 1347 (Kresha, Flanagan, Pinto, Murphy) Referred to the Committee on Health and
Human Services Reform. Funds healthy child grant development program. Creates a grant
program for community based programs designed to address racial, economic, and
geographic disparities for the development of young children.
H.F. 1350 (Franson, Schomacker, Zerwas) Modifies Medical Assistance spenddown
procedures. If an individual elects to not pay the spenddown in advance, then the
payments shall go directly to the commissioner and not the healthcare providers. The
commissioner shall then reimburse the provider at the rate that will not exceed the Medical
Assistance rate. Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services Reform.
H.F. 1371 (Peterson, Hortman, Schomacker, Liebling, Franson, Gruenhagen, Albright,
McDonald, Lohmer, Pierson, Kiel, Koegel, Hilstrom, Pryor, Zerwas, Baker, Allen, Flanagan,
Sandstede, Theis, Fischer, Olson, Freiberg, Nelson, Johnson, Loonan, Halverson, Sauke,
Considine, Schultz, Heintzeman, Kresha, Murphy, Moran, Hamilton) Referred to the
Committee on Health and Human Services Reform. Allows PrairieCare to add 21 more
psychiatric beds for children at its existing hospital.
H.F. 1376 (Erickson) Referred to the Committee on Education Innovation Policy. Makes a
number of changes to MN statute on education. Requires early intervention strategies for
children (including children with disabilities) who are not reading by the end of third grade.
This bill also defines Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in MN statute.
H.F. 1392 (Kresha, O'Neill, Baker, Fabian, Moran, Davnie, Maye Quade, Metsa, Rarick,
Clark) Referred to Committee on Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance.
Makes changes to housing trust and family homeless prevention and assistance programs.
This bill broadens the focus of these protections to better serve families with children who
are eligible for pre-K through 12 academic programs.
Senate Bill Summaries
S.F. 846 (Hoffman, Relph, Hayden, Abeler) Referred to Human Services Reform Finance
and Policy Committee. Establishes pilot program to help parents with a disability, including
mental illness, to care for their children. This bill will provide this support by allowing a PCA
to provide childcare services under certain circumstances.
S.F. 850 (Koran, Abeler, Limmer, Hoffman, Senjem) Referred to the Committee on Human
Services Reform Finance and Policy. Changes the Medical Assistance for employed
individuals with a disability (MA-EPD) program by allwing people to average their income
over six months to adjust for fluctuations.
S.F. 852 (Lourey, Relph, Hoffman, Utke, Abeler) Referred to the Committee on Human
Services Reform Finance and Policy. Creates Housing Support Services that provide
assistance to people with disabilities (including mental illnesses) who are at risk of
homelessness (including being discharged from a hospital or mental health treatment
facility (MSH or Anoka) and can't pay for housing or has no home). There are a number of
services that would be made available including housing assessment, one-time moving
expenses, etc.
S.F. 862 (Newton, Hoffman) Referred to the E-12 Finance Committee. Requires Minnesota
school districts to have one licensed counselor for every 400 K-12 students.
S.F. 877 (Relph, Eken, Nelson, Isaacson, Senjem) Referred to the E-12 Finance Committee.
Increases funding for recovery programs that offer academic services, assistance with
recovery, and continued care for students recovering from substance abuse or dependency.
It also requires for the commissioner to approve unreimbursed pupil transportation costs
for students participating in the program.
S.F. 895 (Lang, Schoen, Dahms, Eaton) Referred to Human Services Reform Finance and
Policy Committee. Increases payments to providers of chemical dependency treatment, in
order to keep up with inflation. Requires Commissioner of Management and Budget to use
the Consumer Price Index to calculate the amount of payments.
S.F. 915 (Hayden)(Companion to SF 1186) referred to Human Services Reform Finance and
Policy. Changes the definition of mental health practitioner by listing out the degrees (social
work, psychology, community counseling, family social science, child development or
psychology, community mental health, addiction counseling, counseling guidance and
special education) and by stating that someone working in day treatment does not need
2000 hours of supervised experience. In addition, changes are made to the use of seclusion
and restraints in children's programs by aligning it with the education statute - any staff
can use the procedures as long as they have had the required training (all the protections
remain).
S.F. 925 (Clausen, Benson, Kiffemeyer, Wiklund, Jensen). Referred to the Committee on
Health and Human Services Finance and Policy. Extends the Senate Health Care Workforce
Commission through 2020. This commission will continue its work of identifying the barriers
and challenges to meeting the demand for Health Care workers and solutions to resolve
this challenge.
S.F. 927 (Abeler, Hayden, Jensen, Lourey) Referred to the Committee on Human Services
Reform Finance and Policy. Eliminates the pay differential between masters' level mental
health professionals working in the private sector versus community mental health centers.
Increases rates by 10% for mental health professionals and an additional 10% for
psychiatry. Also requires Medicaid managed care to not pay below the fee for service
rate. NAMI supports this bill.
S.F. 942 (Miller, Champion, Dahms) Referred to the Committee on Rules and
Administration. This is the job's bill and includes an appropriation of $500,000 dollars to
Resource Inc. to integrate career education and job skills training with mental and chemical
health services and the base amount of $2,555,000 for IPS employment support services
for persons living with mental illness and the base amount of 4,088,000 to the Bridges
housing program for individuals with a mental illness.
SF 1058 (Jensen, Hoffman, Benson, Rosen, Klein) referred to Senate Health and Human
Services Finance and Policy. Allows PrairieCare to add 21 more psychiatric beds for children
at its existing hospital.
SF 1077 (Utke, Mathews, Eichorn, Johnson) referred to Senate Judiciary and Public Safety
Finance and Policy. Creates a grant program for local units of government or organizations
to operate chemical dependency treatment programs for offenders in custody in county
jails, on probation, on supervised release, or participating in drug courts.
SF 1091 (Eichorn, Wiklund, Anderson, Hall, Clausen) referred to Senate E-12 Policy.
Establishes a grant program that supports schools and community based organizations that
provide after school programming for young people (K-12). Grants must be used to
support positive youth-enrichment activities such as mentorship or leadership training and
develop skills that are necessary to achieve success in postsecondary education or a
career. Funding must be equitably dispersed through the state, to ensure access for young
people in rural, suburban and urban areas.
SF 1095 (Abeler, Newton, Hoffman) referred to Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance
and Policy. Amends the 48 Hour Rule, a rule which required any individual civilly
committed to a regional treatment center from a jail to be admitted within 48 hours. This
amendment requires the individual to be screened by a licensed mental health professional
prior to commitment to a treatment center. The examiner will determine whether a less
restrictive treatment program would better suit the individual. If a less restrictive program
fulfills the individual's needs for competency treatment and restoration, then they will be
transferred there rather than a regional treatment center.
SF 1105 (Abeler, Eaton, Fischbach, Klein, Jensen) referred to Health and Human Services
Finance and Policy. Implements a payment system that covers the cost of perinatal care for
pregnant women in Minnesota. Perinatal care refers to care provided during the 20 week
period after gestation, labor, birth, the 60 day postpartum period for the mother, and one
year post birth for infant. A separate fund will be established to provide care for high-risk
pregnancies and newborns.
Updates from NAMI Minnesota
NAMI Legislative Committee
Meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of every month. To be added to the email
list contact [email protected]
Day on the Hill
The annual Mental Health Legislative Network Day on the Hill will be held on Thursday,
March 16th. The issues briefing will be held from 10 to 11:30 at the Cedar Street Armory,
600 Cedar Street, St Paul, followed by visits with your legislators (11:30 to 1:30)(you need
to make them) with a rally in the rotunda of the capitol from 1:30 to 2:30. Sign up here for
buses from throughout the state. It's VERY IMPORTANT that people come to the Capitol this
year to show support for funding for mental health treatment!
Stay Connected
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